Nicholas Ledra – Biosa Technologies Ltd.

BY CHRISTINA GWIRA

The process of getting a doctorate degree, for anyone, is no small feat. The process of getting a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science as a black man in North America, brings with it its own set of challenges. However, founder and CEO of Biosa Technologies Ltd., Nicholas Ledra, was able to surpass these distinct trials and give birth to his multi-award-winning company Biosa Technologies Ltd. Within the heart of many a Canadian immigrant child, is the desire to make the most of the life that we have been given, in this new country. Ledra also had these same sentiments and his passion to achieve the highest heights in his education came from a place of making his Guyanese parents proud.

Completing his bachelor’s at the prestigious, yet, sometimes problematic University of Toronto (U of T) was a challenging time for Ledra. Yet he persisted. Most recently, there has been many thoughts, movements and attention brought to the way in which U of T treats their black students. Nevertheless, Ledra was able to use his time at U of T to catapult his studies to the United States, and complete his masters, as well as his Ph.D. in the state of Florida. With its close proximity to the Caribbean, Ledra was able to become connected on a much deeper level with his heritage. It would be correct to say that this melange of experiences: being of Caribbean heritage; studying in one of Canada’s most prestigious universities as well as completing his post-graduate education in the United States, provided a solid foundation to springboard the success of his company.

The name BIOSA has its roots in the Greek root word “bio”, which means life.  It was through a particular plant sciences university class at U of T, as well as his conjoined masters in biochemistry and ocean science that Ledra’s interest was tuned into learning and doing more for the environment. The supervisor for his Ph.D. was researching the possibility of a tie between extended fertilizer use and autism spectral disorder, which again, prompted him to think about the issues that industries like mining and petroleum leave in their wake. Within numerous discussions with friends and family, Ledra began to notice the economic and ecological damage that many Western companies were doing to the environment of Caribbean nations. Unfortunately, these crimes against the natural resources and ecosystems of these countries were, and unfortunately, still are  met with very few consequences from these countries’ respective governments. However, the aftermath of these events continues to make an impact on our homelands till this day. From these combined experiences, Ledra decided that there had to be another way to still be on the forefront of industry and technology, while also respecting the environments and ecosystems that we as humans have been blessed with.

Fast-forward to 2020, BIOSA was recently the 2020 Aird & Berlis Starupsource Market Entry Award winner. This is one of the many awards that BIOSA has won. Other awards that the company has gathered include but are not limited to the recipient of 2018 & 2019 NSERC-Engage Awards, the recipient of the 2019 MiTACS Award and the winner of the 2019 LaunchYU Accelerator Program. Ledra strongly advises that budding entrepreneurs should consider joining the LaunchYU Accelerator Program. Of the program, Ledra says, “it’s a program that I would recommend for any entrepreneur […] you don’t necessarily need to be York University Alumni or [a] student”. The program is an intense 6-8-month training that teaches you how to become a businessperson within that timeframe”. Ledra also states that, “you have to be humble and you have to be receptive because there are times [during that program] where they tell you that you need to do things this way […] and some people drop out. But you need to believe in what you do”. The program walks you through the business model canvas and is a challenging learning process. However, LaunchYU Accelerator Program also provides a psychological component which many accelerators and hubs seem to miss out on. Every 2-3 weeks, a trained psychologist is made available to the members of the cohort and helps to meet the psychological needs that new and existing business owners that they may encounter throughout the process. Ledra also says that the network of his peers was also a very valuable piece that he appreciated through his time at LaunchYU.

As a community, it is good to know that businesses such as Ledra’s are out here, making our community proud in spaces and sectors where we are generally unseen. With the current COVID-19 pandemic that we are all facing, BIOSA is charging towards the forefront with solutions and products to assist. For years before COVID-19 hit, Ledra had felt like he was “chicken little”, warning of the sky falling. He had done extensive publicity to alert organizations that there was a great need to upgrade the current infrastructures in place to be able to handle the potential – and now, very real – effects of situations like pandemics. One of the grants that BIOSA won from Innovation Solutions Canada, is slated to help BIOSA create personal protective equipment such as gowns and masks. This equipment provides a 3-in-1 solution: it blocks chemical gases, is antimicrobial and provides radiation protection. As we are currently warring against COVID-19, the antimicrobial piece of this research and project is of uttermost importance.

The company will be taking the next 8-10 months to focus on providing various BIOSA solutions that can assist Ontario and Canada at large recover from COVID-19. They are currently working hard on generating masks, as well as disinfecting sprays and washes for vehicles, especially emergency response units and buildings, using their technology.

With all that is going on in our society and world today, it is good to know that one of our own is making positive change and lasting impact on this very real and present danger that we are all facing.