Anandia: From Lab to Acquisition

Dr. Jonathan Page, co-founder of Anandia.

At the University of British Columbia, research is always top of mind and top-tier research findings and monumental scientific discoveries have made UBC a renowned presence. Here at entrepreneurship@UBC, it might go quietly undetected that many of our entrepreneurs are actually faculty members. Don’t get us wrong, these faculty members are constantly researching and teaching, but they also make time to learn how to take their research to positively impact the world.

One notable example would be Anandia Labs, a biotech company using genomics for testing and breeding efforts in regulated cannabis production, founded right here at UBC. The company was founded by Dr. Jonathan Page and Dr. John Coleman, both professors at UBC. Their academic research paper was published in PLOS One; the researchers looked at the genotypes of 81 marijuana and 43 hemp samples. Using the DNA variants in the cannabis genome, they were able to search for relationships between different plants. They found that cannabis plants are often incorrectly labeled.

While rooted in research, the team took part in e@UBC's Incubator program (formerly known as Lean Launch Pad), and it was there we had the opportunity to meet the team and learn more about the revolutionary technology that was breeding right here at UBC. Fast forward to today, and Anandia Labs was described as possibly one of North America’s leading cannabis companies and generated much interest from corporations all around the world. In June 2018, Anandia Labs was acquired for $115 million by Aurora Cannabis.

Outside of an incredibly successfully venture exit, Anandia Labs led the way for more ventures to emerge out of the lab, and into the world. If you’re interested in learning about the startup journey, you can find out more about our programs here.