About Us

Certo Labs Inc. was incorporated by Ameer and Ahmed Taha in 2005. Lahav Gil joined as a founding partner in 2006.

While completing his Master`s thesis, in the Nutrition department at the University of Toronto, Ameer was confronted with the problem of extracting nutrients from hundreds of biological samples for analytical quantification. To cope with this challenge, Ameer teamed up with a few of his engineering friends to create a proof-of-concept device that replicated his work at the lab. The idea captured the attention of his younger brother Ahmed, a fourth year undergraduate Pharmacology student who had been previously involved in a start-up company and had won a handful of business plan competitions in Canada.

It didn't take long before the brothers realized the market potential of automated devices in laboratory settings. They immediately put together a preliminary business proposal and competed at the prestigious TieQuest Business Plan Competition in Toronto ON. Certo Labs Inc. came in first place. The $50,000 prize was used to start the company. Shortly after, the Tahas signed a strategic partnership with Toronto based industrial design firm Kangaroo Design and Product Development Inc.

Lahav Gil, the CEO of Kangaroo Design and Product Development, proved to be instrumental in shaping Certo Labs technology and product development strategy. The team spent over one year researching the laboratory market by visiting labs of all sizes and identifying their needs. After careful assessment of the marketplace, Certo Labs decided to automate the solid extraction process. They developed novel scientific techniques under a research grant from the Ontario Centres of Excellence with assistance from Dr. Ken Stark of the University of Waterloo. Today, Certo Labs is focused, competent and confident about its technology and ability to serve the needs of laboratories worldwide.