Webinar: Startup Licensing 101 – Term Sheets & Financials

For many entrepreneurs, licensing from a university may be a new experience. This series of webinars provides information that will be helpful for academic entrepreneurs contemplating their first (or perhaps subsequent) license from an academic institution. Presented by an attorney who represents many academic startups, including their investors, along with two academic technology transfer veterans, these webinars bring views from both sides of the table and best practices for a fruitful and efficient negotiation.

Webinar: Women Academic Entrepreneurs

As 2019 came to a close, Pitchbook presented some deceptive data: VCs had invested a record high $17.2 billion in US-based startups with at least one female founder. While impressive upon first glance, look at these numbers from a different perspective: US-based startups that were founded solely by females only made up 6.7% of all VC deals and 2.7% by total capital invested. These percentages are all-time highs, but still very low compared to their male counterparts. And, what do the numbers look like for female academic founders? What can universities do to foster more female entrepreneurship?

Webinar: University Accelerators and Incubators

Over the past several years, there’s been a proliferation of universities launching internally-driven accelerator programs, with the goal of providing inventors of early stage technologies an opportunity to develop their startup idea within an academic setting. The core concept behind a university accelerator is to offer funding, mentorship, and other resources to startups sometimes too nascent to attract seasoned talent and institutional funding. But such accelerators require large amounts of capital and an experienced team to administer programming, evaluate startups ideas, allocate funding, and provide company-building services amongst other tasks.

Webinar: Small Molecule vs Antibody Development Challenges

Therapeutics remain the primary focus for life science venture investments. As we all know, pre-clinical development of therapeutics is complicated, time consuming, and capital intensive. In the early stages of development, multiple aspects of a therapeutic product need to be optimized to enhance its drug-like properties. However, given the limited time and resources in the academic setting, what aspects of development should inventors focus on? Before diving into drug development, inventors should ask themselves: What is feasible in an academic setting? What is valued more by the investors? Should it be performed in-house or be out-sourced? How much would it cost?

Webinar: How VCs Evaluate CEOs

Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV) and venture investors Osage University Partners (OUP) invite you to view a seminar on the following topic: “The behind-the-scenes view on how VCs evaluate potential startup CEOS.”

Drawing from 25 years of venture capital experience, Osage University Partners (OUP) managing partner Marc Singer will take you through the CEO search process, how VCs evaluate potential entrepreneur, and some observations about drivers for long-term success as an entrepreneur. The audience will assess mock candidate profiles and learn methods of diligence to choose the right leader for your startup.

Webinar: Venture Investment in Hardware Startups

Hardware is hard. Large capital requirements, long development timelines, and fickle customers are classic critiques that VCs focus on when evaluating a hardware startup. Yet substantial investments in quantum computing, semiconductors, and additive manufacturing prove that an industry-changing vision with cutting edge technology can overcome investor hesitations about the sector. And while the numbers show that investment dollars into software outpace hardware, the reality is the two keywords no longer separate the industry as many hardware entrepreneurs and investors have learned the benefits of software-enabled “things.” Is the market returning to hardware bets? What do investors want to see in 2018? What are avoidable pitfalls of pitching a hardware story?

Webinar: University In House Therapeutics Development

Recently, several universities and research institutions have set up internally driven and funded therapeutics development programs providing faculty the opportunity to push high impact translational research projects further than has been typically seen within an academic setting. These programs can oversee all stages of therapeutic discovery and development, from lab-based discovery to clinical trials. Why did these institutions decide to start these programs? How are these programs administered? What multi-disciplinary talent is needed and where did each institution find it? And perhaps most importantly, how much do these programs cost and who pays the bill?

Webinar: Cybersecurity Startups

Cyber threats and attacks have arrived in full force. More than ever before, they threaten not only individuals, but corporations and nation states. Within corporations, the types of cyber threats and the various methods of protection have exploded. At universities, the level of research around security detection, prevention, and encryption has significantly increased. This webinar aims to decipher the increasingly complicated cybersecurity space from a startup and investment perspective. OUP will provide a brief introduction to the market and investment activity for the past 15 years, followed by a conversation and Q&A with Amir Ben-Efraim of Menlo Security and Jake Flomenberg of Accel Partners. Our panelists will cover current areas of interests for investment, provide an informed analysis of the cybersecurity market dynamics and trends, and offer their suggestions on how to advance university-originated cybersecurity concepts, inventions, and startups.

Webinar: Diagnostics Startups

While investments in biotech have reached record highs in recent years, investment in the diagnostics sector from traditional VCs has cooled. This is despite a rapid decline in the cost of sequencing and increased public interest in the potential of precision medicine. In this webinar, Osage University Partners explores the unique challenges facing diagnostics with Garheng Kong, a Managing Partner at HealthQuest Capital, a LabCorp director and active diagnostics investor, and Doug Fisher, CBO of Sera Prognostics and partner at InterWest Partners, also active in diagnostics.

Webinar: Medical Device Startups

A lively discussion about the changing investment and development opportunities for early stage startups in the medical device sector. Osage University Partners briefly reviews investment activity from the past 15 years, followed by a conversation and Q&A with Mike Carusi of Lightstone Ventures and Hanson Gifford from The Foundry. Mike and Hanson have been active in the medtech space for many years and between them amount some of the largest exits the sector has seen. Our panelists cover current areas of investment interest, provide an informed analysis of global medical device market dynamics and trends, and offer their suggestions on how to advance university-originated medical device concepts, inventions, and companies.