Apply for Venture Founder Spring 2027
Innovation UBC's 16-Week Entrepreneurship Program
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.
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
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: February 3 to June 24, 2027
- Program split over 16 weeks
- 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
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.
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
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.
Venture Founder alumni
Curious about the kinds of ventures that take part in the program? Read about the ventures and founders from recent cohorts.
25 new UBC ventures join Venture Founder’s fall 2026 cohort
This September, 25 new teams are joining our Venture Founder program, building companies across health, biotechnology, advanced engineering, agriculture, fintech, sustainability, accessibility, and AI.
Ariane Fernandes and Canopy Bioproducts: The sustainable solution to microbeads and sunscreen
In this Q&A, read about Canopy Bioproducts co-founder Ariane’s experience in the Venture Founder program, the exciting breakthroughs Canopy Bioproducts is making in the field of sustainable skincare, and her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Venture Founder alumni spotlight: Peter Idoko and Circuit, centralizing high-value opportunities for emerging creatives
In this Venture Founder Alumni Spotlight, read about Circuit, founded by musician and UBC Okanagan student Peter Idoko, and how Circuit is giving emerging artists the tools they need in order to navigate and grow in a trillion-dollar industry.
