Innovation UBC has introduced its 2026 cohort of Venture Development Specialists, pairing five UBC Sauder graduate students with eight early-stage companies working to bring university research to market.
The specialists are Lisa Popplewell, Drew Blackmun, Nkemdilim Okwuchi, Mitchell Liebrecht, and Darryl Mah.
Over a series of two-month consulting projects, the students are supporting CereCura Nanotherapeutics, Dream Photonics, VitaPulse Technologies, Narval Energy, Tydra Labs, Carbonyx, phaseLab, and eSense Health.
Their work spans common challenges facing research-driven startups, including market validation, customer discovery, investor materials, commercialization planning, financial strategy, and go-to-market development.
For the students, the program offers hands-on experience working with founders and applying their business training in fast-moving startup environments. For participating companies, it provides additional capacity to tackle important projects that small teams may not have the time or resources to handle internally.
The cohort brings experience across science, engineering, healthcare, finance, consulting, and business analytics, reflecting the range of sectors represented in Innovation UBC’s venture portfolio.
Innovation UBC says the internship program is designed to immerse students in British Columbia’s startup ecosystem while helping university-born companies move closer to customers, investors, and commercialization.
For ventures built around complex research, the added business support can help turn promising technology into a clearer path to market.
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Innovation UBC Taps Sauder Talent to Help Eight Startups Grow was first posted on July 20, 2026 at 5:01 am.
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