Author: Earle Hager

Managing Partner, The Neutrino Donut, LLC

Neutrino Donut Project – Diabetes Technology

On By Earle HagerIn Technology Assessments, Technology Marketing, University Technology CommercializationLeave a comment

The Neutrino Donut just completed a project working with a company on a diabetes related technology. As part of the process, we helped define markets and their relating opportunities, worked with the negotiations with a university tech transfer group, and helped define the company structure. The market discussions centered around a specific v. global opportunity. The negotiations discussions with the tech transfer office had a focus on defining product development from the university perspective v. the commercial markets, anticipated carve outs for other negotiations, and the process of defining the value of the startup v. potential licenses with larger companies from the university’s perspective. The definition of the company structure centered around the long term v. short term/buy out process for the company and where the finish line was located for each strategy. The project was developed in conjunction with a patent law firm, who identified The Neutrino Donut, LLC as an effective consultant for their client.

University technologies, check them out.

Managing Millennials – Stay Current, My Friends

On By Earle HagerIn Industry TrendsLeave a comment

Much has been written about how to manage millennials, many of which seem to focus on complaints from the older management styles of X and Y generations. In evaluating the problem, we need to understand the change in the corporate agreement between the worker and the company that was in place for baby boomers.

The change is there is no agreement.

It is understood a company may take down a department, terminate everyone in a geographic or business unit, shift operations to a different state or country, downsize based upon short term stock market issues, or implement a merger with a coin flip of whose department gets to stay.

This is reality. For the worker, there is no long term loyalty since the company offers no long term loyalty. For the manager to threaten job loss, the problem is the same manager has the same threat delivered from their boss.

The worker is focused on their long term interests and goals. These interests are totally about self preservation and growth, keeping a skill set which is current to the marketplace and being agile enough to react to job / management / company changes that may cause a re-evaluation of employment status.

The people who succeed are the ones who understand this and respond to these changes. Long term employment, a sign of stability in the past, is a sign of stagnation without internal growth.

Large companies provide safety in a macro scale, but are even more vulnerable to career changes on a micro scale. Small companies have their own challenges, but have similar risks as large companies for job stability.

Stay current, my friends. Be active in the marketplace, network, and keep your skill sets up to date. Find new technologies to work with and take to the marketplace.

Startups and University Technologies – A Missed Opportunity for Entrepreneurs

On By Earle HagerIn Industry Trends, University Technology CommercializationLeave a comment

Startups miss one great opportunity – university technologies. There are multiple tech transfer offices wherever you are and the first step is in developing a relationship with the local group. Why try and commercialize your own idea when you can advance science from the university.

Technologies available for licensing cover all areas and you should focus on the area where you have expertise – whether it be medical devices, engineering, and so forth.

OK, this is the part where it gets interesting.

Work with the tech transfer office. Find a technology or technologies you want to work with. Do the research – is this available for commercialization or further research. Need help with this evaluation – call us. Develop your next steps, whether it is licensing with key partners or further development with SBIR grant opportunities. There are other grant opportunities with the NSF, NIH, and other organizations. Check out the patent or patent application. It is possible to move ahead on patent applications into the research or licensing marketplace.

Sign an option for a license agreement for a period of time with your company. Execute your next steps. SBIR grants are awarded to an external company with part of the funds going to the university for technology development. Part of the funds also go to funding salaries (like yours). The first grant is smaller, the second grant is very large. Successful SBIR grants lead to licensing.

Licensing opportunities are also available with industry clients.

At some point, you will need to fully fund the license agreement with the university, but you should recognize the option agreement will give you time to decide whether or not to proceed with the technology.

Want to discuss further? Give us a call.