In Between Meetings, Steve Larter shares his perspective on academic entrepreneurship, research commercialization, and what it takes to build an entrepreneurial university. Drawing on decades of experience across academia, industry, startups, and university leadership, Steve reflects on how the University of Calgary developed its innovation culture and why grassroots student entrepreneurship has played such an important role. We discuss whether every researcher should be encouraged to commercialize their work, what makes some research groups more entrepreneurial, and how academic incentives could change. The conversation also explores why invention may be a bigger bottleneck than entrepreneurship and what Canada needs to turn more great research into global technology companies.

Takeaways

• UCalgary’s entrepreneurial culture was built gradually over decades rather than through one program, building, or major investment.
• Grassroots student entrepreneurship has been one of the most important drivers of cultural change at the university.
• Universities need people who can bridge the worlds of research, technology, startups, and commercialization.
• More university research should be commercialized, but that does not mean every academic needs to become an entrepreneur.
• Researchers can remain deeply involved in their technology while experienced entrepreneurs and management teams help build the company.
• Canada may be putting too much emphasis on entrepreneurship and not enough on invention and turning research discoveries into technologies ready for commercialization.
• Entrepreneurial research groups often give students and postdocs more freedom, work across basic and applied research, collaborate with industry, and pursue multiple sources of funding.
• Academic systems should reward ambition, collaboration, and imagination rather than tradition, territoriality, and rigid career structures.
• Canada needs stronger integration between universities, industry, government, and capital if it wants promising technologies and companies to grow at home.
• Young academics should not necessarily choose between great research and commercialization. Steve’s challenge to them is simple: why not do both?

Steve Larter is a retired but active professor at the University of Calgary, researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, and startup mentor. His career has spanned academia, industry, university leadership, technology commercialization, and startup development. He has been involved with Innovate Calgary, Carbon Management Canada, Creative Destruction Lab, and multiple technology ventures, with work spanning energy, climate technology, innovation, and research commercialization.

Between Meetings is a video podcast with industry leaders, startup founders, and ecosystem builders. Each episode explores the realities of building, investing, and supporting innovation while catching guests between meetings during a car ride across town. Along the way, they share inspiring stories, personal experiences, industry insights, and practical advice. Since 2023, Between Meetings has been helping tell Calgary's innovation story one conversation at a time.

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