Blockchain@UBC Industry Event 2026
About this Event
At Blockchain@UBC, we strive to elevate the Canadian blockchain ecosystem together with the many bright minds we have in UBC and beyond. The Industry Night is our flagship event for insider insight, industry engagement, and community outreach.
*Food and Drinks will be provided.*
Who is it for?
This event is open to everyone. Whether you are a seasoned professional in web3, a newcomer in the space, or a venture fund looking for the next project, everyone is welcome!
Location
UBC Robson Square | 800 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3B7
About Blockchain@UBC
Blockchain@UBC is a multidisciplinary research cluster focusing on blockchain technology. We engage in both research and education to advance the design, development and adoption of blockchain. Our research initiatives bring academics, industry and community partners, and policy-makers together to explore pressing issues, while our teaching initiatives span undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels to advance the adoption of blockchain. Check our our website blockchain.ubc.ca for more information and to sign up for our newsletter!
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Opening Welcome
Host: Victoria Lemieux
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:15 AM
Keynote from LayerZero Labs
Host: Yargo Vo Tessaro
Info: LayerZero is where finance and the internet converge. Valued at over $3 billion, it powers over 80% of stablecoin flows for leaders including PayPal USD and Ethena. Building on its legacy of solving omnichain interoperability, it created Zero, the world’s first heterogeneous blockchain, uniquely capable of scaling to millions of transactions per second at near-zero cost. Partnered with Citadel Securities, DTCC, ICE, and Google Cloud, LayerZero delivers permissionless infrastructure ready to meet the demands of global financial markets.
Yargo Vo Tessaro is a Backend Engineering Lead at LayerZero, where he has spent over two years driving the protocol’s expansion to more than 150 blockchains. He currently leads the Discovery organization, which is responsible for collecting and surfacing data on protocol usage and cross-chain messaging. Prior to LayerZero, Yargo worked as a Software Engineer at Amazon and across startups in education and health. He holds a B.S. in Electrical En
🕑: 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Coffee Break
🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Panel Discussion on Venture Founding
Host: Chang Lu
Info: Dr. Chang Lu, former Director of Research at Blockchain at UBC and Assistant Professor of Management at UFV; Dr. Robert Rohling, Director of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at UBC and manager of UBC's HATCH venture founder program; Jesse McKee, Founder of 221A; Stephen Pederson, Defi Legal
🕑: 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM
Lunch & Networking
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 54.58
