Co-Founder
Dr. Sanjay Manhas is a leader in innovation and partnerships, recognized for founding and launching an R&D division within a global, publicly traded company. He managed the research facility’s operations, overseeing research direction, partnerships, budgeting, intellectual property, and supply chain management. Previously, Dr. Manhas led synthetic research at Inkbox Ink, where contributions to intellectual property and small-molecule scale-up chemistry supported a $65 million acquisition.
With extensive experience in Ontario’s university environments, the life sciences start-up ecosystem, and federal research funding programs, Dr. Manhas brings deep sector knowledge. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto, specializing in complex carbohydrate synthesis, catalysis, and advanced analytical characterization. He has broad experience employing natural biopolymers and materials for consumer applications. He holds 16 internationally filed patents, reflecting a strong record of translating fundamental research into commercially valuable intellectual property.
Currently, as a founding member of BioCapture Technologies, Sanjay co-leads research direction and operations, focusing on platform technology and commercialization pathways for bio-based materials.
Co-Founder
Dr. Nico Bonanno is a materials chemist and translational R&D scientist specializing in functional chemical systems that control metal binding, reactivity, and material performance. Earlier in his academic career, he built a strong record of innovative research in coordination chemisty; and molecular switching materials, contributing to 13 peer-reviewed publications and earning more than $300,000 in competitive scholarships and fellowships.
In industry, Nico has led the development and scale-up of skin-compatible functional materials, translating small-molecule and polymer chemistry into commercially relevant technologies. His work spans synthesis, formulation, toxicology, regulatory integration, and intellectual property development, including co-inventorship on seven filed patent applications.
As a co-founder of BioCapture Technologies, Nico co-leads scientific strategy and platform development, focusing on bio-based polymer systems engineered for selective molecular and metal-ion interactions. He brings deep technical expertise in materials design, structure–property relationships, and experimental platform development to support BioCapture’s transition from laboratory validation toward commercial deployment.