Transcript Slide 1
Presents:
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John Morris is the President and CEO of Technology 2020 (University of Tennessee)
which focuses on the development of entrepreneurs and start-ups in the Tennessee
Valley Corridor. Mr. Morris has been instrumental in forming five technology
commercialization ventures, utilizing technology from five different disciplines.
Mr. Morris’s first small business experience was with Consultec Scientific, Inc., a
Knoxville-based startup focused on technology transfer and commercialization.
Eventually becoming President and CEO, he led the effort to start three companies from
Consultec. One of the companies, NetLearning, Inc., is an Internet-based e-Learning
company focused on the healthcare market. Under his leadership as President and CEO,
NetLearning grew from an idea to serving 500 hospitals nationwide in seven years.
Thomson Corporation acquired it in 2004.
Mr. Morris also served as President and CEO of Sunlight Direct, an alternative energy
start-up with licensed technology from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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Marc Sedam, Executive Director in the University of New Hampshire Office for
Research Partnerships and Commercialization, has an extensive background in
intellectual asset management, licensing, and start-up formation. He currently serves as
the head of the University of New Hampshire’s technology transfer office and
concurrently serves as the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Innovation
Research Center, New Hampshire’s only translational research funding program.
Prior to UNH, Marc was the Chief Operating Officer of Qualyst, a UNC-Chapel Hill
spinout which studies the impact of drug transporters on the safety and efficacy of
drugs. Marc was also the Associate Director-Life Sciences for The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill’s technology transfer office where he helped UNC become the
top single university in start-up formation in 2001.
He is a frequent speaker on issues relating to intellectual asset management and
university start-up formation.
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Joshua Schuler is executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, a non-profit
organization within MIT’s School of Engineering. In that position he focuses on
advancing strategic goals that support the program’s mission to recognize outstanding
inventors, encourage sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enable and
inspire young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. He has
been responsible for managing the daily operations of this educational initiative since
he began this position in July 2007.
From August 2003 to July 2007, Schuler held the post of InvenTeams grants officer, a
supervisory position for the Lemelson-MIT Program’s national initiative to inspire a new
generation of inventors by awarding high school teams grants of up to $10,000 each to
develop an invention. Through Schuler’s vision, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit,
InvenTeams evolved from a pilot that served three New England teams to a prototype
for hands-on problem solving that funded grants for as many as 20 schools from Alaska
to New Mexico to Florida.
Schuler also established continuation grants as a means for former grantees to sustain
inventive communities through the experiential learning of InvenTeams.
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Policy and structure variations for:
Faculty
Students
▪ Important to draw a clear line of distinction between
undergraduate and graduate students, including
"triggers" that might lead to ownership of undergrad
inventions
▪ Unique university resources
▪ Federal funding
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People
High-profile engagement opportunities:
Clubs ? Alumni or student?
Business plan competitions
▪ Tech 20/20 – Volcourt, ThrottleUp!
Courses teaching entrepreneurship or startup
formation
Lean Launchpad
Use student teams to look at marketing potential for
university assets
Collaborations with business schools and law schools
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People
Outreach methods that:
Connect students to your local business community
Build interest
▪ Tech 20/20 – Entrepreneurial Imperative – Annual Conference
Maintain involvement
▪ Tech 20/20 – Monthly Tech Council, After hours peer to peer
networking
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Resources
Alumni groups
Venture Mentoring Service
Enterprise Forum Chapters
Clubs around the world
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Resources
Legal, Advising and Connections
Technology Transfer Office
Technology Licensing Office
Entrepreneurship Centers
Lab-to-market funding
Grants: Deshpande Center, NCIIA
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Resources
Opportunities for real-world entrepreneurship:
Assessing and developing university IP
Tech 20/20 – Center for Entrepreneurial Growth –
Professional Mentoring and Coaching
Tech 20/20 – SPARK and Bridging the Gap
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Business schools
Tech 20/20 – Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and
Innovation
Marketing and engineering departments
Tech 20/20 – Tennessee Engineering Entrepreneurship
Class - SBIRs
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Incubators, labs and more…
Tech 20/20 – Tech Commercialization Center, Fairview
Technology Center, UT Business Center
Nearby incubators and VC with strong connections
to university
Cambridge Innovation Center
Dog Patch + Tech Stars
MassChallenge
Flagship Ventures
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Competitions
Tech 20/20 – ThrottleUp!, ‘What’s the Big Idea’, VolCourt,
Boyd Venture Fund
Team-based:
▪ Business Plans: $100K
▪ Engineering, Invention and Social Entrepreneurship: Soldier Design
Competition, MIT IDEAS, iGem
Individual: $30K Lemelson-MIT Student Prize, DeFlorez
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On-Campus Opportunities
Internships/Fellowships for students
Research in labs known for tech transfer/spin-outs
Grant programs
Tech 20/20 – Tennessee Technology Development Corp
Maturation Grants
Monthly seminars on commercialization of research
Get sponsorships from local community
Engage local service providers to help
Provides venue for TTO to be the "expert"
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Connecting to the community for:
Tech 20/20 – Pathway Lending, Southern Appalachian
Fund, Meritus Ventures, Tech 20/20 Startup Fund
Support services
Tech 20/20 – Incubation, Shared Services (acct, legal,
telcom, etc.), Operational Assistance
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Nearby incubators and VC with strong connections
to university
Cambridge Innovation Center
Dog Patch + Tech Stars
MassChallenge
Flagship Ventures
Connecting to the community for:
Externships – place students at alumni founded/run start-
ups
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Utilize the chat box to the bottom left of your screen to
submit a question to the panel. Please address your
question to a specific presenter, if possible.
Or
Press * 1 on your touchtone phone and this will place you
into the phone queue.
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