UBC has officially launched 302 spin-off companies, with Innovation UBC's Inventions & Licensing team finalizing the licensing agreements for 15 new ventures in 2026 so far.
This cohort brings together entrepreneurs from UBC's Faculties of Science, Medicine, and Applied Science, developing solutions in health and digital therapeutics, biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics, sustainable materials and climate tech, and AI.
UBC spin-offs bring university research into the world, whether by commercializing a technology, funding further research through licensing revenue, or delivering a service that started inside a UBC department. UBC's 300 spin-off companies have raised more than $11 billion in capital, created over 2,800 jobs, and generated an estimated $13 billion in revenue.
Eight of the 15 new ventures used the UBC Express License Agreement (ELA), a ready-to-sign, standardized intellectual property licensing agreement designed to make it faster and simpler for UBC researchers to launch spin-off companies based on UBC technologies. In June 2026, the ELA underwent a significant refresh, making the process more efficient, transparent, and founder-friendly, contributing to a record year for UBC spin-off creation.
Meet UBC’s newest companies
Agora Energy Technologies
Agora Energy Technologies is developing a redox flow battery that uses captured industrial CO2 as an active ingredient in its chemistry, turning a greenhouse gas into a resource for large-scale energy storage. The technology is designed to bridge industrial CO2 emitters with renewable power producers and utilities, supporting clean energy integration at the grid and microgrid level.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Founding team: Elod Gyenge, Christina Gyenge and Connie Linder
- Website: agoraenergy.ca
Aidos Innovations
Aidos Innovations is a nonprofit translational science institute turning research into practical tools, diagnostics, and therapeutics for substance use disorder. Its work spans drug detection (Track & Trace), addiction medicine and novel therapeutic approaches, adding a layer of drug intelligence and public safety. These solutions draw upon expertise from UBC, Harvard Medical School, and UCSF.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
- Founding team: Drs. Glenn Sammis, Dan Bizzotto, Dr. Pouya Azar, Dr. JJ Sidhu, and Dr. Matthew Roberts
- Website: aidosinnovations.ai
Ascinta Technologies Inc.
Ascinta Technologies provides software and medical-physics expertise for precision theragnostics and quantitative nuclear imaging, helping clinics, drug developers, and research groups get more out of PET and SPECT imaging. Its board-certified medical physicists support patient dosimetry, clinical trial quantification, and AI-enabled image analysis for more personalized cancer care.
- UBC affiliation: BC Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Engineering
- Founding team: Arman Rahmim
- Website: ascinta.com
Carbon by Design
Carbon by Design improves the efficiency of producing carbon and hydrogen from methane.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Founding team: Chester Upham, Jimmy Lee
Carbonyx Minerals Inc.
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.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
- Founding team: Curtis Berlinguette, Doug Pimlott, Mia Stankovic, Adrien Noble
- Website: carbonyx.com
ChondrosBio
ChondrosBio is developing OsteoChon, a biodegradable hydrogel implant designed to regenerate natural cartilage and bone in as little as 12 weeks. The ready-to-use implant offers a simpler, single-step alternative to existing cartilage-repair procedures that often require multiple surgeries.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
- Founding team: Bob Mighell, Hongbin Li
- Website: chondros.bio
eSense
eSense is a clinically validated digital therapeutic that translates gold-standard psychological treatments—cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness—into a structured, self-guided online program. Backed by randomized controlled trial data demonstrating outcomes comparable to in-person therapy, eSense delivers evidence-based care in a private, affordable, and scalable format.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Founding team: Lori Brotto
- Website: esensehealth.com
Glytego Therapeutics Ltd.
Glytego Therapeutics is developing precision therapies for inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, using its patented GlycoCage Technology to deliver treatment directly to inflamed tissue in the gut. Its lead candidate has shown strong results in preclinical studies without the systemic side effects common to current standard-of-care drugs.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Science, Michael Smit Laboratories, and Department of Chemistry; Faculty of Medicine, Pediatrics and BC Children's Hospital
- Founding team: Harry Brumer, Laura Sly
- Website: glytego.com
IvoryOS Technologies
IvoryOS builds software that turns a few lines of Python code into a fully operational, self-driving laboratory, letting researchers connect and coordinate lab instruments, robots, and analytical tools without specialized software engineering skills. Its open platform supports parameter exploration, optimization, and full experiment logging, and has been adopted by research groups and companies alike.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry
- Founding team: Ivory Zhang
- Website: ivoryos.ai
Northern Vascular Systems Inc.
Northern Vascular Systems is developing a light-activated liquid embolic platform for minimally invasive vascular procedures. The technology gives clinicians on-demand, localized control over vessel occlusion, with applications such as treating aneurysms.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Founding team: Konrad Walus
- Website: northvasc.com
phaseLab Dynamics Inc.
phaseLab Dynamics will transform Magnetic Resonance Imaging by controlling signal generation at its source, enabling faster, artifact-free, and highly reproducible scans.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics
- Founding team: Alexander Rauscher
Website: phaselab.ca
ReAct Materials Inc.
ReAct Materials is developing a catalyst, powered by renewable resources, that breaks down and destroys PFAS "forever chemicals" in contaminated water rather than just filtering them out. The technology aims to give communities a more effective and sustainable path to clean water than conventional filtration.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Founding team: Johan Foster
- Website: react-materials.com
Syrina Therapeutics Inc.
Syrina Therapeutics is building a next-generation self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) platform for protein-replacement and gene therapies. Its lead program targets Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, aiming to reduce patients' reliance on frequent protein infusions.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Engineering
- Founding team: Pieter Cullis, Anna Blakney, Christian Kastrup, Francesca Ferraresso
- Website: syrinatx.com
Tydra Labs (formerly Fibr.Bio)
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.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Applied Science, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- Founding team: Vikram Yadav
- Website: tydralabs.com
VitaPulse Technologies Inc.
VitaPulse is a digital health company that delivers clinically validated algorithms and alerting infrastructure to detect and predict life-threatening medical events, enabling faster recognition and response in the community.
- UBC affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, School of Biomedical Engineering
- Founding team: Jacob Hutton & Saud Lingawi
Website: vitapulse.ca
UBC’s growing community of spin-off companies highlights what’s possible when research meets entrepreneurial drive. Congratulations to all the founders and teams powering this year’s newest ventures, each one shaping impact beyond the lab.
Contact our Inventions and Licensing team to learn how your research could become the next big idea.
