Congratulations to the 7 ventures who have graduated from HATCH this summer
HATCH Venture Builder (HATCH) is a collaborative initiative between entrepreneurship@UBC and the Institute for Computing Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS). HATCH supports UBC’s thriving community of interdisciplinary innovators who are building ventures driving social, environmental and economic impact to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
This summer, we are congratulating 7 ventures who have graduated from the program after 12-18 months of scaling their companies, achieving key milestones and preparing for market.
As part of HATCH, teams work closely with our bench of Entrepreneurs in Residence who lend their expertise and experience to the next generation of leaders creating impact. Teams go through curated training sessions, pitch events and showcases as well as receive office space at UBC Point Grey and Robson Square, all while having access to ICICS’ state of the art Makerspace.
We are excited to congratulate the following teams who have graduated from HATCH this summer!
DYNE
DYNE is a technology platform that helps friends connect at local restaurants, while also providing in-depth analytics to the restaurant industry, through their analytics platform. DYNE is trusted by over 700 restaurants, including Cactus Club, Earls and Starbucks. It offers services for both foodies through the DYNE Loyalty App, and restaurants via their restaurant dashboard, working with both sides of the market.
The Founder and CEO, Arnav Mishra, graduated from UBC Sauder School of Business where he specialized in Business Technology management. DYNE entered into HATCH during the 2020 Cohort, working with Entrepreneur in Residence Tom Urban and Chang Han on their technology and scaling their business and team. DYNE presented at the 2022 Venture Showcase in the Ready-to-Raise category for teams gaining traction at the acceleration stage. In the same year DYNE secured $1.5 million in seed funding which was co-led by Weave VC and Inverted Ventures to help advance and expand their platform. This year DYNE was listed as one of the Five BC Startups Gaining Traction in 2023 by Techouver and was named the Top 15 Food-tech Start-ups in Canada in 2023. In addition DYNE was named as the Top 10 Fastest growing startups in Microsoft Founders Hub. Founder Arnav Mishra was recently recognized as a BC Business 30-under-30 recipient for his work in the tech sector and as part of DYNE.
GeoGen Technologies
GeoGen Technologies is disrupting how geothermal energy is harvested and converted into electricity, by converting depleted oil and gas wells to baseload renewable power assets. By generating electricity below surface, GeoGen avoids the expense of moving heat to surface and instead sends power up via a wire. The venture is making it easy by providing a turn-key service to convert inactive wells to geothermal.
GeoGen was founded in 2020, by Bryan Zintel, an experienced entrepreneur, and Matt Hogg, a professional engineer. Matt holds an undergrad degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia. The team distinguished that 1 GeoGen conversion of 100-150 KW of electricity is equivalent to 125-190 cars off the road yearly. During their time in HATCH, the team worked closely with Entrepreneur in Residences Michele Wallcraft and Tom Urban where they succeeded in securing a customer agreement with a leading oil and gas company to secure a well for the first pilot. GeoGen presented at entrepreneurship@UBC’s 2023 Investor Showcase. Additionally, GeoGen partnered with recognized technology providers and secured key strategic geothermal partners and investment. They also were accepted and completed the US-based RICE clean energy accelerator and CDL SuperCluster.
Immersio
Immersio is the first, custom-built language platform, powered by proprietary AI interfaces, that allows you to learn languages through interactive and contextual conversation. Through development, testing and execution of the AI-powered platform, this enables any language instructor to quickly create interactive, conversational experiences, removing any hardships and barriers.
The venture was co-founded by two UBC Alumni, Phong Nguyen who received his Master of Digital Media, Communications and Media Studies, and David Joseph Sigrist, who received his Master Data Management in Business & Entrepreneurship, Digital Media. Immersio worked with Entrepreneur in Residence Tiffany Hamilton. Throughout their time in HATCH, Immersio was one of the BC tech startups that advanced to Round 2 of the 22nd Annual New Ventures BC Competition, presented by Innovate BC in 2022. In 2021 Immersio presented at the 2021 Venture Showcase, in the Sneak-a-Peek category, those who have begun commercializing their innovations. Additionally, Immersio raised roughly $250k in grants to create a sustainable and repeatable model for Indigenous Canadian communities to revitalize their language and create teaching opportunities. During this time they also began a pilot program with three English language schools in Vietnam's growing market as the beginning to their international expansion.
MintList
MintList is an AI-powered car selling platform that allows you to sell your car directly from your phone, removing any stress or difficulties. MintList is the only place that allows you to mix and match dealers when buying and selling a car. The venture was co-founded by Mike Wood and Mehrsa Raeiszadeh, the latter who was awarded the 2022 Forty under 40 Award winner by BIV.
As part of HATCH, they worked closely with Entrepreneur in Residence Tiffany Hamilton and was announced as one of the Watchlist: Vancouver’s hottest companies in 2023 by Vancouver Tech Journal. MintList presented at entrepreneurship@UBC’s 2022 Venture Showcase in the Ready-to-Raise category. In 2022, MintList raised $2.76 Million CAD in Seed financing led by StandUp Ventures to help support the launch of its online auto sales platform. In the same year they were the First Canadian Company to Take Home Stevie Award for “Software Tech Startup of the Year”. During their time in HATCH, they also launched their product MintList and expanded to two new provinces across Canada. In total they received over $3M in non-dilutive funding from the government and MintList continues to innovate and grow.
NanoTech Innovation
NanoTech Innovation offers a unique maintenance technique using a nano-based, eco-friendly liquid. NanoTech's product transforms rust safely, efficiently, and easily to a protecting coating barrier. Their mission is to design and manufacture the most advanced and accessible corrosion treatment products.
The CEO of NanoTech, Ahmad Sohanger, attended UBC where he took entrepreneurial studies and NanoTech’s CTO, Ehsan Espid, attended UBC where he received his MASc and Ph.D. in Chemical and Biological Engineering. Recently, NanoTech announced their first project with the University of British Columbia to restore rusted roof vent covers for a 100+ year old building, currently home to UBC’s globally renowned Department of Geography.
During their time in HATCH, NanoTech worked with Entrepreneur in Residence Michele Wallcraft and they were selected to present at the Colorado Oil & Gas Cleantech Challenge and entrepreneurship@UBC’s 2023 Investor Showcase. NanoTech received concept funding for required product testing and stimulated investor interest. They have had advanced discussions with the City of Vancouver, BC Hydro as well as Angel investors. NanoTech has built relationships with IRAP to establish funding opportunities (CMC, GreenCentre Canada, Natural Products Canada). In terms of their technology, NanoTech has completed key in-house technology validation testing. They have established Canadian testing partners with NRC and the University of Alberta and have developed modified formulations based on North American raw material suppliers.
Proton Intelligence
Proton Intelligence provides continuous, real-time, and accurate biomarker monitoring to better manage chronic disease and save lives. The team was founded by three co-founders, Sahan Ranamukha, PhD, Francis Steiner, MBA, and Victor Cadarso, PhD. Throughout their time in HATCH, they participated in three accelerators including the World’s Largest Medtech Accelerator, MedTech Innovator. The team was able to accomplish technology advancement as they produced multiple batch sensor production with consistent functionality confirmed by in vitro testing.
Proton Intelligence worked closely with Entrepreneur in Residence Karen Boodram. Team member Francis Steiner originated as Entrepreneur in Residence with HATCH prior to starting Proton Intelligence. They were selected to present at the 2022 Investor Showcase which featured a selection of ventures Ready-to-Raise Seed to Series A rounds. Proton Intelligence has raised funds to support their growing venture by adding six people to focus on technology development. The team has a built out advisory board with multiple key opinion leaders. In terms of traction, Proton Intelligence has completed FDA pre-sub and are making incredible advancements with their technology.
Verdi
Verdi builds products and technologies by making farm infrastructure smart and to help the food system keep pace with climate change. The Co-founder and CEO of Verdi, Arthur Chen was a UBC Alumni, where he received his degree in Engineering Physics from the Faculty of Applied Science.
While in HATCH, the team worked with Entrepreneur in Residence Michele Wallcraft, and announced that they are working with berry producers to bring climate resilience to their farming and breeding operations. In 2023, Verdi presented at the 2023 Investor Showcase presented by entrepreneurship@UBC and ICICS. In 2022, Verdi won the Improving Soil Health and Biodiversity award during the 2022 Thrive Global Impact Challenge. In the same year, they received $122,500 worth of prize value after winning the pitch competition for Canada’s most innovative startup hosted by Boast. Verdi was 1 of 21 cleantech companies that secured Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) seed funding in 2021. They established trials with the leading players in their target markets including Gallo in wine, Driscoll’s in fruit and The Wonderful Company in almonds and pomegranate, resulting in an industry leading customer pipeline. Overall they successfully closed a $1M financing with a strong group of both institutional and individual shareholders. Verdi is on track to generate $300K in revenue in their HATCH graduation year.
Congratulations to our graduates! We look forward to championing the next steps of your venture building journeys.
Are you interested in getting in touch with any of the teams?
