Mitacs empowers safer and smarter post-op care with Fluid AI

The challenge 

As a Canadian medtech company, FluidAI was created to address a complication occurring in about 15 per cent of digestive tract resection surgeries called an anastomotic leak. This could lead to potentially deadly leaks of bowel contents, like fecal matter or bile, into the abdominal cavity and blood stream in the days following surgery.

The solution

Inspired by a desire to make post-operative care safer and smarter, FluidAI was founded by four University of Waterloo students: Youssef Helwa, Amr Abdelgawad, Abdallah El-Falou, and Mohamed Okasha. With early support from Mitacs, Velocity, the Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX), and the Waterloo entrepreneurship ecosystem, they transformed their lab research into a commercial-ready product.

FluidAI’s StreamTM is an AI-powered bedside monitor that detects post-op complications in real time. Mitacs has worked closely with FluidAI at every stage, supporting prototype development, R&D, clinical validation, and business expansion. This ongoing partnership helped reduce research risks, speed up commercialization, and access top research and business talent, ultimately boosting Canada’s medtech sector.

“Mitacs believed in our vision early on. Their support helped us validate technology, access top student talent, and make the leap from student start-up to a company improving patient outcomes globally.”

Amr Abdelgaward, Co-Founder and COO, FluidAI

The Outcome

FluidAI is more than just a medtech success; it is an ecosystem success. Mitacs has acted as a strategic partner — working alongside universities, incubators, investors, and health partners such as Medtronic to de-risk early-stage innovation, provide talent pipelines, and speed up commercialization.

Together, this partnership helped FluidAI grow from a student spinout into a global health innovator. FluidAI has secured $1M in pre-seed funding (2019), more than $2.5M in seed funding in 2021, $15M in Series A (2023), as well as Health Canada & SFDA approvals and clinical trials across North America and globally.

“Being embedded in the Waterloo ecosystem meant we could connect with FluidAI from the very beginning. Our role wasn’t to be their only funder, but to be a consistent partner in de-risking their R&D, supporting their business growth, and helping build a sustainable talent pipeline. Their journey shows what happens when an entire ecosystem invests in student founders.”

Amanda Green, Senior Advisor, Mitacs

Talent in Action

With Mitacs’s support, FluidAI has created jobs, scaled operations, and contributed to Canada’s growing medtech capacity. Mitacs funding early on helped de-risk prototypes and hospital pilots, helping validate technology and shorten time-to-market.

Early Mitacs support has rippled outward, helping FluidAI de-risk its technology while connecting academic, industry, and healthcare partners. FluidAI has further amplified that support by mentoring start-ups, leading a national supercluster initiative, and training the next generation of medtech talent. FluidAI’s journey highlights how strategic early support of student founders can multiply impact; improving patient care while also nurturing leadership, and fostering talent that strengthens Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: [email protected].