MIX isn’t a typical technology hub. MIX is a network of like-minded, Canadian medical and health technology companies who share the same vision and purpose; to grow their business in their own backyard, support patients and clinicians with truly innovative solutions and pay-it-forward by helping other medtech companies grow and succeed. Here is who we are:
Who We Are
Resident Companies
Providing physicians with the world’s smallest camera, capable of going inside veins and arteries to help them treat strokes.
A smart post-operative monitoring system to detect early signs of anastomotic (gastrointestinal) leakage, enabling improved patient recovery with data-driven intervention.
Delivering hands-on, tele, virtual, & IM care in your home or community setting, enabling a more holistic care experience.
Smart navigation for joint replacement surgery.
Developing a single platform for clinicians with the first ever smart multi-therapeutic vaginal wand.
Developing the world’s first autonomous robotic platform for medical procedures.
Affiliate Companies
Our Team
A thriving ecosystem that develops, sustains, and retains local medical technology companies and establishes Waterloo Region as a leader in medical innovation.
Staff
Elliot Fung
Executive Director
Elliot is a passionate supporter of the local technology ecosystem, and an experienced community leader. Over the past 20 years, Elliot has held various executive roles helping to advance the local ecosystem. He was Vice President, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Ontario Health and also held various strategic positions at BlackBerry, helping to adopt and commercialize enterprise-level technology to some of BlackBerry’s largest global partners. Elliot has also served two terms on municipal council in the Township of Wilmot and one term as the Vice Chairperson of the Waterloo Regional School Board. Currently, Elliot is also a sessional instructor at the University of Waterloo in the Bio Medical Engineering program and serves on the Board of Directors for Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON). Elliot studied Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University.
Ellyn Shurtleff
Program Manager
Ellyn is the Program Manager for Medical Innovation Xchange. She has led the deployment of federal and provincial programs totalling over $8M to medtech and health innovation companies to support commercialization and economic growth for over 50 Canadian companies. She holds a Master's in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Sheffield and a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University. In previous roles, she worked for the Canadian Red Cross on the natural disaster response team and community health programs.
Parisa Fataei
Manager, Strategic Partnerships and Programs
Parisa is a Strategic Partnerships and Programs Manager with over seven years of experience working in entrepreneurship, startup ecosystems, and venture support programs. She holds a BBA and MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Tehran and has supported more than 100 founders through facilitation and structured programs. Her work focuses on designing and delivering impactful programs that connect founders with the right ecosystem and strategic partners to accelerate growth. She has strong experience in feasibility studies, market research, and agile methodologies, enabling her to translate insights into practical programming and support structures. In her partnerships work, Parisa actively builds and nurtures relationships with ecosystem, impact, and strategic partners, bringing them into programs to provide additional expertise, resources, and value to client companies. She is experienced in identifying collaboration opportunities, developing partnerships that align with organizational goals, and strengthening engagement through structured, outcome-driven initiatives. She is skilled in stakeholder engagement, program delivery, and supporting the full lifecycle of initiatives that connect scaleups with meaningful resources and partnerships that drive measurable impact.
Board of Directors
Joshua Mitchell
Co-Founder
Joshua is a proven business leader with an aptitude for improving collaboration and efficiency. Josh is the VP Finance at Intellijoint Surgical and Co-Founder of MIX. He develops the financial strategy and operational objectives while ensuring the company is properly capitalized to pursue its mission. Joshua holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Armen Bakirtzian
Co-Founder
Armen leads increased market adoption and team growth, manages strategic partnerships, investor and government relations, and fundraising. He is passionate about growing the Canadian medtech industry and seeing patients around the world benefit from Canadian innovation. Armen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Intellijoint Surgical and he spearheaded the creation of MIX, Canada’s first industry-led innovative hub dedicated to helping medtech companies scale within Canada. Armen holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Waterloo, and a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Abdallah El-Fallou
CTO FluidAI
Ben Fluter
CEO, Bloom
With 20 years of leadership in the home health care sector, Ben excels at forging and managing high-impact contracts with federal, provincial, and municipal governments; national and global insurers; hospitals and health networks; and North America’s leading long-term care and retirement conglomerates. He has collaborated extensively with the country’s largest community health care providers. A serial entrepreneur, Ben has successfully built and exited multiple companies. He is now scaling Bloom Care Solutions, Canada’s fastest-growing digital health and home care services platform—recognized as a CIX Top 10 Growth Company, ranked 3rd and 26th on the Deloitte Technology Fast 50/500, #5 on the Globe and Mail’s Top 400 Growing Companies, and named a 2023 EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist.