entrepreneurship@UBC

What entrepreneurship@UBC does

entrepreneurship@UBC is an organizational unit within the University of British Columbia, operating under the Innovation UBC division and the VP Research & Innovation portfolio. Its function is to support UBC researchers, students, and entrepreneurs in translating research discoveries into ventures, products, and licensed technologies. The program serves UBC researchers seeking commercialization support, UBC students interested in venture creation, and 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs through a partnership-based national initiative. Primary user segments are internal to UBC (researchers and students), with secondary engagement from industry partners and external entrepreneur communities.

The program operates a platform-plus-pathways architecture. Core services are delivered through Innovation UBC, which spans sponsored research administration, inventions and licensing (including 500 active IP licensing agreements), and partnership facilitation. These are complemented by named entrepreneurial pathway programs: HATCH Venture Builder, Lab2Market, AccelerateIP, Venture Founder, UBC Okanagan's Venture Mentoring Service, and Express Licensing for Spin-offs. The program also connects ventures to an investor network. Distribution is primarily regional (Vancouver and Okanagan, British Columbia), with global reach for IP licensing and investor connections. Underlying technology is not the program's focus; the platform is operational rather than technical, although portfolio ventures have included AI-driven drug discovery efforts (e.g., collaboration with Redwood AI Corp. on Alzheimer's drug discovery targeting the NUDT5 protein).

The program does not operate a traditional commercial revenue model. It is funded through university resources, sponsored research support, and federal research support funds, with no publicly disclosed pricing for individual services. Recent program activity includes the May 2026 HATCH graduation of six start-ups, the 2026 Venture Development Specialists cohort, and a June 2026 leadership appointment. The program participates in the $3M Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with the Fyrefly Institute and University of Alberta's eHUB. Cumulative reported outcomes include 296 spin-off companies supported, $11B in capital raised by portfolio ventures, $13B+ in revenue generated by UBC-supported ventures, and 2,800+ full-time jobs created, though these metrics are portfolio-level rather than program-direct.

Name

entrepreneurship@UBC

Legal name

University of British Columbia - Innovation UBC

Website

https://entrepreneurship.ubc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

entrepreneurship@UBC is a University of British Columbia program under Innovation UBC that supports UBC researchers, students, and external entrepreneurs in commercializing research through venture pathway programs (HATCH, Lab2Market, AccelerateIP, Venture Founder), IP licensing, and investor connections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Technology Transfer & Entrepreneurship Support

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• University technology transfer
• Entrepreneurship support programs
• Venture builder services
• Intellectual property licensing
• Research commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

entrepreneurship@UBC operates under Innovation UBC at the University of British Columbia, providing structured entrepreneurship pathway programs (Venture Founder, HATCH Venture Builder, Lab2Market, AccelerateIP, Venture Mentoring Service) that help UBC researchers, students, and entrepreneurs translate research into commercial ventures. The program also delivers intellectual property management, sponsored research support, and licensing services through Express Licensing agreements for spin-offs.

Product overview

Innovation UBC is a central technology transfer and entrepreneurship office at the University of British Columbia that offers a platform-plus-programs architecture. The core offering encompasses Sponsored Research setup, Inventions & Licensing services, and Partnership support. These are complemented by multiple named entrepreneurial pathway programs including HATCH Venture Builder, Lab2Market, AccelerateIP, Venture Founder, UBC Okanagan's Venture Mentoring Service, and Express Licensing for Spin-offs. The organization has supported 296 spin-off companies, manages 500 active IP licensing agreements, and has helped ventures raise $11B in capital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Venture Founder
• HATCH Venture Builder
• Lab2Market
• AccelerateIP
• UBC Okanagan's Venture Mentoring Service
• Express Licensing for Spin-offs
• Sponsored Research Services
• Inventions and Licensing Services
• Partnership Services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Redwood AI Corp.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Redwood AI launched a collaborative research project with UBC's Brent Page Lab focused on developing novel drugs for Alzheimer's disease using AI-driven computational methods. The project targets NUDT5, a protein associated with neurodegeneration, with Redwood applying its computational platform to generate and evaluate virtual compound libraries for synthesis and testing by the academic lab. The collaboration aims to accelerate early-stage drug discovery by combining artificial intelligence with medicinal chemistry.
• Fyrefly Institute for Gender and Sexual DiversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026Fyrefly Institute partnered with University of Alberta's eHUB Entrepreneurship Centre to develop the Rainbow Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (REKH), Canada's first national research infrastructure focused on 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurship under the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program. The initiative addressed longstanding data gaps on 2SLGBTQI+-owned businesses.
• University of Alberta's eHUB Entrepreneurship CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2026University of Alberta's eHUB Entrepreneurship Centre partnered with Fyrefly Institute to develop REKH, Canada's first national research infrastructure focused on 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurship under the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program, a $3 million national initiative.
• Brent Page Lab (University of British Columbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research laboratory collaborating with Redwood AI on AI-driven drug discovery for Alzheimer's disease, focusing on NUDT5 protein targeting and virtual compound library synthesis and testing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub that supports ventures from idea to scale, broadly comparable to entrepreneurship@UBC as a research-to-venture commercialization platform, but operating as a broader urban innovation district rather than a single-university program.
• Y Combinator: Largest global startup accelerator with cohorts supporting very early-stage founders. Comparable at a structural level to HATCH Venture Builder's accelerator-style cohort graduation model, but operates as an independent global firm rather than a university program.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network running multiple thematic and university-affiliated programs. Comparable to entrepreneurship@UBC's accelerator-style programs, though Techstars operates as a private global firm rather than a public-university function.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator running entrepreneurship programs with university partnerships. Comparable to entrepreneurship@UBC's Venture Founder pathway in supporting first-time founders through structured programming.

Direct peers

• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL): University of Toronto-affiliated program that supports massively scalable science-based ventures through an objective-driven mentoring process. Directly comparable to entrepreneurship@UBC's HATCH Venture Builder and Lab2Market in supporting research commercialization at a Canadian research university.
• Velocity (University of Waterloo): University of Waterloo's flagship entrepreneurship program and incubator. Comparable as a university-based entrepreneurship center running multiple pathway programs supporting student and researcher-led ventures, with strong venture-creation outcomes.
• DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University): Leading Canadian university-affiliated startup incubator operating multiple accelerator programs. Directly comparable to entrepreneurship@UBC as a Canadian university-backed incubator providing pathway programs for founders.
• eHUB (University of Alberta): University of Alberta's entrepreneurship centre that partners with entrepreneurship@UBC on the REKH national 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurship initiative. Comparable as a Canadian university entrepreneurship hub offering venture-building pathways for researchers and students.
• UTEST (University of Toronto): University of Toronto's early-stage technology incubator providing venture-building support for U of T-affiliated startups. Comparable as a peer university technology-transfer and entrepreneurship program with similar pathway offerings.

Regional players

• Innovation Factory (Hamilton): Ontario-based regional innovation center supporting early-stage ventures with programming and mentorship. Comparable as a Canadian ecosystem player supporting venture creation, though focused on the Hamilton region rather than BC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entrepreneurship-at-ubc
• Instagraminstagram.com/innovationubc
• Xx.com/ubcentrepreneur
• Facebookfacebook.com/129954927048142

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments106 records

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

Frequently asked questions about entrepreneurship@UBC