Splitting Shares

Ownership in a startup can have a large impact in the future of the company, and should be discussed early

How to define an MVP

An MVP is a Minimum Viable Prototype, the first step at validating your value proposition

Interviewing People

Techniques to get the information you are after when you interview future customers

Grants

Adding grants to the pool of money you have access to is great, but be sure not to create too much addiction to them.

Patent or publish

Patenting in academic settings is often misunderstood. Balancing patents and papers is important to keep everyone aligned.

Outsource or develop in-house

Startups can't do everything, but they must do something. If they outsource too much, they risk not being quick to iterate, if they don't outsource enough, they won't be fast to market

Role of academic founders

Academic founders are those who will not transition to the startup, but who will have a crucial role in their success.

Your First Hire

Hiring for a startup is a very challenging process. You need to think both short and mid-term to ensure candidates deliver the most value for what you need over time.

What is a product

Understanding the three main aspects of a product. Design, engineering and communication

Value Proposition

Defining value and delivering it to customers is the first step of creating a business.

Think about your motivations

Embracing different motivations and being aware of them keeps the founding team together.

Expectations Vs Reality

Only through interactions with potential customers you will learn the true value of your solutions

Talking to People

Only through interactions with potential customers you will learn the true value of your solutions

You don't need a CEO

At the beginning you need builders. Once the startup grows you will be able to decide if you need an external CEO to lead the company.

Competitive Landscape

Understanding how to judge competitors to identify opportunities is a skill that most scipreneurs struggle to develop.

Licensing Agreements

Exit Strategies

If you create a successful company, at some point entrepreneurs and investors would like to cash out. These are some of the paths that a startup can follow.

Levels of Awareness in Marketing

Customers go through different levels of awareness, from not knowing they have a problem to not knowing if you are a solution for them. Addressing them is key to unlocking the full potential of your marketing efforts.

Number of Contact Points

Scipreneurs tend to neglect marketing as a secondary activity. But it can be fun and very rewarding.

Digital Marketing for Scipreneurs

Some proven strategies for digital marketing that don't require a lot of effort to setup nor to run over time.

Cultural Challenges

From startup to scale-up, things will invariably change. Defining the workplace culture is what allows teams to flourish