Three start-up ventures founded by faculty of medicine community members have joined UBC’s HATCH Venture Builder to help bring innovative health solutions from the lab into the clinic.
HATCH helps to propel early-stage venture growth, working with entrepreneurs to further develop their companies through mentorship, training, access to funding opportunities and over 10,000 sq. ft. of office and makerspace.
The new faculty of medicine-affiliated ventures to join HATCH in 2025 are developing solutions to key health challenges, including therapies to address brain and blood disorders, and innovations in nanotechnology. They join a vibrant community of UBC spin-off companies and entrepreneurs who are bringing new technologies and health solutions to people across B.C., Canada and the world.
The HATCH Venture Builder is a collaborative initiative between entrepreneurship@UBC and the Institute for Computing Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS). It supports the thriving community of interdisciplinary UBC innovators who are building ventures driving social, environmental and economic impact.
UBC Medicine-affiliated ventures
- CereCura Nanotherapeutics
A preclinical biotechnology company developing innovative RNA therapies for patients with untreated brain disorders.
Founding Team: Louis-Philippe Bernier (Psychiatry), Brian MacVicar (Psychiatry), Nicholas Weilinger (Psychiatry), Pieter Cullis (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
UBC Affiliation: Faculty of Medicine
- ImageCyte
Uses cutting-edge nanowell technology to make high-quality, single-cell imaging and 3D cell culture more efficient and precise, enabling researchers and clinicians to unlock deeper insights into cellular behavior, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic responses.
Founding Team: Samuel Berryman (Centre for Blood Research), Hongshen Ma (School of Biomedical Engineering)
UBC Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Applied Science
- SeraGene Therapeutics
SeraGene Therapeutics is a pre-clinical stage biotech company committed to reimagining the treatment of coagulation disorders through innovative RNA and nanomedicine technologies.
Founding Team: Erika Siren (Centre for Blood Research), Lih Jiin Juang (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Christian Kastrup (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michael Smith Labs, Centre for Blood Research), Pieter Cullis (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
UBC Affiliations: Faculty of Medicine, Michael Smith Laboratories, Centre for Blood Research, SBME Innovates
For a full list of ventures joining HATCH in Winter 2025, visit the entrepreneurship@UBC website.