Why launch a startup company?

Bringing an invention to a commercial state involves lots risk. Financial risk, technological risk, regulatory risk… A startup can take risk like no others, while maintaining the flexibility to adjust course if there are headwinds. 

Who can launch a startup?

While anyone can found a company, there are a couple of aspects to take note of.

Academic Entrepreneurship

As a researcher you may be inclined to pursue a dual role: continuing your research, and managing a startup at the same time. However: Leading a startup is a full time job. Period. Utrecht Holdings encourages researchers to choose between either the entrepreneurial path, or the science path. 

The Academic Entrepreneurship policy of UMC Utrecht allows researchers to obtain up to 5% of shares in a company while still being employed by UMC Utrecht.

Licensing IP

Patents and other forms of intellectual property (IP) are owned by the UMC Utrecht or Utrecht University. An academic spin-off company needs to obtain a license to the IP to commercialize an invention. See Obtain a License to find out more about this process.