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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1199442
S p e c i a l F e a t u r e U N D E R G R A D F E A T U R E "We also work with entrepreneurs in the university who want to found their own company by helping them find product- market fit through our incubator, and then by helping them build their company through our Accelerator, HATCH." As the resulting ventures grow, they gain early market entry and traction through the HATCH Accelerator, a collaboration between entrepreneurship@UBC and the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS). Ventures also gain access to the UBC Seed Fund while in the program. Zack Eberwein was a fourth year applied science undergrad student when he participated in the Incubator program and subsequent Accelerator program through entrepreneurship@UBC to develop an idea he and two friends had to revolutionize joint bracing technology. Today he is CEO of Stoko—a producer of athletic apparel that offers joint support equivalent to a rigid brace. Set to launch in fall of 2020, Stoko offers a clothing solution for athletes rehabilitating an injury, waiting for surgery, looking for an alternative to a bulky or expensive brace, or simply wishing to reduce the risk of injury in the first place. Eberwein and his colleagues, Kevin Reilly, PhD and Scott Morgan, former Olympian, entered the Incubator program two-and-a-half years ago, and as novice entrepreneurs with little understanding of the steps to take or the order to take them in, entrepreneurship@UBC was a game-changer. "It really took us from three friends working toward one big dream to three people building a company," Eberwein says. "It drastically changed our road map and how we went about solving problems and prototyping." By the time they were accepted into the HATCH Accelerator program hey had access to a 3,000-square-foot maker space containing otherwise prohibitively expensive equipment, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, plasma cutters, water jet cutters, a full metal shop and space for an advanced knitting machine used to make textiles. "This improved our path from a scrappy start-up to a venture with the tools to make our product properly," Eberwein says. "Having the space to call home really elevates you and helps you take yourself seriously and helps others to take you seriously, too." Through the HATCH Accelerator, early ventures receive access to subject matter experts (SMEs) who roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help the ventures get off the ground. Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) show new founders the ins and outs of running a venture. "For Life Science and Medical Device companies, we have a strong team of individuals with experience in taking research through the regulatory hurdles needed in order to prove efficacy and safety, and then in forming and developing companies around this research," says LaMotte. CLIENT UBC – Potential is Yours UBC191000BC_AD 23_BC Business APPROVALS ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER: CREATED Sept 24, 2019 Jessica Schaub MSc student Oceanography Learn how were shaping the future at ourpotential.ca The potential is yours. S p e c i a l F e a t u r e U N D E R G R A D F E A T U R E plasma cutters, water jet cutters, a full metal shop and space for an advanced knitting machine used to make textiles. "This improved our path from a scrappy start-up to a venture with the tools to make our product properly," Eberwein says. "Having the space to call home really elevates you and helps you take yourself seriously and helps others to take you seriously, too." Through the HATCH Accelerator, early ventures receive access to subject matter experts (SMEs) who roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help the ventures get off the ground. Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIRs) show new founders the ins and outs of running a venture. "For Life Science and Medical Device companies, we have a strong team of individuals with experience in taking research through the regulatory hurdles needed in order to prove efficacy and safety, and then in forming and developing companies around this research," says LaMotte. CLIENT UBC – Potential is Yours UBC191000BC_AD 23_BC Business APPROVALS ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER: CREATED Sept 24, 2019 Jessica Schaub MSc student Oceanography Learn how were shaping the future at ourpotential.ca The potential is yours.