Josée Pharand

Josée Pharand, P.Eng. Bio, is passionate about intellectual property and loves helping founders protect their IP. As ventureLAB’s Director of Intellectual Property Programs and Policies, Josée has supported hundreds of clients in identifying and protecting their intellectual property, working with them to create tailored IP strategies aligned with their product roadmaps and business objectives, and helping them prepare to answer investor IP questions and undergo IP due diligence. Before joining ventureLAB Josée served as a Director for Canada’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative and implemented the program’s intellectual property framework, which encourages SMEs, MNEs and research institutions to work together to create and commercialize new IP.

Josée has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University and is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario. She spent several years in the private sector, including working for Magna as a project engineer, before joining the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). She spent over thirteen years at CIPO as a Patent Examiner and as the Manager of Examination Practice. Her work included representing the Government of Canada in negotiations on international patent harmonization and working to implement the
Patent Law Treaty.

Josée also serves as a member of the NSERC Synergy Awards Selection Committee and as an IP Mentor for the University of Toronto’s Health to Innovation Hub. You can learn more about her on LinkedIn.