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e@UBC Seed Fund
The Seed Fund invests risk capital in startups founded by UBC students, alumni, faculty, and staff. It provides early investments to help startups build...
e@UBC Seed Fund
The Seed Fund invests risk capital in startups founded by UBC students, alumni, faculty, and staff. It provides early investments to help startups build momentum and secure additional outside funding. Established through UBC alumni and other charitable contributions, the fund has made 18 investments, including a 2017 investment in Microdermics.
General information
Firm type
University-Affiliated Seed Fund
Year founded
2009
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Vancouver
Corporate office
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Additional offices
Montreal, QC, Canada
Principals
Sarah Lubik
Executive Director
Mike Volker
Founder and former Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at e@UBC Seed Fund?
Sarah Lubik, Executive Director, leads the investment committee alongside a team of UBC entrepreneurship faculty and external angel investors. The fund operates under the governance of Entrepreneurial@UBC's advisory board, which includes tech executives and venture capitalists.
How does e@UBC Seed Fund source proprietary deal flow?
The fund's deal flow is exclusive to UBC-originated startups, sourced through the university's innovation ecosystem, including faculty research labs, student competitions, and the Creative Destruction Lab-Rockies program (per public record). This pipeline provides early access to deep-tech ventures that are not typically visible to outside VCs.
Is e@UBC Seed Fund structured as a venture firm or a family office?
e@UBC Seed Fund is a university-affiliated seed fund, not a family office. It draws capital from the UBC endowment and external co-investors, with a mission to commercialize academic research rather than preserve multi-generational wealth.
Does e@UBC Seed Fund participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The fund makes direct equity investments only, typically as pre-seed or seed lead or co-lead. It does not commit to other venture funds. It often co-invests alongside UBC's angel network and other early-stage investors.
What investment stages does e@UBC Seed Fund typically target?
The fund targets pre-seed and seed-stage rounds, with check sizes ranging from C$50,000 to C$250,000. It can participate in follow-on rounds but focuses on the earliest capital for UBC spinouts (per public record).
Which sectors does e@UBC Seed Fund explicitly avoid?
The fund generally avoids consumer internet, pure software-as-a-service, and other venture categories with short time-to-market. Its mandate prioritizes deep-tech sectors like cleantech, healthtech, and industrial technologies with long development cycles and high scientific risk (per public record).
How is e@UBC Seed Fund related to Entrepreneurial@UBC?
e@UBC Seed Fund is the investment arm of Entrepreneurial@UBC, the university's entrepreneurship hub. The hub also runs accelerator programs and co-working spaces, with the seed fund providing capital to startups graduating from those programs.
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