Office Hours with Chang Han
2024-09-06 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-09-13 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-09-20 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-09-27 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-04 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-11 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-18 11:00 - 15:30, 2024-10-25 11:00 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) and 7 more dates
Interested in AccelerateIP but not sure which stream suits you best?
Book a time with our IP Executive in Residence and former IP Lawyer, Chang Han, during his virtual Office Hours!
​Whether you have questions about the right program or need guidance on AccelerateIP, Chang is here to help you navigate your options.
​
Please note, this isn’t legal advice but a chance to explore your opportunities within our programs.
Times available for booking on April 5th – times between 11AM to 3:30PM

Register Here!

What is patentable in the software space?
2024-10-03 10:30 - 11:30 | Virtual
Code is copyright and a lot of modern development in software is reliant on open-sourced code/libraries or dependant on API integrations with terms and conditions. Amidst all that, if you’re building a software solution, what then is patentable?
This workshop will look into area of software patents and what can and cannot be protected when it comes to software related inventions. The current state of the law on this topic around the world will be explored and in particular, the treatment of such inventions in Canada, the US and Europe. Different strategies on how to protect software inventions with patents and to increase value for you software company will be discussed.
About the Speaker from DLA Piper (Canada) LLP

Richard Mar, Partner
Richard assists clients with patentability and infringement opinions, drafting licensing agreements, and ‎enforcing intellectual property rights, which includes drafting and prosecuting patent applications and ‎developing a global patent filing strategy for clients in a wide variety of technology areas including computer software and hardware, artificial intelligence, financial technologies (business methods/blockchain), virtualization technology, electrical products and integrated circuits, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and processes, medical devices, and mechanical fields.
He has drafted hundreds of patent applications for ‎clients ranging from sole inventors to large multinational corporations with well-established patent ‎programs. He also has experience in assisting clients with enforcement of their intellectual property rights ‎in Canada and internationally. Richard is also an active member of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC). He is an instructor for ‎IPIC’s Patent Agent Training Course and trains the next generation of patent agents.
This event is hosted in partnership with Tech Yukon.
Please note the event timing is in PDT.
Register Here!

Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series
2024-10-23 09:30 - 10:30 | SFU Venture Labs, 555 W Hastings St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 4N6, Canada
Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series, is back on October 23. We welcome Gowling WLG’s Associate, Anika Klassen, to discuss trade secrets. This session will cover how to effectively manage and protect your company’s confidential know-how through every stage of the business lifecycle. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions at the end of the short presentation.
When: October 23rd @ 9:30 – 10:30 AM PST
Where: VentureLabs office, 12th floor kitchen (1200 – 555 W Hastings St, Vancouver)
Who: Science and technology company founders/leaders, AccelerateIP clients
Format: In person – Registration required
The series is a partnership between SFU VentureLabs and AccelerateIP, and includes a light breakfast limited to the first 30 attendees.
About the speaker: Anika Klassen

Anika Klassen is an associate in Gowling WLG’s Vancouver office working in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department and as a member of the Tech Group. Her practice focuses on technology commercial transactions, licensing and commercial contracts.
In particular, Anika advises clients on the acquisition, commercialization and enforcement of intellectual property rights throughout the business lifecycle.
While studying law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, Anika participated in the Richards Buell Sutton LLP Business Law Clinic and the UBC Law Review. She also served as President of the Women’s Caucus and Co-President of the Allard Law and Business Society. Before law school, Anika completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.
About Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series
We bring the experts, pastries, and coffee to Tech & Toast so that founders can connect and learn from subject matter experts. This monthly in-person event will feature topics like IP, customer discovery, competitor analysis, etc. Join Tech & Toast to connect with other science and tech founders, meet with experts, and gain insights to grow your company.
Register Here!

IP Town Hall | Accelerate Okanagan
2024-11-06 16:00 - 18:00 | Accelerate Okanagan, 460 Doyle Avenue, Kelowna, BC, V1Y0C2, Canada
Date & Time: November 6th 4-6 PM (doors open at 3:30)
Location: HQ Boardroom at AO
Tickets: Free (Includes pizza & beer!)
Navigating the complexities of Intellectual Property (IP) protection is crucial at every stage of your company’s journey—from idea validation to scaling and beyond. Whether you’re trying to safeguard your innovations, prepare for fundraising, or secure your product in international markets, understanding the legal landscape can help you make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes.
Come ready with your questions! This workshop will be interactive, allowing attendees to ask questions, share their experiences, and engage in direct discussions with the legal experts from Lawson Lundell LLP, who specialize in commercialization, patent, and trademark law. This free session is designed for tech founders, providing actionable insights and real-time advice in an interactive format. This session is hosted by Accelerate Okanagan, in partnership with AccelerateIP.

On the Panellists:

Paul Matthews – Partner, Engineer & Technology Commercialization Lawyer
Carolyn Walters – Trademark Agent
Rick Okimaw – Partner, Engineer, and Patent Agent

What to Expect:

Interactive Town Hall: This isn’t a lecture—it’s your opportunity to ask the tough questions that matter to your startup. Our panelists will tackle everything from protecting early-stage ideas to managing IP while fundraising or expanding globally.
Pizza & Networking: Enjoy some pizza while connecting with fellow founders and professionals in the tech and legal industries.
Q&A Session: Have specific IP concerns? Bring your questions to the table! Whether you’re unsure about protecting your MVP, using third-party platforms, or preparing for investor pitches, our panel is here to help.

Common Topics We’ll Cover:

How to protect your IP during the idea validation stage
When and how to file patents as you go to market
Navigating IP concerns during fundraising and due diligence
Managing IP when hiring employees, contractors, or expanding internationally

Who Should Attend:
This workshop is ideal for founders at all stages—from early-stage startups to growth-focused companies. Don’t miss this chance to learn from some of the best in the industry and ensure your IP is fully protected as you scale.
This event will be hosted in-person at Accelerate Okanagan’s Kelowna Office in the Situation Room Boardroom.
Register Here!

Why IP Strategy Matters for Business Growth
2024-11-07 14:00 - 16:00 | VIATEC, 777 Fort St., Victoria, BC, V8W 1G9, Canada
​Join AccelerateIP, VIATEC, and Dr. Houston Brown for a session on IP strategy and business growth.
​This session will include:

​Walkthrough of an in-house IP framework for startups and scaleups
​How IP strategies differ from IP plans
​Review of key IP assets and why they matter to business strategy
​Discussion of patents and having an investment grade patent
​Considerations on IP value vs. IP risk

​Details:
​Date: Thursday, November 7th
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm PST
Location: 777 Fort St, Victoria, BC V8W 1G9

About the presenter: ​Houston Brown, PhD

Dr. Houston Brown is a registered patent agent (CA and US), a patented inventor, and a published researcher. He’s won numerous intellectual property awards and is an active contributor to the profession through his work with Canada’s College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents.
​Houston practiced at a top-ranked international law firm and then went “in house” with a leading global technology provider to deepen his knowledge of the business side of intellectual property.
Register Here!

IP Speaker Series: Culture and Law
2024-11-27 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
​Join us for an in-depth discussion on the intersection of culture and IP law, and learn how founders can protect themselves in a Canadian IP landscape that is not always aligned with Traditional Knowledge. It’s important for any founder to ask themselves, who can play and what are the rules?
​​Why This Chat?
​What You’ll Gain:
​​● Insider Knowledge: Delve into some key concepts around Traditional Knowledge (TK), Traditional Cultural Expression (TCE) and Cultural Competence.
​​● Real-World Wisdom: Engage with firsthand stories and experiences on how founders can participate in cultural endeavors without committing cultural appropriation.
​​● Practical Takeaways: Discover strategies on how to ensure that your company’s IP is protected, when it may not be clear when Traditional Knowledge and Canadian IP may intersect.
​​● Community and Q&A: This fireside chat format encourages dialogue. Bring your questions, share your experiences, and learn from peers navigating the same challenges.
​​Who Should Join?
​​Whether you’re at the seed stage or scaling rapidly, if your startup is navigating the tech ecosystem, this conversation is for you. Founders, tech innovators, and anyone vested in the future of intellectual property in the startup space.
​​About the Session:
​​This isn’t just another lecture on IP rights; it’s a chance to join a community of like-minded individuals ready to tackle the complexities of IP strategy together. We’re peeling back the layers of legal jargon to reveal the actionable steps you can take to protect your company’s most valuable assets.
​​About the Speakers:
​Mitchel Fleming (Guest) – Part of Toronto’s newest cohort of entertainment lawyers, Mitchel Fleming brings to his practice a wealth of entertainment experience.
​Fleming has extensive experience acting as production legal counsel, including handling rights acquisitions, international co-pro agreements, broadcast and distribution deals, performer agreements, production financing, tax credit optimization and E&O insurance reviews for a growing list of feature films and TV series.
​Fleming not only works on behalf of legacy film and television organizations, but maintains a diverse roster of clients, including social media sensations, comedians, and live sport entertainment companies.
Ever passionate about economic and community development in Canada’s rural communities, particularly First Nations, Fleming has dedicated time and energy to establishing opportunities for First Nations youth to study music in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in the hopes that they might bring that knowledge back to their hometowns.
​Byron Thom (Moderator) – Byron is a lifelong technology enthusiast who has worn many hats in his tech career. Trained as an engineer and a lawyer, he practiced at one of the leading IP boutiques in Canada helping startups and multinationals protect their technological assets. As a startup founder, he is a patented inventor who drafted and prosecuted his company’s own patent applications. And, as a venture capitalist and board member, he often works with his portfolio companies to develop IP strategies to focus their limited resources on key assets that matter to the business, to investors and to potential acquirers. Byron is a Partner at the BDC Industrial Innovation Venture Fund and sits on the Board of Governors at UBC.
Register Now!

IP Strategy for the Growth and Scalability of your Startup
2024-12-04 11:30 - 12:30 | Virtual
Intangible assets are now the bulk of a valuation for a company (more than tangible assets). And everything intangible is some form of IP. A successful IP strategy is a function of both creating IP value and avoiding IP risk.
In this session, Emilie and Patrick will discuss the ways different IP rights create value, strategy considerations for securing IP rights, linking IP creation with your business’ commercialization plan, how to develop an effective monitoring and enforcement strategy, and how to mitigate IP risk. IP isn’t just patents and protection from competitors. Learn about how to leverage IP for licensing, justifying valuation and partnerships.

About Our Speakers from Seastone IP
Patrick Smith

Patrick is one of Canada’s top IP litigators, serving as counsel in more than 100 reported decisions over the course of his 25+ year career. He has extensive experience supporting clients in the oil and gas, agricultural, biotech, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. The Supreme Court of Canada adopted his submissions in Teva v. Pfizer (2012) as the framework by which courts now judge “utility” in patent cases.
Patrick is a registered patent agent who advises and represents clients in matters concerning patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets, and regulatory compliance. He is a former adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and served as President of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC) for 2018-2019. Currently, Patrick is the chair of IPIC’s Intervention Committee.
Emilie Feil-Fraser

Emilie is a lawyer and trademark agent with a combination practice of litigation and solicitor work. She helps clients solve contentious disputes in the areas of trademarks, patents, trade secrets/confidential information, copyright, industrial designs, privacy disputes, and domain name disputes. She represents a wide variety of clients, from small start-up businesses to multi-national corporations in large-scale patent infringement litigation. She provides strategic advice to clients on all aspects of their intellectual property portfolios, including IP development strategy and best practices for internal IP protection.
Emilie is also a registered Canadian trademark agent and handles all levels of trademark prosecution, from brand development to registration. She is also fluent in French and enjoys hiking, skiing, and live music.
This event is hosted in partnership with Tech Yukon.
Please note the event timing is in PDT.
Register Now!

Generative AI: Copyright and Ownership
2024-12-10 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual
Hosted in partnership with Tech Yukon
Do you own the assets created using AI? Are there limitations to usage rights? Are they subject to any Creative Commons Licenses?

AI is changing how to approach content generation. From text for books or poems, to images, and even video. Not only for the creation, but also in editing and live streaming.
Can you copyright, trademark or pursue design patents for AI creations? Who owns the content? What’s the risk of someone else utilizing the same piece of generated content?
We’ll try our best to tackle some of these questions and more in the ever evolving legal landscape of AI.

Speaker
Chang Han, Lead EiR (Entrepreneur in Residence) at entrepreneurship@UBC

Chang Han has cofounded, invested in, and worked for startups in education, biotech, digital media software and hardware, the trades, franchising, manufacturing, import and export and retail distribution. His entrepreneur, investing and consulting experience is balanced with a former corporate career in business litigation as well as In-House corporate counsel managing intellectual property for an international bank. Chang is currently NVBC’s IP Executive in Residence, and supports the roll-out of the NVBC Accelerate IP grant program. He is also the Lead Entrepreneur in Residence at entrepreneurship@UBC, and an investment consultant with Genome BC. Additionally, Chang is a member of faculty for the Part-Time program at BCIT, the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Register Here

Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series
2024-12-11 09:30 - 10:30 | SFU Venture Labs, 555 W Hastings St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 4N6, Canada
Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series returns on December 11! Join us as we welcome Danika Kotylak, a lawyer from Dentons’ Vancouver office, for an engaging discussion on Navigating IP in Merger and Acquisition Transactions. Enjoy breakfast while gaining expert insights on how to increase IP value, navigate transaction structures, ensure ownership clarity, manage licensing impacts, and avoid due diligence pitfalls in mergers and acquisitions. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions at the end of the short presentation.
Where: VentureLabs office, 12th floor kitchen (1200 – 555 W Hastings St, Vancouver)
When: December 11, 9:30 AM -10:30 AM
Who: Science and technology company founders/leaders, AccelerateIP clients
Registration required
The series is a partnership between SFU VentureLabs and AccelerateIP, and includes a light breakfast limited to the first 30 attendees.
About the speaker: Danika Kotylak
Danika (She/Her/Hers) is an associate in Dentons’ Vancouver office. She is a member of the Corporate and Intellectual Property and Technology practice groups at Dentons. In her general corporate practice, Danika advises clients in a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including corporate organization and governance, mergers and acquisitions, and other transactional matters such as drafting commercial agreements. Danika is passionate about assisting innovative start-ups overcome legal hurdles from incorporation, to team-building and raising funds. In her intellectual property practice, Danika advises clients from sophisticated corporate entities to independent artists on intellectual property protection and commercialization options. Danika is frequently engaged with intellectual property agreements, whether in the targeted mergers and acquisition due diligence space or drafting agreements to fit each client’s unique needs. Danika also assists with trademark and copyright registrations and renewals.
About Tech & Toast: A VentureLabs Breakfast Series
We bring the experts, pastries, and coffee to Tech & Toast so that founders can connect and learn from subject matter experts. This monthly in-person event will feature topics like IP, customer discovery, competitor analysis, etc. Join Tech & Toast to connect with other science and tech founders, meet with experts, and gain insights to grow your company.
Register Here!

Info Session
2024-12-17 10:00 - 10:45 | Virtual
​Looking to apply for AccelerateIP this year?
Put your best application forward by joining our info session. You’ll learn about:
● ​Intake dates for all Streams
● ​Program updates and eligibility requirements
​● A better understanding of how the application process works
● Eligible activities and quotes
There will also be:
● Time for Q&A
● ​Application tips from the programs team
Hope to see you there! If there’s a topic you’d like to have covered, feel free to email us in advance— we’ll try our best to include it: accelerateip@newventuresbc.com
Register Here

Office Hours with Chang Han
2025-01-10 11:00 - 15:30, 2025-01-17 11:00 - 15:30, 2025-01-24 11:00 - 15:30, 2025-01-31 11:00 - 15:30, 2025-02-07 11:00 - 15:30 | Virtual
Interested in AccelerateIP but not sure which stream suits you best?
Book a time with our IP Executive in Residence and former IP Lawyer, Chang Han, during his virtual Office Hours!
​Whether you have questions about the right program or need guidance on AccelerateIP, Chang is here to help you navigate your options.
​
Please note, this isn’t legal advice but a chance to explore your opportunities within our programs.
Times available for booking – between 11AM to 3:30PM.

Register Here

Intro to Intellectual Property
2025-02-04 12:00 - 14:00
Hosted by Prosper NWT in partnership with AccelerateIP

Feb 4 2025, Hybrid
1:00-3:00pm MST | 12:00-2:00pm PST

Protect and Grow Your Business with IP
Today’s rapidly evolving world, shaped by technological advancements, globalization, and shifting consumer demands, presents both exciting opportunities and significant challenges for entrepreneurs and small businesses. To fully capitalize on these changes, it’s critical for NWT businesses to recognize the IP value that they may already have in their businesses and to innovate and protect their intellectual property (IP).
This workshop will introduce the five main types of intellectual property (IP): trademarks; industrial designs; copyright; patents; and, trade secrets. As a new business owner, you’ll learn to identify already-existing IP that might intersect with your plans. As well, you’ll discover ways to create and protect assets that will grow your company.
About the Presenter
Beth Gallup is an Executive-in-Residence with New Ventures BC. Beth is passionate about entrepreneurial success, achieved through a deep understanding of the customer and a solid go-to-market plan. In her work with New Ventures BC, she often shares lessons learned though her own experience of founding, co-founding, buying and selling businesses. Beth is interested in intellectual property, manufacturer to consumer supply chains; outdoor safety, sport, off-grid and wearable technologies, plus environmentally-intelligent development, construction, and adaptive re-use.
Workshop Details

Hybrid event
Feb 4 2025
1:00-3:00pm MST | 12:00 – 2:00pm PST

Register for In-Person in Yellowknife, NT:

Prosper NWT’s office (5009-50th Avenue) in Yellowknife, NT
Email info@prospernwt.ca to register
There are limited spaces available.

Register to Join Online:

Use the button below to sign up for a link to access the workshop via Microsoft Teams.

Register Here
