Nina Capital backs Woodway Assurance to tackle health data paralysis

OTTAWA, ON, July 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Woodway Assurance today announced that international healthtech venture capital firm Nina Capital has invested in the Canadian company. The investment reflects growing demand for privacy-enhancing technologies such as Woodway's EviData^TM, which helps organizations use data responsibly for AI, analytics and data sharing.

Healthcare and life sciences organizations hold large volumes of high-value data, but projects often stall because of uncertainty about whether and how the data can be used safely. Woodway's flagship software, EviData, offers a single automated, AI-enabled workflow that assesses privacy risk across both structured data and unstructured text, recommends and performs privacy-preserving data transformations, evaluates de-identified, anonymized and synthetic data.      

Importantly, the software produces objective evidence aligned with recognized guidance and international standards, including ISO de-identification standards, anonymization expectations under the GDPR and the HIPAA Expert Determination Method. This helps organizations move initiatives forward, reduce delays and give business, technical, privacy, legal and governance teams a clear basis for defensible decisions.

"Data is essential for research, AI, and improving patient care. However, necessary privacy and regulatory concerns, as well as complex operational challenges, often prevent organizations from leveraging it fully." said Marta G. Zanchi, founding managing partner at Nina Capital. "We're investing in Woodway because EviData directly addresses that challenge with an authoritative solution grounded in extensive research, recognized guidance, international standards, and world-renowned expertise in the field. We see tremendous potential for EviData to reduce friction, accelerate clinical innovation, and facilitate the more rapid delivery of promising treatments to patients."

The investment follows a period of momentum for Woodway, including the launch of EviData 3.0, a growing client base and new strategic partnerships. The capital will support further product development, commercial growth and entry into new international markets.

"Nina Capital's backing is an important endorsement of our approach to solving one of the biggest barriers to responsible data use," said Dr. Khaled El Emam, founder and CEO of Woodway Assurance. "Nina Capital's health data and technology expertise and international network make them a strong partner as we expand globally. Together, we can bring EviData to more organizations that need faster, scalable and defensible ways to leverage data."

The new financing builds on Woodway's $1-million CAD seed round, announced in December 2025.

About Woodway Assurance:
Woodway Assurance is the Canadian technology company behind EviData, an automated, AI-enabled platform that helps organizations use data for AI, analytics and data sharing by assessing privacy risk, performing privacy-preserving data transformations and generating objective evidence. Woodway is a spin-off from the Electronic Health Information Laboratory at the CHEO Research Institute, founded and directed by Woodway CEO Dr. Khaled El Emam. The company builds on 20+ years of pioneering research and privacy-enhancing technologies developed by El Emam and the EHIL team. In 2026, EHIL received the Privacy and Human Rights Award from the Global Privacy Assembly, the international forum of data protection authorities, and the human rights organization Access Now.

About Nina Capital:
Nina Capital is an international, specialized venture capital firm investing in healthcare transformation powered by information technology, led by need-driven founders. Focused on pre-seed and seed-stage investments and guided by deep industry experience, Nina Capital supports health technology solutions that drive lasting healthcare impact. Nina Capital's diverse, multinational, and multidisciplinary team is led by former healthcare technology founders and operators, and combines expertise from numerous healthcare and technology sectors. Since 2019, Nina Capital has invested in over 50 companies across nearly 20 countries, touching the lives of tens of millions of people through healthcare technology innovations.

Media contacts: Woodway Assurance – Anne-Marie Hayden, ahayden@woodway-assurance.com; Nina Capital – Marta G. Zanchi, Ph.D., marta@nina.capital