Essays/linkedin/ the academic founder dilemma
You’re the inventor. You might also be the CEO. But should you be?
Academic founders bring deep expertise, credibility, and access to grants. They also tend to have multiple responsibilities—students, teaching, research obligations—that limit their ability to run the day‑to‑day grind of a startup.
The best spinouts I’ve seen have academic founders who stay involved at the strategy level while empowering an operational co‑founder to run the company. It’s not about being sidelined; it’s about being leveraged where you create the most value.
What’s your ideal role as a scientist? Builder? Board member? Both?
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Aquiles Carattino
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