WANT TO…
- Change the future of humanity?
- Build (or practice building) your own cleantech, critical industries, biotech or science based business?
- Gain strong foundation knowledge and tools that can be transferred to any science or industrial based business?
- Work with leading VCs who have helped build
- 150+ companies
- Created many billions of dollars of value
- Delivered impact at scale, including curing disease and reducing gigatons of CO2
- Be guided by some of the best?
If so… please read the rest of this email…
Below you’ll find
- A class application link. This is a quick process.
- An overview of the class
When to apply
While there are still a number of seats open today, our suggestion is to apply as soon as you know you really want to take this class. This class has been significantly oversubscribed in the past (up to 4x). This is not a sales pitch, we just want folks to know that once the class is full there won’t be any additional spaces that open up. That being said please don’t apply unless you are fully dedicated to taking the class, as drops are not appreciated.
Class Application
Admittance into the class is by application only. Since real-world problems cut across multiple disciplines and interest groups, this course draws from a pool of students with a wide range of backgrounds, skills, perspectives, and experience; across multiple graduate schools in the university.
- Please apply for the class using this link: https://goo.gl/forms/FKovhixwfQhPpvix2
- Applications may be submitted anytime and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the class is filled.
Class Overview
Overview:
Lab based innovations have contributed the most important advances to humanity, from energy that powers our lives to medicine that cures life ending disease. Billions of dollars are spent each year developing lab based innovations, with new discoveries happening every day. However, limited effort is place on commercializing these discoveries, which could create global scale impact and vast wealth creation. A major reason for this is that the toolset required to be successful in this arena is much different than scaling digital companies, which is currently the focus of most books and people who focus on innovation. Therefore, we have created a class tailored to offer a very unique value proposition:
Teams composed of 3-4 students will build a new business, utilizing a lab based technology sourced from a leading research laboratory at top university or national lab.
· Technologies are sourced and then vetted by a PHD Science student from the University of Chicago’s Science PHD programs. These PHD students then participate as part of each team, providing a unique technical capability.
· Technologies are science based, with a particular focus on cleantech, critical industries, energy biotech and life sciences
· You may have the option to continue building the business after the class and potentially become the founder(s) and equity holders.
· You will be able to enter the business in the NVC and/or SNVC. A number of prior teams have been accepted and performed well.
· Technologies are drawn from some of the world’s leading research institutions including Princeton, NREL, Wistar, GTI, Carnegie Mellon, University of Chicago, Oak Ridge National Labs, among others.
Key milestones include:
- Determining the right technology to pursue from a large number of technologies, utilizing the analysis performed in the fall by the PHD team member.
- Analyzing multiple commercial market opportunities for the selected technology to determine the path forward (i.e. which approach has best financial benefits and lowest risk).
- Building a business plan, which sets the road map for commercializing the technology.
- Developing a robust set of skills, tools and experiences that you can utilize throughout your life.
Support & Guidance:
- Professors who will guide you through the class:
- Jason Blumberg: Head of a top rated climate/cleantech VC fund + A sought out thought leader on Critical Industries, Climate, & Energy issues. Accolades include Climatetech VC of the year.
- Keith Crandell: Head of one the world’s preeminent science focused VC’s – 25+ IPO’s in the last few years, many Billions of $’s of value created and $10+ Billion under management. Accolades include VC of the year, all categories, by NVCA.
- Engage with external advisors from the professor’s network and meet new advisors, who will provide technical and/or business advice.
- Work with a leading lab or university to understand the technology and receive support from your U of C PME team member.
- Garner input from an array of referral sources and hear guest lectures from industry leaders.
Actual experience with a lab technology will be augmented with classroom instruction focused on:
- Issues faced by entrepreneurs as they work to commercialize a lab based technology.
- Core principals and technologies that are shaping the science landscaped, including the structure of various representative markets and overviews of major and minor technologies.
- Building a toolset to be able to effectively and efficiently develop commercialize plan, solve complex problems, and provide high impact advice.
The ultimate objective of the class is to provide students with a hands-on experience in commercializing lab based technologies. This type of immersion is insightful for students considering founding a company, working in a start-up, consulting, venture capital and/or being an executive in science based industries. Students who join this class in order to work with one particular technology will not obtain the full benefit of the course. Technologies that appear exciting in the course marketing materials may yield unexpected challenges.
For those interested in foundational knowledge in commercializing science or building a science based businesses’ (i.e. anything besides digital and AI) we hope you’ll find this one of your best classes.
Please reach out if you have any questions and we look forward to seeing you soon,
JB & KC