NACO Announces the 2021 Edmonton Startup of the Year

Photo caption (left to right): Dr. Jana Rieger, Founder and CEO of True Angle and Claudio Rojas, CEO of National Angel Capital Organization (Photo: Business Wire)

EDMONTON, Alberta--()--Today, the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) is pleased to announce that True Angle is the recipient of NACO’s 2021 Edmonton Startup of the Year award. Dr. Jana Rieger and her team at True Angle exemplify Edmonton’s entrepreneurial spirit and highlight the tremendous innovation that exists within the region.

The first phase of NACO’s Pathways to Capital initiative was launched in Alberta, with a series of Edmonton based workshops targeted toward angel investors and entrepreneurs, in partnership with Alberta Innovates and the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network. Pathways by NACO is a national suite of programming focused on increasing access to capital opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs, and bolstering angel investment in all regions.

NACO’s Pathways workshops in Alberta culminated in its first-ever Edmonton Angel Investment Summit, shining a national spotlight on nine of the city’s top angel-ready companies. These companies took to the virtual stage to pitch to an audience of angel investors and champions of the startup ecosystem from across Canada. The winner was chosen by a panel of esteemed judges, including Sandi Gilbert, Founder and CEO of DealPoint, John Pinsent, angel investor and Partner at St. Arnaud Pinsent Steman Chartered Professional Accountants, Irene Dorsman, CEO of Angel Forum, Thealzel Lee, President of eFund and Frank Auddino and Angelo Del Duca, NACO’s Angels in Residence.

“The True Angle team is thrilled to be recognized by NACO as the 2021 Edmonton Startup of the Year,” said True Angle’s Founder and CEO, Jana Rieger. “It is incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact that True Angle’s Mobili-T device has on our patients’ quality of life, and to see the team’s hard work be recognized on a national stage, is extremely gratifying.”

True Angle was spun out of the University of Alberta in 2017 by its Founder and CEO, Dr. Jana Rieger, moving the technology out of the lab, and into the hands of the people who needed it. A global leader in functional outcomes assessment related to head and neck disorders, Jana and the team at True Angle have developed the Mobili-T: a wearable device that uses software-enabled biofeedback technology to deliver a proven method to regain swallowing function for the 500 million people globally who are suffering from a swallowing disorder because of common medical conditions such as stroke, Parkinson's Disease, or head and neck cancer.

“True Angle is an inspiring Canadian success story in the making, and it is indicative of what can be accomplished through close collaboration between research institutions, early stage investors, and an entrepreneur with a vision to improve the lives of millions of people globally,” said NACO’s CEO, Claudio Rojas. “NACO is pleased to present Jana Rieger and the True Angle team with this award and we look forward to leveraging the NACO Network to accelerate their journey.”

For more information about NACO, please visit www.builtbyangels.com.

About NACO

National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) members have invested over $1 billion into more than 1,500 Canadian companies. Established in 1998, NACO pioneered the “access to capital” movement and led the formation of angel groups in Canada. As the only national platform for both angel investors and the innovation hubs that support Canada’s entrepreneurs, its national network includes 4,200 angel investors, 45 incubators and accelerators, and 44 angel groups. www.builtbyangels.com.

About True Angle

Most people have had the experience of choking on food at one point or another. It’s uncomfortable, embarrassing, and scary. But for 20% of people over 50, this is a regular and terrifying experience. To regain swallowing function, nothing works better than intensive, regular exercise. And yet, clinical experience shows that coming into a clinic is costly, inconvenient, requires advanced planning, and involves a lot of waiting. True Angle created Mobili-T® as a device and app that allows patients to practice their swallowing exercises from anywhere, anytime. Mobili-T offers personalized targets, biofeedback, and progress trackers that motivate, encourage, and empower. www.trueanglemedical.com.

Available for Interviews:

Claudio Rojas, CEO of National Angel Capital Organization

Jana Rieger, Founder & CEO of True Angle

Contacts

For media inquiries:
Erynn Shannon
media@nacocanada.com

Release Summary

NACO is pleased to announce that True Angle is the recipient of NACO's 2021 Edmonton Startup of the Year award.

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Contacts

For media inquiries:
Erynn Shannon
media@nacocanada.com