Venture Founder is Innovation UBC's flagship entrepreneurship program, a 16-week deep dive that turns bold ideas and research discoveries into real startup companies. Open to UBC faculty, staff, and students, the program offers experiential workshops on everything from customer discovery to go-to-market strategy with hands-on mentorship from a network of 250+ founders, investors, and industry leaders. Since its launch over a decade ago, Venture Founder has helped dozens of cohorts, spanning AI, biotech, climate tech, and beyond, move from early-stage ideas to validated, investable ventures.
In this story, read about Circuit, a company that graduated from our Venture Founder program this past summer. As a musician himself, Peter Idoko talks about the problem many creatives face today, how Circuit is giving emerging artists the tools they need in order to grow, and his advice to anyone thinking about starting their own venture.
About Peter Idoko
I’m an international student from Jos, Nigeria, pursuing a BA with Honors in Computer Science with a Minor in Management at UBC’s Okanagan Campus. My interest in entrepreneurship is deeply rooted in my family; I am largely inspired by my parents, who are entrepreneurs themselves and taught me the value of hard work. I’ve always said, “I’d rather work with someone than for someone,” and this route is the best way to do that!
What is your venture, and why does it matter?
I am a musician, and like most early-career creatives, I hit a major roadblock: I was spending more time hunting for grants and showcases across dozens of scattered websites than I was actually focusing on my craft. I was missing out on crucial opportunities simply due to a lack of experience and a strong network. That’s the problem Circuit solves. We are building a platform that aggregates high-value opportunities for creatives across various disciplines who are just getting started. Circuit matters because it takes the friction out of navigating a trillion-dollar industry, giving emerging artists the centralized tools they need to actually build their careers with intention instead of just searching for a needle in a haystack.
Since entering Venture Founder, what has been your biggest pivot or challenge in building your venture? How did you get through it?
The biggest challenge I had in the Venture Founder Program was streamlining and defining what Circuit actually was. As a technical founder who is also a musician, I struggled to define and articulate what the purpose of my business was and what was feasible or necessary for my Minimum Viable Product (MVP). With the help of my mentors, I was able to slow down, think through what the greatest need was, and address that first, instead of over-building right off the bat.
What's one piece of advice you'd give to an aspiring founder?
The biggest piece of advice I can give to an aspiring founder is to be humble and know that you are likely not the smartest in the room, and if you are, then you are in the wrong room. Humility helped me get into many rooms where I was able to learn from people who were much smarter and had more experience than I did. By intentionally surrounding myself with such people, I was able to grow as a person, which in turn helped me grow my business.
What's next for your venture? What are you working toward in the next 12 months?
In the next 12 months, we are working towards launching our MVP. We are currently finishing up our Beta and building our networks in person and on social media ahead of the launch. We look forward to welcoming people to Circuit and continuing to grow.
Our Venture Founder program is for UBC student ventures, UBC student companies, and UBC spin-offs with an idea worth building. Applications for our Spring 2027 cohort are open, so don’t miss your chance to develop your strategies, gain mentorship, and commercialize your startup idea! Learn more here.
