Todd Farrell has 30 years of experience in commercializing scientific research through the creation, financing, and growth of innovative, leading-edge startups in a wide range of disciplines (including quantum computing, 3D bioprinting, water treatment and drug discovery).
Todd’s early career was as a technology transfer manager at the Natural Environment Research Council in the UK where he supported the commercialization of research undertaken at the British Geological Survey, the British Antarctic Survey, the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology and the Institute of Hydrology. As part of these activities, Todd founded and became the CEO of a new startup established to bring environmental risk information to the UK insurance sector. Upon the acquisition of this company by Thomson Reuters he moved to Vancouver and joined GrowthWorks Capital as VP Investments. Todd’s primary investment focus as a VC with GrowthWorks was in sourcing and seed funding a wide range of deep tech ventures often founded around university research. Ventures that Todd seed funded and served as a board director for included DWave (QBTS.NYSE), Dyaptive Systems (acquired by JDSU), Wavemakers Research (acquired by Harman Intl) and QuIC Financial Technologies (acquired by IHS Markit).
In 2013 Todd was appointed as UBC’s Chief Acceleration Officer and CEO of entrepreneurship@UBC Management Inc. In this role he established and managed a seed fund for UBC spinoffs and startups. The UBC Seed Fund provided pre-seed or seed financing to twenty startups that have now gone on to raise over $300 million in further investment capital and grants. Ventures supported included Aspect BioSystems, Acuva, Terramera, Ideon, Variational.ai, and Sonic Incytes. Today Todd acts as board director for several local tech startups and is an Entrepreneur in Residence with SFU Venturelabs. He is also currently vice-chair for the board of directors of New Ventures BC. Todd holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from Bath University in the UK.
