Hightech Ventures Hightech Ventures

“High tech” or “deep tech” sits, by definition, at the intersection of research and entrepreneurship. Leveraging both domains’ complementarities is key for successful innovation. That is why we invited Prof. Dietmar Harhoff to join this week’s episode to shed light on some of the most important questions around how to make tech transfer happen.  
Dietmar is, first and foremost, the Director at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. He has been observing global invention and innovation activities for decades through the lens of a researcher and gained a very rich understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Due to his outstanding expertise, Dietmar has been invited to be an advisor for and board member at several public and private organizations, such as the German government through the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI), Angela Merkel’s “innovation dialogue”, the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND), the German Accelerator, or the Siemens Technology Accelerator. He truly understands deep tech innovation from a scientific and very practical perspective. 
In this episode, we talk about what levers to pull in a deep tech ecosystem to increase entrepreneurial activity in general, how to fix the role of tech transfer offices, the need for more private capital to fund deep tech innovation and incentive systems that are conducive for tech transfer. 

Jacinto is Chief Science and Innovation Officer and most importantly founder and brain behind the technology of Peafowl Plasmonics as well as Professor at Uppsala University in Sweden. We learn about his journey from research to startup and he gives us an understanding of plasmonics, the physics of solar cells and the new opportunities his research brings. With a platform technology like his, Jacinto shines light on how he thinks about finding the best use case for your technology.
We learn about the specialties of the Swedish tech transfer system, how they think in a circular manner but also about the moral responsibility that Jacinto thinks lies on scientists to make use of their technology. And most importantly, we get to know Jacinto as someone who is a master at separating his ego from the success of his company. We hear the story of how he found an external co-founder and CEO and built a trustful relationship with him to make Peafowl Plasmonics succeed.

This episode is with Silvio Bonaccio, the Head of ETH transfer at ETH Zurich. Silvio is a chemist by training with an outstanding experience in technology transfer and years of industry expertise from Nestle. He is the kind of person not seeking to be in the spotlight although he deserves it way more than many others in the world of high-tech innovation. Silvio is humble, kind and lets facts speak. 
Since the ETH Zurich is a global leader in education, science and tech transfer, we dive deep into ETH’s magic formula and special ecosystem. A key ingredient is the incredible amount of smart people from all over the world. For Silvio technology transfer is “all about the people”.  
Another focus of this conversation is how to structure tech transfer deals. There is quite some debate what actually makes a deal spin-off and venture capital friendly. Silvio outlines ETH’s policy in detail and also stresses why expectation management is key.   
 

Lamin has been in various roles in the hightech venturing ecosystem and in this episode, we will almost cover them all. As a mechanical engineer by training, he has been keen to pursue projects surrounded by uncertainty since the very start of his career. And after several business-oriented roles in small and big companies, he naturally ended up in the innovation ecosystem. Especially in roles that required building cooperative models between different players: business development and tech transfer at Fraunhofer and Oxford, Siemens Next 47, or his current position as Head of Start-Up Cooperation & Partnerships at Infineon. 
Due to all these different perspectives, we will learn from Lamin what is important when building the interface between big organizations and small ventures. We dive deeper into the recipe for success of the Oxford ecosystem and why it excels many others, globally. He also helps us understand the two fundamental cooperation models between startups and Infineon and Lamin also outlines concrete examples of ventures working on a more sustainable future. 

Marc Sedam is the Vice President for Technology Opportunities and Ventures at NYU Langone Health. Marc, a biochemist by training, gained an outstanding experience in technology transfer through several leadership roles in academic settings as well as as a COO for a biotech company. His expertise includes oversight of hundreds of intellectual property collaborations and more than 50 startup companies, including 2 as a founding member.  
Marc explains why "serve the idea" is his guiding principle for technology transfer and how to collaborate with industry players in an effective manner. He has also clear advice for KPIs when building up or improving performance of tech transfer units. As a visionary thinker, he has implemented standardized deal terms already and envisions a digital platform for automated tech transfer - the Amazon for IP licensing. We also touch upon company formation, the ideal founding team for spin-offs and the power of alumni networks. 

Mark is CEO & Founder of bit.bio, a UK-based startup on the path to creating every human cell type at scale, and Co-Founder of Meatable, a NL-based startup creating cell-based meat. For Mark it’s both an “insane opportunity” as well as “a privilege” to work on both these human and planetary health challenges. 
We talk about Mark’s journey from neurosurgeon to stem cell researcher and his conviction to stick with his research although he nearly ran out of money and credibility with no one believing their initial data. With a huge opportunity at his hands and neither his TTO interested nor a founder to be found, he got stuck with starting the company himself and getting his research out of the lab. His biggest learnings to date revolve around the people involved in and around the startup and how to design an organisation that fits the goals and current phase of the journey.