UBC surpasses 300 spin-off companies

VANCOUVER – 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 ELA is a ready-to-sign, standardized licensing contract that lets a researcher at the University of British Columbia, who wants to commercialize the technology they invented at UBC, form a spin-off. Instead of negotiating a custom licensing agreement, the spin-off adopts a pre-built agreement with fixed, transparent terms: exclusive, worldwide rights to use and sublicense the UBC technology, while UBC maintains the right to use it for research and teaching.

“The Express License lets founders spend less time negotiating and more time building. By offering a clear, transparent framework for spin-off licenses, we’ve significantly cut legal costs and timelines. We’ve seen a record year for UBC spin-off creation,” said Brett Sharp (pictured), associate director, Technology Transfer, Innovation UBC

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.

The newest spinoffs include:

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

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

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

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

Visit Innovation UBC to meet all 15 companies and learn more about their technologies, founders, and connections to UBC research.

Source: Techcouver