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2026 IP Summit

Thursday, April 30

Returning On April 30, 2026

Presented by New Ventures BC, Innovate BC, and the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth. 

We’re gathering BC’s most forward-thinking founders and innovation leaders for a high-impact half-day conference. Join us as we explore practical IP strategies designed to drive growth for scaling companies.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Innovate BC and the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Growth. 

Register Now

Meet Our Speakers:

Brian J. Lally

Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property - Transactions & Market Compliance, Ford Motor Company – Office of General CounselRead More

Byron Thom

Partner, BDC Industrial Innovation Venture Fund (I2VF)Read More

Chang Han

EiR (Entrepreneur in Residence, Innovation UBCRead More

Conor Sheehan

Vice President, Global IP Business Development, UnitedLexRead More

Derek de Laat

President & CEO, FIN IP GroupRead More

Dr. Houston Brown

IP Executive & Registered Patent Agent, In-House IPRead More

Erin Pisko

VP, Strategy Innovation Asset Collective (IAC)Read More

Jessica Yip

COO & Co-Founder, A&K RoboticsRead More

Joel Semeniuk

CEO, PrimalRead More

Karn Manhas

Founder & Executive Chair, TerrameraRead More

Kerry Hillier

Vice President & General Counsel, Ballard Power SystemsRead More

Maryam Sadeghi

CEO, MetaOptimaRead More

Rachel Haller

Senior Corporate Counsel, MicrosoftRead More

Conference Agenda:

1:00 PM - Registration Opens

Registration begins.

1:30 - 1:55 PM - Opening remarks

Emcee: Chang Han, EiR, Innovation UBC

1:55 - 2:40 PM - AI, Open Source, and IP Rights - Where is the Common Ground?

Speakers:

  • Rachel Heller, Senior Corporate Counsel, Microsoft
  • Joel Semeniuk, CEO, Primal

Moderator:

  • Byron Thom, Partner, BDC Industrial Innovation Venture Fund (I2VF)

*Followed by 10-minute break

2:50 - 3:35 PM - Lessons Learned: The IP Risks That Mattered at Scale

Panelists:

  • Erin Pisko, VP, Strategy, Innovation Asset Collective (IAC)
  • Brian J. Lally, President and COO, Ford Global Technologies

Moderator: 

  • Conor Sheehan, VP, Global IP Business Development UnitedLex

*Followed by 10-minute break

3:45 - 4:30 PM - Building the Right IP Team: Strategy & Metrics for Every Growth Stage

Panelists:

  • Jessica Yip, COO & Co-Founder, A&K Robotics
  • Karn Manhas, Founder & Executive Chair, Terramera
  • Maryam Sadeghi, CEO, MetaOptima


Moderator:

  • Houston Brown, IP Executive & Registered Patent Agent

*Followed by 10-minute break

4:40 - 5:30 PM - IP, Finance, and Valuation: Structuring for Long-Term Value

Speaker:

  • Derek de Laat
    President & CEO, FIN IP Group

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM - Networking Hour

Connect with fellow founders and ecosystem partners after the summit.

IP Resources:

2025 IP Summit

Watch last year’s IP Summit sessions.

BC IP Hub

Developed in alignment with the Province of British Columbia's Intellectual Property Strategy, this is a one-stop-shop destination for relevant and dynamic IP resources in support of B.C. companies and entrepreneurs.

IP Whitepaper: Why Canada Needs a Unified Approach to IP Education

A proposal for national alignment on the approach to the creation and delivery of IP education for Canadian innovation businesses and post-secondary institutions, to address long standing systemic IP literacy gaps.

Event Partners:

New Ventures BC acknowledges that we gather and work on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

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