Updated:
Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation
The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) launched in 2015 with $123 million in foundational funding from the Government of Canada, the...
Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation
The Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) launched in 2015 with $123 million in foundational funding from the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and Baycrest, the Toronto-based geriatric teaching hospital where the centre is housed. Dr. Mel Barsky, President and CEO, oversees a model that blends grant-making with an innovation-acceleration platform, drawing on Baycrest's clinical infrastructure and its network of older-adult research participants. CABHI's deployment primarily takes the form of structured innovation competitions and direct project grants — it does not take equity or make fund commitments. Its capital supports early-stage validation, clinical testing, and market-readiness for technologies spanning digital health, assistive devices, AI-driven diagnostics, and care-delivery models. Confirmed portfolio projects include BrainFx, a digital cognitive-assessment platform acquired by Highmark Health, and the Virtual Behavioural Medicine program at Baycrest, which scaled tele-neuropsychiatry to rural Ontario during the pandemic (per the firm, 2022). Geographic concentration is Ontario-first, but CABHI funds projects across Canada and has built a network of over 100 test-bed and industry partners. As of mid-2026, CABHI reports over $100 million in cumulative deployment and more than 500 projects funded across the innovation lifecycle. Its Revenue Generating Partners membership model — with dues paid by industry, not equity — counts members including PointClickCare and AGE-WELL. In October 2024, the centre received an additional $10.5 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada to advance dementia-inclusive community solutions (per the Government of Canada, October 2024). The organization maintains a lean team anchored at the Baycrest campus in North York, Toronto. CABHI's structural distinction is its triple-anchor funding architecture. Instead of relying solely on government grants or a single parent's budget, it draws simultaneously on federal, provincial, and clinical-entity resources, while adding an industry-membership revenue stream. That makes its grant capital stickier than model-cycle government funding, enabling multi-year projects that outlast typical accelerator cycles. Its governance remains tied to Baycrest, with adherence to public-sector reporting and conflict-of-interest standards that cleanly separate it from venture-capital conflicts.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
2015
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Toronto
Corporate office
Toronto, ON, Canada
Principals
Dr. Mel Barsky
President and CEO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at CABHI?
Dr. Mel Barsky, President and CEO, leads the executive team that oversees funding allocations. Investment decisions are administered through structured innovation competitions and a review process that includes clinical subject-matter experts, older-adult advisors, and industry partners. Final authority rests with CABHI's leadership, guided by an advisory board and Baycrest's governance framework.
How is CABHI funded, and does it take equity in the companies it supports?
CABHI is funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and Baycrest, with additional revenue from its industry-partner membership program. It does not take equity positions or make venture-capital commitments. The centre provides non-dilutive grant funding and in-kind clinical-validation support to innovators, maintaining a clean separation from private-market financial incentives.
What is CABHI's relationship to Baycrest?
CABHI was founded at and is embedded within Baycrest, a Toronto-based teaching hospital specializing in geriatric care and brain health. Baycrest provides clinical infrastructure, access to its older-adult participant pool, and administrative hosting for the centre. CABHI operates with its own leadership team and governance, but its strategic priorities align with Baycrest's clinical and research mission.
What investment stages does CABHI typically target?
CABHI focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage validation for aging and brain-health innovations. Its programs span proof-of-concept testing, clinical-trial readiness, and market-entry support. The centre emphasizes de-risking technologies for clinical adoption rather than scaling late-stage commercialization, which is left to follow-on investors and industry acquirers.
Does CABHI work with international companies or only Canadian innovators?
CABHI primarily funds Canadian-based projects, but its innovation challenges are open to international applicants who partner with a Canadian test-bed site. Its partner network includes collaborations in the United States and the United Kingdom, and its Revenue Generating Partners model extends membership to global industry players with a Canadian healthcare presence.
How does CABHI source the companies and projects it funds?
Deal flow comes from open calls through themed innovation competitions, referrals from Baycrest's clinical network, and direct outreach through its 100-plus test-bed and industry partners. Competitions are typically shaped by priority areas — such as dementia-inclusive design or remote monitoring — identified in consultation with clinicians, older-adult advisors, and government health agencies.
What is CABHI's known posture on co-investments alongside external venture capital?
CABHI does not co-invest alongside venture-capital funds in the traditional sense because it takes no equity. It acts as a pre-dilutive grant-maker and validation platform. Portfolio companies frequently attract venture investment following CABHI-supported validation, but those funding rounds occur independently of the centre, with no carried-interest or board-seat arrangements.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: