Essays/linkedin/26-03-02 resource inventory

<p>First step in the spinout journey: identify the resources you already have and may not be aware of. </p> <p>If you are thinking about spinning out, most people fall into two categories. Those who have a lot of resources at their disposal but haven’t realised it yet and those who believe spinning out is “just one more experiment away”. </p> <p>If you think you still need to perform an extra measurement, then I would argue it’s too early for you. But if you have the honest ambition of pursuing it, then keep reading. </p> <p>University settings offer a wealth of resources at the moment of spinning out. The first non-obvious one (or at least easy to underestimate) is the network. PI’s have access to other researchers and even to companies. There’s a chance you are just 1-step away from being introduced to a valuable person you couldn’t have reached on your own. </p> <p>Secondly is the IP. So much more than the patent that may or may not have been filed. From protocols, to know how and data. There’s so much value in data nowadays. </p> <p>A patent is always a good indicator to third parties such as investors, but rarely to your customers. </p> <p>A granted patent guarantees a given degree of uniqueness and novelty, which papers don’t. </p> <p>For someone on the outside, it shows that independent evaluators found it interesting and that hadn’t been done before. This is a strong signal, but rarely people spin out on a granted patent, many are at the application phase. It still shows you convinced at least your TTO of the value of what you are doing. </p> <p>And then you have the monetary resources. There are grants and other incentives that are only accessible to publicly funded researchers and are off limits to the rest. Smartly lining up funding gives a boost to the spinout process. </p> <p>Taking inventory of what resources you already have should always be the first step. </p> <p>If you are looking into spinning out of the university, have you made your list already? </p> <p>Tell me what have you found!</p>