Have a discovery to commercialize or a startup idea you're ready to build?
Whether you're a researcher bridging the gap from lab to market, or a student ready to pressure-test your business idea, Venture Founder gives you the structure, expert mentorship, and founder community to define and validate your venture opportunity and begin building real traction.
You don't need a business background to apply. You just need a venture worth building.
Applications for our Fall 2026 cohort are now open until May 31.
Is Venture Founder for you?
Venture Founder supports two groups of UBC-connected builders:
- Researchers and innovators commercializing a discovery: Faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and researchers with a technology or discovery that has commercial potential.
- UBC students building a startup: Undergraduate and graduate students with a business idea they believe in and want to pressure-test with real customers and a cohort of fellow founders.
Review eligibility requirements
"The candid feedback from experienced mentors pushed us to think bigger while staying practical. We left the program not just with a clearer strategy, but with tangible momentum — clearer opportunities, stronger partnerships, and the confidence to execute."
Dr. Sabrina Nurmohamed
Co-Founder, CheckMark | Faculty of Medicine, UBC
About CheckMark: CheckMark brings dermatologist-reviewed skin imaging to pharmacies, giving patients faster answers about potentially cancerous spots. Benign cases are reassured quickly, while suspicious lesions are expedited directly into the healthcare system — cutting wait times and catching cancer earlier.
What to expect
Venture Founder is Innovation UBC's flagship 16-week entrepreneurship program. Highlights include:
- 16 experiential workshops: covering value proposition, customer discovery, business model development, market sizing, hypothesis testing, go-to-market strategy, financial literacy, team building, and more
- Expert mentorship: Work with seasoned mentors to refine deliverables and build your venture, with access to a broader network of 250+ mentors and advisors
- A network that opens doors: connect with subject matter experts, business partners, and investors
- Hands-on support from the Innovation UBC team throughout the program
Format and commitment
- Program dates: September 10, 2026 – February 4, 2027
- Weekly 3.5-hour online sessions on Thursdays, with four in-person sessions (weeks 5, 10, 15, and 16)
- 25–35 hours invested in your venture over the course of the program, in addition to session time (can be shared across your venture team), with at least one UBC-affiliated team member required to attend all sessions
Review Fall 2026 session dates
Expert Mentorship
Our mentors are practitioners: founders, investors, and industry leaders, many who have built or supported ventures themselves. Here's a look at who has mentored in our program.
Barbara Pitts
Non-Executive Director & Strategic Advisor
Anthony Bischoff
Pharmaceutical Industry Development Leader
Hassan Pardawalla
Founder & Executive Operations Leader
Tracey Gordon
Co-Founder & Business Advisor
Attend an info session
Not sure if Venture Founder is the right fit? Join an info session to learn what the program offers, who it's for, and how it can help you turn your idea into a real venture. You'll also have the chance to ask questions directly to the program team.
"Venture Founder was my first real exposure to entrepreneurship. The program gave me the tools to study my market, connected me with industry, and walked me through the full journey from idea to launch. What stood out most was the program team, who are genuinely supportive and committed to creating a space where students can explore whether entrepreneurship is right for them, without pressure."
Shayan Narani
Founder & CEO, Cement Dioxide | School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC Okanagan
About Cement Dioxide: Cement Dioxide produces high-strength, low-emission concrete for the construction industry. Using bio-derived byproducts and carbon capture and utilization techniques, their approach reduces CO2 emissions by 50–100% — making durable, high-performance concrete a more sustainable choice for infrastructure development.
Where Venture Founder can take you
Venture Founder is one part of a broader Innovation UBC ecosystem designed to support you at every stage of your venture. Alumni have gone on to:
Scale through HATCH Venture Builder
Innovation UBC's intensive program for UBC spinoff companies ready to grow, offering up to 18 months of mentorship, fundraising support, and access to office and lab space. Graduate students and postdocs can also continue building through Lab2Market Launch.
Pitch to investors and industry
Present at Innovation UBC's annual Investor Showcase and access private events connecting you with industry partners, advisors, and investors.
Access funding opportunities
UBC-connected ventures can tap into a growing range of funding pathways, from grants and government programs to venture capital and public-private investment funds supporting UBC research and innovation.
Meet the most recent Venture Founder cohort
Curious about the kinds of ventures that take part? Meet the 28 ventures from our most recent cohort — spanning AI, biotech, healthcare, climate, and more.
Ready to apply?
Applications for Venture Founder Fall 2026 are open until May 31, 2026.
Questions? Reach us at programs@innovation.ubc.ca.
