Making the Team Work: Focus on spin-offs

09:00 - 09:15    Welcome

09:15 - 10:15    What could possibly go wrong?

Spin-offs are a powerful tool that can bring academic technology to the market. This is especially true when the development is at an early stage, or the target market is in its infancy. Enthusiasm is the key and thankfully it is often plentiful: founders, KT officers, authorities, and investors, all love spin-offs.

So, what could possibly go wrong?  Three spectacular (near) failure stories can teach us a great deal about how, why, and when things can quickly go in the wrong direction.

Speakers: Jeff Skinner, Hidde-Jan Lemstra, Rob Mayfield

Session moderator: Giuseppe Visimberga

10:15 - 10:45    Break

Take this opportunity to start networking with fellow participants and speakers. 

10:45 - 12:15    Nurture and boost spin-off support ecosystems

This session explores how to transition from 'silo thinking' to collaborative initiatives. We all need processes that can drive academic entrepreneurship, establish clear standards for spin-off support, and engage alumni networks to be mentors, advisors, and investors.

Participants will gain actionable insights on how to foster a thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem and learn how to prepare spin-offs for incubation and acceleration.

Speaker: Magda Krakowiak,  Diego de Biasio, Nicolette Stehouwer-den Hollander

Session moderator:  Markus Pietzka

12:15 - 13:30    Lunch

Enjoy a buffet lunch in the conference venue and take the opportunity to connect with your peers and the experts.

13:30 - 15:00    Making a spin-off investible

In this panel discussion, a venture capitalist, a representative of a corporate VC (optionally an experienced entrepreneur) and an employee of a KTO will explore how entrepreneurial teams can attract the attention of investors to their projects or start-ups. The factors that investors consider to be essential for an investment decision will be outlined. Dos and don'ts will be highlighted. Audience will have the chance to influence the discussion by asking questions during the session.

Speakers: Florian Kirschenhofer,  Martin Raditsch, Philip Grother

Moderator: Martin Raditsch

15:00 - 15:30    Break

15:30 - 17:00    Building the team

Join this 90-minute workshop designed specifically for tech and knowledge transfer professionals. Led by Inge Volman and a panel of distinguished speakers, this session will delve into the complexities and challenges of assembling the team for a future academic spin-off.

The workshop will explore the dynamics of creating a team often composed of researchers, professors, and occasionally other staff members such as advisors, students, and mentors. A significant challenge in these scenarios is the lack of business skills or acumen among academics, which is crucial for running a company.

This session is designed for participants who already have some experience in managing academic spin-offs. The goal is to equip you with a comprehensive checklist that maps out all the issues that need to be addressed when building a team for a spin-off.

By the end of this workshop, participants will have gained valuable insights into overcoming the hurdles to forming a team and be better prepared to navigate the exciting journey of academic spin-offs. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the best in the field and enhance your team-building strategies.

Speakers: Inge Volman, Simon Hepworth, Silvia Goddijn

Moderator: Inge Volman

19:00 - 22:00    Dinner

Everyone is invited to come together for a night in Leiden to enjoy good food, good company and a good time.

09:00 - 10:15    Building up a business case

Spin-offs need money. The best source for that money depends on the nature of the underlying technology, founder ambition, market opportunity and the extent to which you need grab that market before anyone else does. Bootstrap at one extreme, full-on VC at the other. In this session I want to use a case to explore the ‘venture-finance fit’, in particular how you should treat the investor as ‘customer’ at each step – and what to do if your favourite source of funding is out of reach.

Moderator: Jeff Skinner 

10:15 - 10:45    Break

Refuel and reset for the next session.

10:45 - 12:00    IP link: strong but not too tight

Following a presentation of the NAAC's White paper on spin-off creation, specifically on good practices on IP licensing, the panel will discuss the strengths and threats to the quality of the relationship between labs and startups.

Are spin-offs a tool for the IP holder to develop their research activities, or are they fully independent start-ups?

Speakers: Pascale Ribon, Christian Stein

Session moderator: Laura Spinardi, ASTP VP NAAC

12:00 - 13:15    Making it happen while avoiding legal pitfalls

Bringing a spin-off from its creation, through incorporation and on to a successful business is a road laden with legal pitfalls. This workshop, which is relevant to founders and business managers as well as KT professionals, will explore how to achieve success within the boundaries of the existing legal frameworks.

Speaker: Malcolm Bain

13:15 - 13:30    Wrap up and closing

13:30 - 14:30    Lunch

Time to chew over what you've been learning and a delicious lunch.