A new initiative from Innovation UBC and ATR Launch, helping five early-stage UBC spinoffs translate breakthrough research into investable, commercial-ready companies.
University research is one of British Columbia's deepest sources of world-changing technology. But strong science alone doesn't build a company. Too often, promising UBC spinoffs stall in the space between a lab result and a credible product, unsure of the market they're serving, the cost of scaling their process, or the evidence an investor will need to say yes.
The Discovery Foundation Go-To-Market (GTM) & Scaling Feasibility Program exists to close that gap. Over nine months, five early-stage UBC ventures in human health and climate tech will receive hands-on expert guidance, targeted training, and the analysis they need to de-risk their path to market.
This program is funded by the Discovery Foundation through its Technology Education Program, with additional support from Mitacs, and is delivered by Innovation UBC in partnership with the ATR Launch Program (Accelerating Technology Readiness).
2026 Cohort
Our 2026 cohort brings together five early-stage UBC companies across two complementary tracks.
Human Health Track
Life sciences and biomedical companies, including therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and drug delivery, developing innovations that benefit from indication analysis, initial market assessment, and target product profile development.
Climate Tech Track
Carbonyx is on a mission to permanently store CO2 in the materials that shape everyday life. Founded in Vancouver, Carbonyx combines industrial waste with CO2 to extract high grade industrial minerals to build our cities, power the clean energy transition and lock away CO2 indefinitely.
Tydra Biomaterial Labs is a Vancouver-based biotech startup turning the climate problem of waste into a climate solution. By upcycling food and agricultural waste into high-performance microfibrillated chitin, its flagship material TYDRA ONE replaces the petrochemical-derived synthetics found in everyday products, cutting emissions and pollution on both ends of the supply chain.
An expert-led program rooted at UBC
Each participating company is paired with a dedicated Subject Matter Expert who guides them from scoping through to a final GTM & Feasibility presentation with actionable recommendations.
Expertise is tailored by track:
- Human Health companies work with Jon Jafari, who brings 20+ years in biotech strategy and pharma business development (Novartis, Eli Lilly, QLT). His focus areas: indication analysis, patient population analysis, and target product profile development.
- Climate Tech companies work with Sergio Beretta, who brings 25+ years in process scale-up, detailed engineering, and plant commissioning on four continents. His focus areas: scaling feasibility and techno-economic analysis.
Events & Workshops
Educational sessions throughout the program are open to the UBC innovation community and public.
