For university innovation offices and TTOs

Turn dormant IP into spin-out companies.

We embed commercially minded researchers inside your labs. They publish with your PIs, explore spin-out potential on your IP, and cost you half a part-time salary. We handle the rest.

~€30K your share per fellow
1 publication per fellow
10 – 20% IP share to uni + Institute
Start a partnership See the process

What you get

Low risk. High upside.

The minimum outcome is still a win. The maximum is a spin-out, a publication, and a PI who wants to do it again. Either way, you have gained a commercially literate researcher at half the cost.

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The minimum you get
Guaranteed
  • One co-authored publication per fellow
  • Fresh commercial perspective on dormant IP
  • Signal to partners that your TTO is modern and engaged
  • A talented researcher in your lab at 50 percent cost
  • A pipeline of entrepreneurial alumni, either way
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The maximum you get
When it works
  • A spin-out company with shared equity (uni + Institute 10 to 20 percent)
  • A stronger commercialisation track record for grants
  • A new channel for industry partnerships around the same IP
  • Evidence for your faculty that labs can produce companies
  • A concrete case study for your next EXIST or SPRIND application

The partnership

One LOI. Three fellows. Revocable.

A pre-drafted IP framework, four light steps from first conversation to a fellow in your lab. We handle recruiting, training, and programme management. You provide lab access and a simple part-time researcher contract.

01
Step one · Lightweight

Letter of Intent

No heavy contracts upfront. A short LOI confirming you will host one to three fellows and provide lab access via your innovation office or TTO. Revocable, experimental, and exclusive to nobody.

  • One page
  • No exclusivity
  • TTO sign-off
02
Step two · Fair terms

IP framework

We agree on a standard, fair IP template. The fellow keeps 80 to 90 percent. University and Institute share 10 to 20 percent. Based on established models at ETH Zurich, Chalmers, and Oxford.

Template provided. We have done the legal drafting so your TTO does not have to.
  • Pre-drafted template
  • ETH / Chalmers / Oxford analog
  • Fellow-majority
03
Step three · You approve the match

Fellow placement

We recruit, vet, and shortlist. Your innovation office and host PI make the final selection. The fellow gets a part-time scientific contract (~€30K) directly from you. We cover the other half plus every programme cost.

  • We recruit
  • You choose
  • Scientific contract
04
Step four · Twelve months

Programme delivery

Three months of scouting across your IP portfolio. Nine months embedded in the chosen lab. Fellow publishes with the PI, builds a prototype, and explores spin-out potential. You get output regardless of exit path.

No failure mode. Spin-out, PhD, or graceful exit. Every outcome creates something your TTO can point to.
  • 3 months scouting
  • 9 months embedded
  • Co-authored output

Why this is worth doing

Real commercial output. No extra workload.

Every cohort strengthens your commercialisation track record and opens a new channel for entrepreneurial talent. Your TTO does not take on the lift; the Institute does.

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Better spin-out ratio

Each cohort measurably improves your publication-to-company ratio. It matters for grant applications and ranking exercises.

💰

Shared economic upside

When a spin-out succeeds, the university retains 10 to 20 percent equity with the Institute. Structural alignment, not a goodwill letter.

🎓

Entrepreneurial PhD pipeline

Fellows who convert to PhDs stay inside your labs with a commercial lens already built. Over time this shifts the culture.

💡

Modern signal to faculty

A visible sign that your TTO is not a bottleneck. Labs produce companies on fair terms, and the institution gets the credit.

Ready?

One pilot partnership. Everything to gain.

We are onboarding one to three university partners for the 2026 to 2027 pilot cohort. Minimal bureaucracy. Pre-drafted IP framework. Three fellows, ninety days of scouting, the rest optional.

Start the conversation

In formation, 2026. Talking with TU Berlin, TransferAllianz, and SPRIND. First pilot cohort planned for Q4 2026.