Much of the innovation in Massachusetts stems from academic and medical centers contributing to the startup ecosystem, attracting talent and capital. The key to this development is for faculty to commercialize their findings, but the path to business can be daunting when considering conflict of interest, project management, and ultimately the decision as to when is the best time to form a startup. The goal of this forum will be to discuss these issues with academic entrepreneurs at different levels of a startup to provide insight into the decisions and resources necessary for a successful startup.
 

Key topics for discussion:

- What are the different paths for commercialization? (i.e. founder, co-founder, consultant, etc.)
- How to deal with conflict of interest and IP at these different levels
- Resources for deciding when is the right time (i.e. tech transfer office, incubators, etc.)
- How to manage your time between the lab, startup, and family
- Finding the right people to work with
- Return of Investment for academics for startups

Brought to you be the Academic Industry Relations working group.