Christine Gulbranson on Entrepreneurship

© 2009 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. All rights reserved.

“Every individual that we can inspire, that we can guide, that we can help to start a new company, is vital to the future of our economic welfare.” — Ewing Kauffman

IFC Emerging Market Tech Transfer Convocation: Models for Technology Commercialization

Christine A. Gulbranson, PhD MBA


www.kauffman.org


Catalyzing Entrepreneurial Success

and Innovation


The Entrepreneurial Economy


entrepreneurship.org


Proof of Concept Stage-

• Bridge the gap between research innovation & seed funding

• Create an environment that promotes commercialization in a research setting

• Smooth the edges in the interface between business & research


Enabling CommercializationThrough Proof of Concept Centers

Not just gap funding• Prioritization of commercially viable projects• Expertise in developing commercial plans• Focused technology commercialization education • Small level of funding creates tremendous impact• Active mentorship & center team involvement• External outreach • Strong External Social Network• Initially focused in engineering

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/POC_Centers_01242008.pdfJournal of Tech Transfer (2008) 33:249-258

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/POC_Centers_01242008.pdf

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/POC_Centers_01242008.pdf


Metrics of Success

Number of projects funded vs. applications received Number of start-ups created Number of patents issued Number of licenses Failure rate (the lower the more successful!) Total hours of assistance provided Number of jobs created – direct & indirect Macro economic output Revenue of startups Tax revenue generated Startup valuations/market cap Follow on capital helped raised Cumulative exits of companies created Funds raised for the center per year Sustainability of center Sponsors/investors/partners of program Amount of press received & rankings


Benefits of POC Centers

POCs helps to explain the idea & convince people it is real (it turns skeptics into believers)

Business mentoring & outreach enables technology to have a far higher probability of reaching the marketplace with a product

In exchange for removing some of the technical risk, POCs create and capture increased economic value

Proof of concept enables inventors to raise more capital at the seed stage


Enabling CommercializationThrough Mentoring & Acceleration

Mentoring Models: Engaging entrepreneurs and industryLeaders in supporting early stage start-up’s

Acceleration Models: Vertically focused for profit organizations(not incubators) that provide hands on management & funding toaccelerate the growth of early stage technologies.

Foundry YCombinatorIdeaLab Accelerator

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/Finding_Business_Idols.pdf

http://www.kauffman.org/uploadedFiles/Finding_Business_Idols.pdf


Enabling Commercialization

• Educational programs focused on faculty and graduate students

http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green.php

http://entrepreneurship.ucdavis.edu/green.php

Christine Gulbranson on Entrepreneurship

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