Award & Investment Overview
The University of British Columbia has reached 302 officially launched spin-off companies after Innovation UBC’s Inventions & Licensing team finalized licensing agreements for 15 new ventures during 2026.
The latest cohort draws research and founders from UBC’s Faculties of Science, Medicine, and Applied Science and spans biotechnology, therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics, digital health, artificial intelligence, sustainable materials, climate technology, and energy.
The milestone also provides a broader measure of UBC’s commercialization activity. According to the university, its more than 300 spin-off companies have collectively raised over $11 billion in capital, created more than 2,800 jobs, and generated an estimated $13 billion in revenue.
Eight of the 15 new companies used UBC’s Express License Agreement, or ELA, a standardized intellectual property licensing agreement designed to simplify and accelerate company formation around UBC technologies. A June 2026 update to the agreement further streamlined the licensing process.
The commercialization significance is therefore broader than the addition of 15 companies. UBC is demonstrating how the licensing process itself can become commercialization infrastructure, reducing transaction friction at the point where researchers move from university technology development into company formation.
Approach & Ecosystem Context
Innovation UBC’s Inventions & Licensing team sits at the center of the commercialization pathway represented by this cohort. The university defines its spin-offs broadly as companies that bring UBC research into the market through technology commercialization, licensing relationships, or services originating within university departments.
The Express License Agreement is particularly relevant from a Mind the GAP perspective. Commercialization gaps are not limited to shortages of capital. Transaction complexity, licensing negotiations, unclear terms, and the time required to establish a university-company relationship can also delay venture formation.
UBC is addressing part of that friction through standardized licensing. Eight of the 15 companies used the ELA, meaning more than half of the new cohort entered their licensing relationship through the streamlined mechanism.
The portfolio also demonstrates that a university commercialization pipeline can support multiple pathways simultaneously. Some companies are advancing therapeutics and medical devices that will require substantial technical, clinical, and regulatory validation. Others are commercializing software, digital therapeutics, laboratory automation, climate technologies, advanced materials, and energy systems with different capital and market-entry requirements.
Rather than representing a single commercialization stage, the cohort provides a snapshot of technologies moving from university research into dedicated commercial entities.
Innovation & Technology
Agora Energy Technologies
Agora Energy Technologies is developing a redox flow battery that incorporates captured industrial CO2 as an active component of its chemistry.
Originating from UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the technology connects carbon utilization with large-scale energy storage. Its intended commercialization pathway includes industrial CO2 emitters, renewable energy producers, utilities, and grid or microgrid operators.
Founding team: Elod Gyenge, Christina Gyenge, and Connie Linder.
Aidos Innovations
Aidos Innovations is a nonprofit translational science institute developing practical tools, diagnostics, and therapeutic approaches for substance use disorder.
Its activities include drug detection through Track & Trace, addiction medicine, and therapeutic development, drawing on expertise from UBC as well as Harvard Medical School and UCSF.
The UBC affiliations include the Department of Chemistry and Department of Psychiatry.
Founding team: Glenn Sammis, Dan Bizzotto, Pouya Azar, JJ Sidhu, and Matthew Roberts.
Ascinta Technologies Inc.
Ascinta Technologies provides software and medical physics expertise supporting precision theragnostics and quantitative nuclear imaging.
The company works with PET and SPECT imaging and provides capabilities including patient dosimetry, clinical trial quantification, and AI-enabled image analysis.
Its UBC affiliations include BC Cancer, the Faculty of Medicine, and the School of Biomedical Engineering.
Founding team: Arman Rahmim.
Carbon by Design
Carbon by Design is developing technology intended to improve the efficiency of producing carbon and hydrogen from methane.
The company originates from UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Founding team: Chester Upham and Jimmy Lee.
Carbonyx Minerals Inc.
Carbonyx Minerals combines industrial waste streams with captured CO2 to produce industrial minerals while permanently storing carbon.
The approach connects carbon mineralization with materials production, creating a potential commercialization pathway through construction materials, industrial minerals, and clean-energy supply chains.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Chemistry.
Founding team: Curtis Berlinguette, Doug Pimlott, Mia Stankovic, and Adrien Noble.
ChondrosBio
ChondrosBio is developing OsteoChon, a biodegradable hydrogel implant designed to support regeneration of cartilage and bone.
The ready-to-use implant is intended as a single-step approach to cartilage repair, potentially reducing the procedural complexity associated with treatments requiring multiple surgeries.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Chemistry.
Founding team: Bob Mighell and Hongbin Li.
eSense
eSense is a clinically validated digital therapeutic translating cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness into a structured, self-guided online program.
According to UBC, the platform is supported by randomized controlled trial data demonstrating outcomes comparable to in-person therapy. Its commercialization proposition centers on making evidence-based psychological treatment available through a scalable digital delivery model.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Founding team: Lori Brotto.
Glytego Therapeutics Ltd.
Glytego Therapeutics is developing precision therapies for inflammatory bowel disease using its patented GlycoCage Technology.
The platform is designed to deliver therapeutics directly to inflamed gastrointestinal tissue. Its lead program is targeting Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and has generated preclinical results supporting further development.
The company has affiliations across UBC’s Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Pediatrics, Michael Smith Laboratories, and BC Children’s Hospital.
Founding team: Harry Brumer and Laura Sly.
IvoryOS Technologies
IvoryOS develops software for creating automated, self-driving laboratory environments.
The platform allows researchers to connect laboratory instruments, robotics, and analytical equipment through Python without requiring specialized software engineering capabilities. It supports automated parameter exploration, optimization, and experiment logging.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Chemistry.
Founding team: Ivory Zhang.
Northern Vascular Systems Inc.
Northern Vascular Systems is developing a light-activated liquid embolic platform for minimally invasive vascular procedures.
The technology is designed to provide localized, on-demand control over vessel occlusion, with potential applications including aneurysm treatment.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Founding team: Konrad Walus.
phaseLab Dynamics Inc.
phaseLab Dynamics is developing technology intended to improve magnetic resonance imaging by controlling signal generation at its source.
The approach is designed to enable faster, more reproducible MRI scans while reducing imaging artifacts.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.
Founding team: Alexander Rauscher.
ReAct Materials Inc.
ReAct Materials is developing a renewable-resource-powered catalyst designed to destroy PFAS in contaminated water rather than simply remove and concentrate the chemicals through filtration.
The technology targets an environmental remediation challenge with potential applications in municipal, industrial, and contaminated-water treatment.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Founding team: Johan Foster.
Syrina Therapeutics Inc.
Syrina Therapeutics is developing a self-amplifying RNA platform for protein-replacement and gene therapies.
Its lead program targets Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and is intended to reduce dependence on frequent protein infusions.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and School of Biomedical Engineering.
Founding team: Pieter Cullis, Anna Blakney, Christian Kastrup, and Francesca Ferraresso.
Tydra Labs
Tydra Biomaterial Labs, formerly Fibr.Bio, is developing high-performance microfibrillated chitin produced by upcycling food and agricultural waste.
Its TYDRA ONE material is positioned as an alternative to petrochemical-derived synthetic materials used in consumer and industrial products.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.
Founding team: Vikram Yadav.
VitaPulse Technologies Inc.
VitaPulse is developing clinically validated algorithms and alerting infrastructure designed to detect and predict life-threatening medical events.
The platform focuses on enabling earlier recognition and response outside traditional acute-care environments.
The company is affiliated with UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and School of Biomedical Engineering.
Founding team: Jacob Hutton and Saud Lingawi.
Related Topics
University of British Columbia, Innovation UBC, UBC spin-offs, UBC Express License Agreement, university technology licensing, technology transfer, university startups, venture development, translational research, medical devices, digital therapeutics, biotechnology, climate technology, sustainable materials, clean energy, artificial intelligence, university commercialization
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innovosource tracks GAP programs, including proof-of-concept programs, startup accelerators, translational research initiatives, university venture funds, and commercialization ecosystems that help move university innovations from research to market.
Our coverage is informed by the Mind the GAP Initiative and the GAP COA consortium activity, providing practical insights into the evolving commercialization landscape.
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