What I Wish I Knew as an Academic Before Starting a Company

The BioInspired Graduate & Postdoctoral Professional Development Program is excited to continue our workshop series on Intellectual Property and Innovation. This is the third workshop in the series.

The startup world is a difficult place. This is especially true for companies selling materials with new capabilities that change the way engineers design products. Where do you go? Who do you talk to? Is your technology or idea actually valuable? Stepping out into the startup world can be intimidating because of these open-ended questions, but venturing out is necessary to transform scientific novelties into good and useful solutions. This presentation will explore the challenges of starting a new business, what is unique about high tech startup companies, why businesses fail, and what theoretical and practical solutions have the best chance of success.