Key Investor Signals
Co-founder named on two granted US tissue-printing patents
Axel Guenther is senior author of the 2018 paper reporting the first device to form tissue directly on a wound and a named inventor on two granted US patents covering the approach.
Improved healing in a large-animal burn study
In pigs with full-thickness burns, the handheld printer deposited fibrin sheets carrying mesenchymal stem cells. Treated wounds showed faster skin regrowth and new blood-vessel formation.
Secured four non-dilutive awards in 18 months
VRiT won first place in the 2026 Desjardins Startup Prize after placing third in 2025, and also received a Health Innovation Hub fellowship and a BioHubNet VentureLift grant.
Other Positive Signals
- Published a second peer-reviewed bioprinting paper in Biofabrication in March 2026.
- Joined the 2024–25 Nucleate Canada Activator cohort with business and clinical co-leads.
- Completed the 12-week Lab2Market Launch Health program in spring 2025.
Team
Sushant Singh
CEO and Co-founder
- First author of a 2024 paper on scalable collagen microgels, with a Patent Cooperation Treaty application filed on the same technology.
- Earned a University of Toronto doctorate in 2025 after developing bioink microfluidics in Guenther's lab since 2019.
- Worked at Canada's National Research Council in 2020 on micro-injection moulding for microfluidic device fabrication.
Axel Guenther
CSO and Co-founder
- Founding co-director of CRAFT, a joint research centre of the University of Toronto and Canada's National Research Council.
- Full professor at the University of Toronto, with a doctorate from ETH Zurich and postdoctoral research experience at MIT.
- Named University of Toronto Innovator of the Year in 2013 and received the ETH Medal for his doctoral thesis in 2002.
Product
INSITE is a handheld bioprinter that rolls across an open wound, depositing a continuous collagen- and fibrin-based sheet that sets in about two minutes. SHIELD adds stem cells to the bioink, allowing the same device to deliver living cells directly onto severe skin injuries.
Built for burn surgery workflows
Full-thickness burns are already treated in the operating room after damaged tissue is removed. INSITE is designed to deposit its biomaterial sheet directly onto the prepared wound during the same procedure.
Conformal printing on curved wounds
The printhead remains in contact as the wound surface curves, allowing the material to form in place across areas such as shoulders, faces and limbs rather than being cut and pieced to fit.
Recurring printhead and bioink use
The handheld bioprinter is a reusable device, while the printhead and bioink cartridge are replaced for each patient. SHIELD extends the same delivery platform into stem-cell therapy.
Market Overview
Burn care is highly specialized. In 2020, 94 US hospitals treated 81% of burn admissions, with a median of 203 admissions each. Severe cases are concentrated in centres that already remove damaged tissue, perform grafting and manage complex wounds, giving new surgical technologies a relatively defined clinical customer base.
Advanced wound care is already an established commercial category spanning biologic grafts, cell-based products and devices used in acute and chronic wounds. Acquisitions such as Kerecis and Advanced BioHealing also show strategic buyer interest in regenerative wound-healing platforms.
An estimated 398,000 fire or burn injuries received medical care in the United States in 2021.
WHO estimates that burns cause about 180,000 deaths each year, mostly in low- and middle-income countries.
AVITA Medical reported $71.6M in 2025 revenue and an 82.1% gross margin for its acute wound-care business.
The global advanced wound care market is forecast to reach $14.87B by 2030, growing 4.79% annually.
Comparable Outcomes
Kerecis
Kerecis developed intact fish-skin grafts for wounds and burns. The minimally processed material preserves tissue structure so a patient's own cells can grow into it. Coloplast acquired Kerecis in August 2023 for $1.2B upfront, with up to $100M in additional earnout payments.
Advanced BioHealing
Advanced BioHealing developed Dermagraft, a living-cell skin substitute made from human fibroblasts grown on an absorbable mesh and approved for full-thickness diabetic foot ulcers. Shire acquired Advanced BioHealing in June 2011 for $750M in cash, establishing a regenerative medicine business around Dermagraft.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.