Brendan Payne

Armed with a genetics degree and a position in international sales, Brendan Payne applied for the WestLink Internship Program. He had an interest in technology commercialization and knew that with the absence of formal educational programs to train him in the field, WestLink would be a good fit.

At the time, he was with StemCell Technologies and was responsible for managing international sales as well as the distribution of adult stem cell research tools around the world. But his goal with WestLink was to learn more about the venture capital industry. It worked. Today he is an analyst with British Columbia's largest venture capital corporation.

"The thing I like about venture capital is that you are in a unique position to see cutting-edge technology that has matured to a point where it is a viable enterprise," says Payne. "Because you are making million dollar investments into these companies, you have to know them inside and out, so you also get an appreciation for a variety of business models."

To get there, Payne's first eight-month placement was with TRIUMF, Canada's primary centre for subatomic research on the University of British Columbia campus. During his time there, he helped with "a lot of patent prosecution." He spent much of his placement talking to inventors, corresponding with authorities and furthering patent applications. In the end, he furthered the prosecution of more than 20 patents. In one specific case, he worked closely with a European consortium that wanted to sell particle accelerators for experimental purposes. Since TRIUMF is a world leader in that field, the group turned to the Canadian centre for help.

"This was quite a departure from my genetics degree but I learned quickly that a lot of the physics work being done also had a number of medical applications," says Payne. "It was fascinating to see the connection."

With biotechnology company Allon Therapeutics, Payne conducted database research, helping to identify potential partners. "It was a lot of market intelligence," he says. "There wasn't much interaction outside of the company, but doing that research is still a vital part of what they do."

Payne's final placement was with Lions Capital, fund manager for BC Advantage Funds (VCC) Inc., the largest venture capital corporation in B.C. His days consisted of supporting fund managers, conducting independent research and due diligence into prospective investment opportunities.

"It's an intense, performance driven environment which is different from the academic environment of technology transfer, for instance," says Payne. "Venture capital isn't so much dependent upon the technical skills that you can bring, but is more how you fit into the culture and the other intangibles that are hard to define."

While Payne admits he found his technology transfer work challenging ("my background was so different"), the WestLink internship program paid off for him. "You get to connect with WestLink's broader community, get a wealth of information and meet other players in the field," says Payne. "The most valuable thing I took from the program is the relationships I built with other interns.

"It's such a selective group of people that are admitted to the WestLink program that I know I am making contact with people that will soon be the leaders of their respective fields."