The future of wound healing: Desjardins Prize supports U of T bioprinting startup
May 11, 2026
Sushant Singh came to the University of Toronto from New Delhi in 2018 with a passion for 3D printing and a plan to pursue a one-year master’s degree in materials science and engineering. That plan quickly grew more ambitious when he joined a lab working on a handheld “bioprinter” with the potential to transform the way surgeons have treated skin wounds for the past 150 years.
Determined to commercialize the technology that aims to regenerate damaged skin, Singh completed a PhD in 2025 and is now a postdoctoral fellow and co-founder and CEO of VRiT, a startup he incorporated a year ago with help from a $5,000 cheque – his prize for winning third place in the early-stage category of U of T’s Desjardins Startup Prize competition.
A year later, in March 2026, Singh won the top overall prize, walking away with $40,000 and some welcome validation for the often painstaking work he’s been leading for nearly eight years. Through the contest, Desjardins, a lead U of T Entrepreneurship partner since 2022, has awarded $100,000 annually to recognize and accelerate the university’s most innovative entrepreneurs.
When a 150-year-old technique dominates the market, it signals a need for breakthrough innovation and a new approach.
In an interview in his lab, Singh discussed his plans for his latest prize winnings, his goals for the company and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.
When a 150-year-old technique dominates the market, it signals a need for breakthrough innovation and a new approach.
Congratulations on winning the top prize in the 2026 Desjardins Startup Prize Pitch Competition. Support from Desjardins contributes to U of T’s Defy Gravity campaign, and one of its goals is to empower innovators like you. What does the prize mean to you and VRiT?
Pitch competitions can vary a lot depending on the day, the judges and the other competitors. Anyone can win! So, I’m grateful that we were able to distinguish ourselves. We don’t get a lot of instant validation in this kind of research-heavy product development, so it was a really nice validator and morale boost. This latest prize will help us with our regulatory strategy as we prepare to launch a $3-million pre-seed financing round to support our research and development in the coming years.
Tell me about VRiT and the problem it’s trying to solve.
VRiT, which is the Sanskrit word for sphere and a nod to my roots, is developing a solution for skin wounds by creating a handheld bioprinter for surgeons to use in the operating room. The device will help close wounds faster and with less pain using cell therapeutics – in our case, a stem-cell-based therapy – to regenerate skin.
Currently, when you have a bad skin wound, such as a burn, surgeons usually do an autograft, where they take skin from another part of your body to close the wound. This is extremely painful and results in another wound that has to heal, often with significant scarring. When a 150-year-old technique dominates the market, it signals a need for breakthrough innovation and a new approach.
How did the company get started?
When I came to U of T in 2018, I had an interest in 3D printing and met Professor Axel Guenther, who’s a global leader in bioprinting and co-founder of CRAFT [Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies]. He’s co-founder and chief science officer of the company, and his connections have helped bring people with tremendous experience to our scientific advisory board.
When I started my PhD in 2020, I picked up on the work of former students in the lab with the sole focus of taking this technology out into the world, and I’m continuing that journey now as a postdoc.
What other support have you received from U of T’s entrepreneurship ecosystem?
We’ve learned a lot from our time in several accelerators, including UTEST [University of Toronto Early-Stage Technology], Creative Destruction Lab and H2i [Health Innovation Hub]. We’ve been fortunate to be mentored by H2i’s co-founder, Professor Paul Santerre, a serial inventor who’s a tremendous champion of entrepreneurs.
Photo by Johnny Guatto.
I’ve also been so lucky to work not just with Axel Guenther but also to get advice from other successful U of T founders like Professor Milica Radisic, who’s founded two biotech companies. From learning how to write grants to networking and meeting surgeons at nearby hospitals, the U of T ecosystem has been an extremely helpful resource for us.
Photo by Johnny Guatto.
Why did you choose to come to U of T to do your master’s degree?
I applied to a bunch of programs in materials science engineering and ultimately chose U of T because of its top 25 global ranking. I had never been to Toronto before. Now I really appreciate the city’s multiculturalism and good Indian food.
Do you have any advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs?
Focus on solving problems that you find personally meaningful. That’s what will help you survive those days when things are not going your way. And take the time to prepare and be sure you really want to do it, because in entrepreneurship, you have to be ready to go all in.
For me, it started as an interest in a compelling technology, but that changed after I observed surgeries on patients with severe burns. During one operating room visit, I saw a mother who had flown in to be with her son and was severely burned while preparing food for him. The surgeon had no option but to take skin from another part of her body, creating a second wound, and because of her age, her recovery required a longer hospital stay.
We’re not just building technology – we’re working to solve a deeply consequential problem for humanity.
That experience made it clear to me that we’re not just building technology – we’re working to solve a deeply consequential problem for humanity. It’s a challenge that requires perseverance to overcome the many hurdles needed to make this vision a reality.
We’re not just building technology – we’re working to solve a deeply consequential problem for humanity.
