Registration is now open for Startup Sprint 2026, an intensive, high-energy weekend experience held from Feb. 6-8, 2026. This event is designed to help participants transform ideas into impact-driven ventures by tackling real-world challenges at the intersection of STEM, entrepreneurship, and society.
Startup Sprint 2026 is free and open to anyone in the community who is ready to commit to a full weekend of startup activity. Meals are provided, and space is limited. Applications must be submitted by Monday, February 2, 2026.
Register
Apply today and learn more on the Startup Sprint webpage.
Schedule
- Friday, Feb 6, 5pm – 9pm
- Saturday, Feb 7, 9am – 9pm
- Sunday, Feb 8, 9am – 3pm
Hosted by the UBC Okanagan School of Engineering, Startup Sprint brings together a diverse mix of participants—from undergraduate students and graduate researchers to faculty members, local business owners, and community members who are curious about entrepreneurship. Over the course of a single weekend, participants work in interdisciplinary teams to develop, test, and refine startup ideas under real-world time constraints.
The program will provide a hands-on living entrepreneurship laboratory where participants gain practical experience in venture creation while developing essential skills such as collaboration, brainstorming and ideation, group productivity, and decision-making under pressure.
“Startup Sprint is about more than building a company—it’s about empowering people to apply their technical expertise and creativity to problems that truly matter,” says Dr. Alon Eisenstein, event organizer and faculty member in the UBC Okanagan School of Engineering. “In just one weekend, participants experience the intensity, teamwork, and learning that define entrepreneurship, while connecting with a community that is passionate about innovation and impact.”
In addition to learning how to pursue and build a new venture, participants are exposed to cross-disciplinary perspectives and mentorship, helping them explore entrepreneurship as a viable pathway, whether they are early in their academic journey or well established in their careers.
The program is organized through the UBC Okanagan School of Engineering, with financial support from ETSI-BC (Economic Trust of the Southern Interior) and WeBC, and with support from the Government of Canada through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Dr. Eisenstein is co-leading the event alongside Evangelos (Gelly) Gnissios, and the organizing team is working to ensure an engaging and memorable experience for all participants.