Have you ever thought about working for a startup? Or maybe you even want to go one step further: your research has some promising applications and you’ve actually thought about starting your own company? The world of startups is very exciting, but it requires skills and knowledge that aren’t as critical when working for an established company. In a startup there is much less structure to guide you and you may have to cover many different roles with little support. This workshop will give you an introduction to the world of the startup tech company. You will learn to decide if you and the start-up world are a good fit. You will learn how a brand new product is brought to market, and which critical skills and tools you need for being successful.

Workshop Contents

1) Introduction - What is a startup really about?

• What is it like to work for a startup?
• Startups vs established companies
• Why do startups fail? Selling something no one will buy
• Can a scientist be a good entrepreneur?

2) Technology commercialisation and product development

• What is a product? The 5 critical elements
• Your Product (What), Features (How) and Value Proposition (Why)
• Product development systems (Product manager, Product Development Process, design review, Minimum Viable Product)

3) Your pitch – selling your idea

• Goals of your pitch. Who is your audience?
• Your pitch deck
• Pitching effectively

4) Productivity in the startup environment

• Understanding the private sector
• A scientist’s role in a startup
• Critical skills for the startup environment

Course flow online

Curious to read more before enjoying this workshop?

You might be interested in two blog articles we wrote about this topic: Setting up your own business as a natural scientist? When will it pay off? and The self-employed scientist.

David Giltner himself recorded a video addressing the topic: Can a scientist be an entrepreneur?

Programme PDF (click to download)