What Makes HATCH Unique
The beauty of HATCH is that is that it offers a full range of tailored, hands-on support to create successful ventures and entrepreneurs, by being:
- University-based: Students, staff, faculty and recent alumni can undergo the transformation to entrepreneur in a familiar environment that gives them access to the best research minds, a top-calibre facility, and tailored mentorship. High-end prototyping equipment in the HATCH makerspace helps ventures realize and test their new technologies, supported by a highly experienced technician. If a new piece of equipment is identified that will help teams, we find a way to get it.
- A Venture-Centric Community: Deep commitment from dedicated Entrepreneurs-in-Residence provides new ventures with tailored mentorship and access to business networks. Teams support one another, and build ongoing relationships.
- Educational: Wide-ranging programming helps ventures learn both how to create a startup and be an entrepreneur—from team-building to marketing and communications to fundraising and more.
History
UBC has always been a destination for innovation—ideas that could make a measurable impact on issues like climate change, sustainable cities, and affordable health care. But too often, innovators don’t have the business know-how to take their ideas out of the lab.
The first HATCH cohort of 11 ventures launched in late 2016. The brainchild of Applied Science Dean James Olson, HATCH provided these innovators with the space they needed to build and test their prototypes, as well as entrepreneurial support to successfully bring their ideas into the world.
In 2018, the HATCH Makerspace launched, to provide innovators with a comprehensive suite of advanced equipment for prototyping and testing, and support from a dedicated ICICS technician.
Today
Today, ventures join HATCH after completing e@UBC’s Venture Founder program. Supported by dedicated Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EiRs), Executives-in-Residence (XiRs), and mentors, HATCH startups refine product prototypes, put the right team, and create a plan to attract investment and launch their companies over the course of 12-18 months.
Since its initial launch, HATCH has not only instilled an entrepreneurial mindset in the UBC community, but demonstrated that start-ups are an exciting and realistic way to translate world-shaping research & innovation into tangible solutions for society.
Impact
As of September 2022, HATCH has:
- Supported 65 ventures
- Generated $29.6 million + in revenue
- Secured 158 million+ in funding
- Created 535+ full-time jobs