With all the great innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) programs on campus at Carolina, how do you know which ones are the right fit for you? What resources do each program provide? And how can they help you make your ideas work?
Innovate Carolina is checking in with the many I&E programs available at UNC. This week, we touch base with KickStart Venture Services to get the latest scoop and uncover how UNC faculty startup founders can benefit by working with this team. From coaching, mentoring and connections with advisors and management to high-impact, early-stage funding, there are a number of ways KickStart is working to support UNC spinout companies.
What is KickStart Venture Services, who does it serve and how can people get involved? KickStart is a faculty entrepreneur support program, helping faculty who want to commercialize a research innovation in the form of a startup company. KickStart supports spinning out companies based on research-based innovations developed by UNC faculty members. The best way to get started is to visit our KickStart website.
What are the biggest benefits that faculty at UNC get by participating in KickStart Venture Services? Overall, faculty get advice and guidance from experienced entrepreneurs. Some other great benefits include:
1. Education around the process of spinning out a company.
2. Advice on product development, regulatory guidance and business strategy.
3. Connections to the local entrepreneur community for mentoring, advising and building the management team.
4. Access to funding for further developing the technology and the business.
5. Assistance in the mechanics of the spinout, including incorporation, equity split and documentation.
How does KickStart Venture Services make a positive human, economic or social impact in the world – whether at UNC or beyond? Kickstart makes a broad societal impact by developing technologies coming out of basic research and translating them into products and services that have a positive human impact – including drugs, diagnostics and other types of products that have value in society. In so doing, we also make a difference for faculty by helping them understand the process of translation and commercialization. Kickstart also impacts the economy because most of the startup companies we work with stay in North Carolina and create jobs for the state. In addition, the University receives a return on its investment from the commercialization and activity of the startup companies.
What’s something new about KickStart Venture Services, and what should faculty expect to see from it in the future? KickStart is currently working on its first dedicated wet lab space. The lab will provide development and acceleration to life science startup companies.
What’s the most surprising thing people should know about KickStart Venture Services? Over the last nine years, KickStart has played a role in most startups coming out of UNC, helping them to raise more than $400 million in capital.
Can you share a success story of a UNC student or faculty member who participated in KickStart Venture Services? One great example is KickStart awardee Ned Sharpless, who founded G1 Therapeutics. The company, which is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, has seen tremendous success with no signs of slowing down.
Learn more about KickStart Venture Services.
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