Founder Spotlight
Founder Spotlight magnifies our members’ progress and achievements.
Meet Claire Dixon, Co-Founder, and COO at Neuraura - a high precision neural sensing and novel brain monitoring technology
We met with Claire (virtually) on a not so cold winter day in Calgary. She brought her witty humor, big smile, and a collection of engaging stories. We did our best to fit them all into the Spotlight!
Three Takeaways from our Conversation:
Manage your energy rather than your schedule
Surround yourself with people that have similar values
To better manage your team, champion ideas above ego or position
We began the interview by asking about Neuraura!
Human brains are incredibly complex. We have billions of incredibly specific neurons but do not have an in-depth understanding of how they work.
Today, many are working on developing brain-machine interface technology or a brain-computer interface. There are lots of exciting things happening in that space. However, the actual data from current invasive EEG recordings is extremely poor quality.
Neuraura is a novel type of invasive sensor. We can use the technology in neurosurgeries and place sensors to avoid critical areas of the brain, like speech or optical centers.
We had a recent milestone. When comparing our electrode’s preclinical studies with the clinical gold standard, we found our electrode had a much cleaner signal. While today's typical electrode talks to 40,000 neurons at once, ours has tiny contacts. Each one speaks to about six neurons, which provides much more accurate data.
The data that we collect can characterize different disease states. We're working with a clinical research organization that uses our electrodes in preclinical studies for Parkinson's disease and depression biomarkers. We believe having a better understanding of those conditions opens up therapeutic options for a whole myriad of different diseases.
When did you first become a founder and join Neuraura?
I came to entrepreneurship later in my career and was working for more than 20 years when I made the shift.
Before joining Neuraura, I worked at the University of Calgary, where I helped launch the Creative Destruction Lab. I was working there when this opportunity came up, and it sounded fun! Early on, I championed and supported Neuraura’s venture. The founders often joked about me joining the team, and nine months later, Pierre came to me and said, “there's no money in the bank account, but here are your business cards! Welcome to the team!”
While working with Pierre and Colin, I felt like I had found my people! I enjoyed spending time working hard and tackling challenging problems with them. I think we synced because we shared many of the same core values. Pierre and Colin are both scientists, and they knew they needed somebody with a bit of business experience to join the founding team.
We always had a big vision, which really helped. One that you can get behind. We strive to improve the lives of people with brain disorders, a topic that is intensely personal for me. Growing up, my grandmother had schizophrenia, and even though I didn't really meet her, it cast a shadow over my early years. So, I'd like to put my time, talent, and energy into solving these problems.
How are you scaling the business? (Through tactical moves and critical strategies)
First, we are conducting preclinical work before applying for regulatory approvals. We are also commercializing and looking to expand our electrodes with CROs. To do this, we started talking with potential strategic partners who could help accelerate our commercialization pathway.
My role as the COO involves spending a lot of time working on the business itself. I view our projects as experiments and look to accelerate learning because you’re always building the airplane as you fly in a startup. I think about how we can structure the business to make it easier for the team to perform. My superpower is taking in disparate information, identifying the critical components, and figuring out solutions.
What are the main challenges you face as a female founder?
I have a frustrating story to tell about when I first started in this role. My team and I were in Boston for a MedTech conference. At the formal reception, I introduced myself and Neuraura to a gentleman who responded with, “what a nice opportunity for you, Dear!” At that point, I already had 20 years of experience and a Harvard MBA. Even though my CEO was in his early 30s and straight out of his Ph.D., nobody would have ever said that to him! While I am sure there was no malice behind his comment, his position was that I was lucky to have got this job! So, I really hope that this narrative is changing and improved by our work around equity and inclusion.
How are you ensuring that your company is inclusive? (D&I strategies)
Our founders are immigrants to Canada, and we have a diverse team. We think about diversity in a couple of dimensions. We hire based on talent, which produces a diverse talent pool. I get confused when I look at homogeneous teams because we know they are not getting the best talent, just by nature!
We are very explicit on putting ideas first and above egos or positions or anything else. We have a bit of rigor around significant decisions, and we involve the whole team, including interns. Everybody is expected to bring their voice to the table.
Do you have a special routine or project that you are working on besides Neuraura?
I'm a naturally busy person! In addition to Neuraura, I have another venture. It is a CleanTech venture called 4pi Lab, and my role is very similar to Neuraura. They are looking to transform how we manage wildfires using a space satellite solution, which is obviously an important issue for the environment and super exciting!
I also advise ventures. I am an Entrepreneur in Residence for the Foresight group and the Center for Social Innovation, Climate Ventures program, which keeps me fresh! I find it such a great experience working with other entrepreneurs and hearing about their problems and challenges.
Moreover, here we are in 2022, and I find it is a constant balancing act of keeping our family healthy as we head again into winter with the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. I have a seven-year-old son, and a lot of my non-professional energy goes towards making sure that he is busy and healthy and has enough going on socially.
I am working on managing my energy, and I’m finding it is effective to take more breaks. I’m working less but getting more done. I am also a morning person, and although I’ve saved time on my morning commute to the spare bedroom, I have noticed that I spend more time getting ready!
I find it is helpful to ask yourself, at the end of the day, did I get the three or four important things done today or not? A lot of things can wait until you figure them out properly. I like to tackle a few things rather than cram as much into the day as possible.
We are a pretty small team and use Jira as our project management tool. We've been relatively slow to adopt, but it’s helped everybody on the team manage what needs to get done. We do have a very strong cadence with the team. We meet three times a week and more when needed.
How do you think the Canadian Women’s Network is helping founders?
I have known Joanne for many years now. Her level of dedication to helping Canadian founders is remarkable! She’s worked tirelessly to open up opportunities for founders (particularly from Western Canada). She now has a team and an amazing network, so I feel like things are really starting to gain traction.
We all want Canadian companies to be on that same playing field, right? It is crucial in deep tech that you're on the same playing field because it's expensive to do things! You need to be on that global level, and I think the work that CWN is doing is invaluable. So, I want to say thank you!
If you’d like to be considered for our CWN Founder Spotlight, please reach out to Armita Maroufi, Partnership Manager at CWN, and share more about your company.
