AURORA, ON, October 19, 2026. Audacity North, co-founded by Megalab Group Inc. President and CEO Garry Lee and MedTech Entrepreneur Keith Loo, is pleased to announce plans today to build Canada’s largest MedTech innovation hub, including an academic and programming partnership with The Schulich School of Business and YSpace (York University).
The non-profit hub’s Whitchurch-Stouffville campus will be built on 86 acres of land (purchased by Megalab) with plans announced for seven buildings and additional expansion capacity (supported by a network of local investors).
The announcement takes place at Megalab’s 45,000-square-foot engineering and product compliance testing facility, home to the hub’s Aurora campus, where programming begins in 2027 ahead of the first building in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Announcement
- Date
- Monday, October 19, 2026
- Time
- 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Location
- Megalab Group Inc., 150 Addison Hall Circle, Aurora
- Including
- Announcement, first look at facility plans and tour of Megalab
Featuring remarks from
- Mayor Iain Lovatt, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
- Mayor Tom Mrakas, Town of Aurora
- Garry Lee, President and CEO, Megalab Group Inc.
- Keith Loo, Co-Founder, Audacity North
- Dean Detlev Zwick, Schulich School of Business (York University)
- Amir Asif, Vice President, Research & Innovation, York University
- Jennifer Klotz-Ritter, President & CEO, Southlake Health Foundation
The hub will feature key testing, validation and manufacturing capacity required by companies in the medical device sector, including:
- Support for devices requiring IEC 60601 certification
- Wet lab access required by biotech companies
- Clinical validation and data governance support for digital health and medical AI startups
- A venture studio for company development and acceleration
“Canada has never had a discovery problem, but what has been missing is the capacity between discovery and market: testing, validation, manufacturing alongside people who have done it before. Audacity North will provide that capacity, spanning ideation and prototyping through production, testing, regulatory support, commercialization, capital and first customers.”
Keith Loo, Co-Founder, Audacity North
Loo is himself a MedTech entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Skinopathy, an award-winning company that uses AI and machine learning to screen, triage, track and manage skin conditions, wounds and burns.
At the heart of the hub will be the Logan Institute for Rare Disease Research, founded by Loo (Schulich MBA ’12) for his son Logan, who lives with an ultra-rare genetic condition. The Institute will fund research and build the resources needed to study diseases too rare for anyone else to pursue, for Logan and for the many families like his.
“There are more than 7,000 known rare diseases, and for many of them there is no financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies or researchers to devote time and effort to finding treatments. The Logan Institute was created with the goal to provide funding and resources to help those with these ultra-rare conditions and improve their quality of life.”
Keith Loo
The Schulich School of Business (York University) will also join the announcement, bringing the network, business innovation talent pool and expertise of both The Schulich Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship and also the Krembil Centre for Health Management and Leadership.
The partnership will also feature York University, which will work to unlock further commercialization pathways for faculty and students, industry and research partnerships, and support the development of the venture studio programming through its innovation and entrepreneurship hub, YSpace.
Audacity North notes it is also in active discussions to develop integrated partnerships with local hospitals related to clinical trials, community and patient engagement.
A limited number of founding partner positions (industry, hospital, and investor) remain. Organizations interested in a founding role can contact the team at audacitynorth.ca.
“The opportunity to combine MedTech startups, students and clinicians in a structured process will be a game changer. Too many Canadian medical technology companies leave the country to grow. Audacity North is being built so they can go from the first prototype to the global market, headquartered here.”
Garry Lee, President and CEO, Megalab Group Inc.
“I really couldn’t be more excited that two of Aurora’s most successful entrepreneurs have come together to bring this vision to life. By giving the next generation of entrepreneurs the tools, expertise and support to take their ideas from concept to commercialization, Audacity North has the potential to create tremendous opportunities for our entire community. We’re talking about attracting new investment, creating high-quality jobs and bringing more people into our communities to support our local restaurants, shops and businesses. This is exactly the kind of initiative that will drive economic growth in Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville and solidify our communities as destinations for innovation and great places to live, work and build a thriving business.”
Mayor Tom Mrakas, Town of Aurora
“This initiative represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen York Region’s position as a hub for innovation, research, and high-value job creation. By bringing together industry leaders, researchers, entrepreneurs, and post-secondary institutions, Audacity North is creating the conditions for groundbreaking ideas to grow and thrive right here in Whitchurch-Stouffville and Aurora. We are proud to be part of a partnership that is helping build the future of MedTech and life sciences while supporting economic growth and attracting new investment to our communities.”
Mayor Iain Lovatt, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
