Innovation UBC is proud to support the next generation of change-makers by fostering hands-on opportunities for UBC students. This summer term, we are excited to welcome a talented cohort of Venture Development Specialists (VDS) to the team.
The Venture Development Specialist program connects UBC Sauder Masters students with ventures across Innovation UBC's portfolio. Working in two-month consulting cycles, the VDS team collaborates to take on meaningful, project-based work spanning market research, business development, financial planning, marketing strategy, and more. It's a dynamic, fast-paced consulting role designed for students eager to gain hands-on experience with early-stage startups.
This year, the VDS team is supporting UBC companies CereCura Nanotherapeutics, Dream Photonics Inc., VitaPulse Technologies, Narval Energy Inc., Tydra Labs, Carbonyx, phaseLab, and eSense Health.
Read on to meet each member of the 2026 cohort and hear about the ventures they're supporting, the skills they're bringing to the table, and what the startup world has confirmed, challenged, or surprised them with so far.
Introducing the VDS team
Lisa Popplewell (she/her/hers)
Hometown: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Program: Master of Business Administration, Sauder School of Business
Which UBC ventures are you working with this summer, and what are you doing for them?
CereCura and Dream Photonics. My primary focus is on developing polished, investor-ready materials to clearly communicate their vision, showcase their value, and position them for future growth.
What experience or background are you most excited to bring into this role?
For my work with CereCura, it’s been incredibly rewarding to bridge my scientific background (BSc in Integrated Sciences focusing on Immunology and Genetics) with the knowledge I'm gaining in my MBA. Translating complex technical concepts into compelling narratives has been really enjoyable. More broadly, I’ve always had a strong passion for visual communication and design. It’s been fantastic to refine my graphic design skills this summer, crafting targeted presentation decks and marketing materials that resonate with specific audiences.
What's one belief or assumption about startups or entrepreneurship that you held coming in, and has it been confirmed or challenged so far?
Coming into the entrepreneurship space, I assumed startup life was about rapidly evolving and a constant, almost frantic energy. My experience so far has added a lot of nuance to that. While the environment is undeniably fast-paced, it's really about task prioritization. I’ve learned it's about discerning which projects or tasks require deep, deliberate focus, and which are better served by moving quickly and embracing imperfection to allow for rapid feedback, testing, and quick iterations.
Drew Blackmun (he/him/his)
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Program: Master of Business Administration, Sauder School of Business
Which UBC ventures are you working with this summer, and what are you doing for them?
Narval Energy: We are working with Narval on a project focused on customer discovery. We've identified key stakeholders in a potential target market segment and are having conversations with them to understand their pain points and how Narval's technology could help solve them.
VitaPulse Technologies: We are putting together a go-to-market playbook for VitaPulse as they look to take their technology from research to commercialization. The playbook includes secondary market research on potential market segments, case studies conducted on similar companies' paths to commercialization, as well as primary research to ultimately provide strategic recommendations for VitaPulse to navigate the regulatory environment and launch their technology with a beachhead market.
What experience or background are you most excited to bring into this role?
I have a lot of experience doing customer discovery and expert interviews from a consulting role, and I'm excited to be able to leverage my experience doing this in the past to help the startups we're working with navigate the path to commercialization.
What's one belief or assumption about startups or entrepreneurship that you held coming in, and has it been confirmed or challenged so far?
Priorities and focus areas are constantly changing and evolving, forcing founders to need to be adaptive and agile. This has certainly been confirmed as we've navigated through our projects.
Nkemdilim Okwuchi
Home Country: Nigeria
Program: Master of Business Administration, Sauder School of Business
Which UBC ventures are you working with this summer, and what are you doing for them?
I'm currently working with Narval Energy on a market assessment project and with CereCura Nanotherapeutics, where I'm helping prepare investor-facing materials. It's been interesting to contribute to ventures operating in very different industries while supporting their growth.
What experience or background are you most excited to bring into this role?
I'm excited to leverage my background in corporate finance and consulting, my experience across several industries, and the knowledge and perspectives I've gained through my MBA so far.
What's one belief or assumption about startups or entrepreneurship that you held coming in, and has it been confirmed or challenged so far?
More recently, I've come to believe that success in entrepreneurship is less about having a great idea and more about execution, customer validation, adaptability and timing. So far, that belief has been reinforced through my work with startups and by seeing firsthand the challenges they navigate as they grow.
Mitchell Liebrecht (he/him/his)
Hometown: Kelowna, British Columbia
Program: Master of Business Administration + Master of Business Analytics, Sauder School of Business
Which UBC ventures are you working with this summer, and what are you doing for them?
I’m working with Dream Photonics and VitaPulse Technologies during the first half of the summer. With Dream Photonics, the VDS team is supporting their investor-readiness efforts and refining their existing pitch decks, website, and overall brand presence. For VitaPulse Technologies, we’re helping them select an initial beachhead market and develop a corresponding go-to-market strategy.
What experience or background are you most excited to bring into this role?
I’ve really enjoyed drawing on my electrical engineering training during technical discussions with Dream Photonics. My background in project management and entrepreneurship has also been valuable for operating in the fast-moving, uncertain environment of early-stage startups. Also, as a deeply curious person, I love picking up new skills and knowledge, a quality that has been especially useful throughout these projects.
What's one belief or assumption about startups or entrepreneurship that you held coming in, and has it been confirmed or challenged so far?
I believe that entrepreneurs have a unique kind of energized enthusiasm that I find really motivating. They’re people with ambitious ideas who don’t wait around for someone else to solve a problem, they take it on themselves. Everything I’ve seen this summer has reinforced that impression, and it’s something I really appreciate.
Darryl Mah (he/him/his)
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta
Program: Master of Business Administration, Sauder School of Business
Which UBC ventures are you working with this summer, and what are you doing for them?
Cerecura Nanotherapeutics: Developing go-to-market strategies for a novel LNP mRNA therapy to map regulatory milestones, understand market landscape and create an investor value narrative to facilitate investor readiness.
Narval Energy: Conducting primary research via stakeholder discovery calls to validate target market and develop a commercialization pathway for an innovative sodium-ion battery technology.
What experience or background are you most excited to bring into this role?
My background as a pharmacist gives me a clinical and scientific foundation that I hope to use to help these innovative companies grow and scale effectively.
What's one belief or assumption about startups or entrepreneurship that you held coming in, and has it been confirmed or challenged so far?
One belief I came in with was that the startup world moves fast and is constantly changing, but it's been even faster than I imagined. The pace demands quick critical thinking and constant adaptability. What's made the difference for me is getting to work alongside such brilliant founders and mentors, whose guidance has helped me navigate it and find my footing.
Learn more about Innovation UBC’s Venture Development Specialists program.
