The University of British Columbia has crossed a major commercialization milestone, officially launching its 302nd spin-off company following the addition of 15 new ventures in 2026.
According to Innovation UBC, companies created around UBC research have collectively raised more than $11 billion in capital, generated an estimated $13 billion in revenue, and created over 2,800 jobs.
The latest cohort brings together entrepreneurs from UBC’s faculties of Science, Medicine, and Applied Science. Their companies are developing technologies across health and digital therapeutics, biotechnology, medical devices, sustainable materials, climate technology, energy storage, and artificial intelligence.
Among them are ventures working to use captured carbon dioxide for energy storage, destroy PFAS chemicals in contaminated water, regenerate cartilage and bone, improve medical imaging, automate laboratory research, and develop new RNA-based therapies.
The milestone reflects the role university spin-offs can play in carrying discoveries beyond the laboratory. By licensing intellectual property to researchers and entrepreneurs, UBC can help promising technologies attract investment, continue their development, and reach customers, patients, and communities.
Eight of this year’s 15 companies were launched using UBC’s Express License Agreement, a standardized intellectual-property licensing contract intended to make the spin-off process faster and simpler for researchers.
The agreement was refreshed in June 2026 to provide founders with a more efficient, transparent, and predictable path to commercializing UBC technologies. Innovation UBC says the updated approach has helped contribute to a record year for spin-off creation.
The new cohort demonstrates the breadth of research emerging from UBC and the different forms its commercial impact can take—from biotechnology and medical-device companies to climate-focused ventures and artificial-intelligence platforms.
Visit Innovation UBC to meet all 15 companies and learn more about their technologies, founders, and connections to UBC research.
Leave a Reply