Synto

What Synto does

Synto is a modular, AI-powered SaaS platform developed by eVision Inc. (Quebec, Canada, founded 2000) for managing research funding programs, research administration, and ethics/compliance workflows. The platform combines a workflow engine, forms builder, business intelligence engine, semantic search, and predictive analytics, and is packaged into three vertical solutions — Synto – Grants Essential, Synto – Research Institutions, and Synto – Ethics & Compliance Essential — supplemented by add-on modules for budget management, partner management, risk and outcome management, and an AI-driven semantic search/predictive analysis engine. Each client receives a private SaaS instance hosted in a SOC 2 Type 1, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS-certified Tier III data center, with two-way integrations into SSO, accounting, CRM, and document repository systems via a documented API library.

Synto serves primarily public-sector research funders, universities, healthcare research institutions, and ethics committees — named customers include FRSQ, the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre, University of Montreal, CSSS de Gatineau, BMVC, and Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). The company reaches customers through an enterprise field-sales motion driven by "Request a Demo" CTAs, industry conferences such as CAREB/ACCER, and standards-community engagement via CASRAI sponsorship. Operating geographies span Canada (Laval HQ, Montreal office), a Morocco engineering office opened in 2007, the Middle East (KFAS), and emerging interest in international French-speaking markets.

The business model is enterprise SaaS subscription (annual or multi-year) combined with professional services for implementation, configuration, and customization, with quote-based pricing tied to organization size and scope. Synto is privately held with no external funding rounds disclosed and a headcount of 11–50, consistent with a self-funded, profitable niche vendor rather than a venture-backed growth-stage company. The platform claims "billion dollars in processed subsidies" as a throughput metric, signaling a mature installed base across Canadian granting agencies and universities.

Name

Synto

Legal name

eVision Inc.

Website

https://syntoconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Synto, developed by eVision Inc. (Quebec), is a modular AI-powered SaaS platform for managing research grants, research administration, and ethics/compliance workflows, serving public-sector funders, universities, healthcare research centers, and ethics committees via private enterprise instances.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grants and Research Management Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHDAEAHAI

Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Business Process Management (BPM), Workflow & Automation Platforms

SECONDARYHDAEAKAA

Low-Code/No-Code Application Platforms

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Enterprise Application Development Platforms (Low-Code/No-Code & PaaS)

Keywords

• Grants management software
• Research administration
• Ethics compliance management
• Funding program management
• Research compliance software

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: Private SaaS instance hosting for each client with annual or multi-year subscription model. Includes platform access, support, and maintenance.
2. Professional Services: Implementation, configuration, and customization services for deployment of Synto platform tailored to client needs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Synto is a modular AI-powered SaaS platform that helps granting agencies, research institutions, and ethics committees manage funding programs, research administration, and compliance workflows end-to-end. It integrates a workflow engine, forms builder, business intelligence engine, semantic search, and predictive analytics to centralize processes from funding applications and review through post-award management and ethics certification renewals. The platform is delivered as a private SaaS instance per client with custom configuration and integration to existing SSO, accounting, CRM, and document repository systems.

Product overview

Synto is a modular technological platform developed by eVision, combining a core platform with a suite of integrated solutions and add-on extensions. The core Synto platform integrates a workflow engine, forms builder, and business intelligence engine. The primary product lines are Synto – Grants Essential (for funding program management), Synto – Research Institutions (for research administration), and Synto – Ethics & Compliance Essential (for human and animal ethics management). These are complemented by add-on extensions including Budget Management for Projects, Partner Management, Semantic Search Engine & Predictive Analysis, and Risk & Outcome Management, all of which are built on the Synto Core Platform and share its data, workflow, and AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synto Core Platform Modular technological platform integrating a workflow engine, forms builder, and business intelligence engine that serves as the foundation for all Synto solutions. Enables gradual deployment and customization to fit specific client contexts.
• Synto – Grants Essential Complete platform for managing funding programs and competitions. Covers online/offline forms design, business validation rules, committee management, self-assessment and online review, payment authorizations, finance integration, post-award management, and ad-hoc reporting. Built for granting agencies and funding program managers.
• Synto – Research Institutions Complete platform supporting research administration processes across multiple parallel or sequential workflows in conformity and other business processes. Covers program design, budget management, post-award management, and program/project assessments for universities and research institutes.
• Synto – Ethics & Compliance Essential Complete platform supporting main human and animal ethics processes including biohazards. Covers initial questionnaire and application forms, revision/approval workflows, committee management, renewals, adverse events management, and ad-hoc BI reporting for ethics committees at research institutions and hospitals.
• Budget Management for Projects Module providing two-way integration with existing accounting systems for increased efficiency in financial and budget tracking. Manages interim and final financial reports in multi-institutional, multi-project, or multi-team situations, including budget gaps, amendments, and approval flows.
• Partner Management Module that enables integration of financial partners who contribute to projects. Provides partners a controlled portal to signify interests, confirm contributions on admissible applications reviewed by expert committees, and access monitoring reports from project managers.
• Semantic Search Engine & Predictive Analysis AI-powered module combining a semantic search engine with predictive analysis capabilities. Uses machine learning and text mining to enable greater access to data across funding requests, compliance requests, and scientific reports, and to find researchers, collaborators, experts, coaches, and similar projects.
• Risk & Outcome Management Module that lays the basis for risk and outcome management from objectives and risks definition at the program level, through establishment of a risk and outcome registry, to delivery monitoring. Enables continuous measurement and adjustment of program criteria to increase impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• Billion dollars in processed subsidies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CASRAI (Consortia Advancing Research Standards for Academic Institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2020eVision rejoined CASRAI as a Sponsor in February 2020, supporting the organization's mission to reduce administrative burden on researchers through standardization. eVision was present at CASRAI's founding in 2006 and has agreed to provide office and administrative services to support the initiative.
• KFAS (Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences)coreOthersKFAS selected the Synto platform in July 2019 to manage their funding competitions. First rollout covered one of KFAS's main funding programs with additional programs planned for 2020.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pure (Elsevier): Pure is a research information management platform that aggregates grants, publications, and activities for universities, overlapping Synto's research administration and reporting capabilities at the institutional level.
• InfoEd Global: InfoEd Global offers electronic research administration solutions including grants management, conflicts of interest, and compliance modules, competing head-to-head with Synto for research institution and funder customers.
• Huron Research Suite: Huron (formed via acquisitions of Click Commerce, MyResearch, and others) provides end-to-end research administration including grants, IRB, and compliance — a directly comparable suite to Synto's modular platform for large universities.
• SmartSimple: SmartSimple is a configurable workflow platform used by grantmakers and corporate social responsibility programs; while more foundation/Corporate CSR-oriented, its configurable SaaS directly competes for grants management budget.
• Symplectic Elements: Symplectic Elements is a research information management system that captures grants, outputs, and profiles, often integrating with grants management platforms — adjacent technology competing for the same institutional buyers.
• Cayuse: Cayuse provides a research administration platform covering grants, compliance, IRB, and research integrity — directly overlapping Synto's grants and ethics & compliance offerings for similar university and funder buyers.

Emerging players

• Fluxx: Fluxx is a cloud grantmaking platform for foundations, with workflow and AI-driven analytics for grant programs — partial overlap with Synto's Grants Essential product line in the funder-side workflow.

Broad incumbents

• Salesforce: Salesforce's App Cloud and industry solutions enable configurable workflows and case management for grants/ethics processes; as a broad platform incumbent, it offers an alternative to Synto for organizations standardizing on Salesforce.
• Workday: Workday offers grants management modules within its enterprise HCM/finance suite; as a broad ERP incumbent, it competes for the same institutional budget lines as Synto but with a much wider product portfolio.
• Microsoft Power Platform: Power Apps and Power Automate provide low-code workflow and forms capabilities that some institutions use to build in-house grants and ethics workflows, representing a build-versus-buy alternative to Synto's configurable platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/evision-inc-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Synto