INNOVATION ACADEMY Innovation Academy Business skills courses for Imperial Entrepreneurs
Innovation Academy Business skills courses for Imperial entrepreneurs Imperial Innovations has launched Innovation Academy to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Imperial College London, delivered by our staff, academic & student entrepreneurs and external experts. What is the Innovation Academy? Our full course list is overleaf. Who should attend Innovation Academy courses? Anyone with an interest in forming a science-based company. Whether you have an idea already or Forming and running a company at Imperial College London Intro to Intellectual Property Funding and finance for startups The Innovation Academy is a programme of courses delivered by Imperial Innovations, the technology commercialisation partner for Imperial College London. These courses are designed to give delegates a broad introduction to the fundamental skills they will need to pursue technology entrepreneurship and commercialisation - and especially those skills required to build, grow and exit a science-based company. you re just looking to grow your knowledge in the area, you will find these courses provide a useful grounding in the necessary business and management fundamentals required. www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/innovation-academy/ Planning your entrepreneurial journey INNOVATION ACADEMY Building Effective Teams What can I expect to learn? Courses within the Innovation Academy cover the key aspects of forming a business, protecting intellectual Growth and exit Legal Essentials Sales, Communications & Marketing property, raising finance and operating a new business. 2 3
Innovation Academy Courses The Innovation Academy offers a thorough introduction and overview of the skills you need to start a science-based business out of Imperial College London Innovation Academy courses 6 Planning your entrepreneurial journey 8 Forming and running a company at Imperial College London 10 Funding and finance for start-ups 12 Introduction to Intellectual Property 14 Building Effective Teams 16 Sales, Communications and Marketing 18 Legal Essentials 20 Growth and Exit 4 5
Planning your entrepreneurial journey Starting a business sounds like an intimidating prospect. Without an understanding of the techniques involved and the support available, your great idea might never get off the ground. Planning your entrepreneurial journey is a comprehensive introduction to the central concepts you should consider and understand when you start out on your journey towards forming a business. Through a mix of case studies, stories from experienced entrepreneurs and teaching and theory, you will gain new understanding of the key ideas behind starting and growing a technology business. Planning your entrepreneurial journey covers: How business differs from academia and what you should consider How do businesses start a flash of inspiration or identifying a need? Understanding what makes a business and how to tell if your idea has what it takes Team dynamics making your team the best it can be Building and testing your value proposition (and talking to customers about it) When to form a business out of your university timing things well How the Venture Support Unit can help you 6 7
Forming and running a company at Imperial College London This module is designed to support entrepreneurs at Imperial who feel that starting a company is the best way forward for their idea. It offers a wide range of information about the process of starting a business at Imperial College London and explains the main steps of business formation and management. Presenters The course will be delivered by a range of Imperial Innovations staff, entrepreneurs and experts on starting and running high-technology businesses. Why attend? Learn about why and when a spinout is appropriate; Meet potential mentors and business partners; 100% Rated speakers Good to Excellent 98% Thought event met expectations Network with like-minded Imperial peers; Hear best practices, examples and case studies; Benefit from expert advice on what is required to form a spinout, the main stages of a company formation process and exit strategies. Topics covered Starting a spinout company What is required to form a spinout Essential procedures and things to consider before company formation Company formation process The first months and year of operations Exiting the business 8 9
Funding & Finance for start-ups This module is designed to help entrepreneurs at Imperial understand the funding and finance opportunities available for start-ups, how to go about getting a company funded, and how to finance for growth. Presenters There will be a variety of guest speakers and presentations from various investors, entrepreneurs, public funders and innovation ecosystem experts. Why attend? Learn about various sources of public funding and private finance; Hear about business journeys directly from start-up entrepreneurs Meet potential mentors and business partners; 98% Rated speakers Good to Excellent 100% Thought event met expectations Network with like-minded Imperial peers; Hear best practices, examples and case studies; Benefit from expert advice on access to funding and finance, incubators and accelerators, crowdfunding platforms, venture capital and convertible loans. Topics covered Public grants Angel investors Incubators and accelerators Crowdfunding Venture capital Corporate venture Convertible loans 10 11
Introduction to Intellectual Property Introduction to Intellectual Property (IP) is designed to help Imperial entrepreneurs understand what IP is, the role of IP in growing a business and how to build an IP portfolio. Why attend? understand how to identify, evaluate and capture your intellectual property in order to secure intellectual property rights; learn to devise an IP strategy in line with the business model; hear IP best practices, examples and case studies; find out how to build and manage an IP portfolio. Topics covered IP with real life examples Presenters The course will be delivered by IP experts from Imperial Innovations and external speakers who have significant experience in helping spinouts identify, register and protect their IP. 100% Rated speakers Good to Excellent 100% Thought event met expectations patents and the patenting process how to read and search patent literature the importance of who owns a patent will be discussed and why this is crucial in any due diligence process with potential investors overview of how to plan and build an IP portfolio to support business development and attract investment 12 13
Building Effective Teams This module is designed to provide attendees with an idea and some tools of what it takes to build an effective start-up team. Delegates will have the chance to engage with industry experts on the technical aspects as well as those who have built and managed teams in their own start-ups. Why attend? Learn about the various legal requirements in hiring the first team members; Get a better understanding of the incentives available to founding team members (equity vs. salary); Listen to examples of how other entrepreneurs have built and managed teams; Understand what may change when the team begins to grow; Presenters There will be a variety of guest speakers and presentations from various entrepreneurs and innovation ecosystem experts. 100% Rated speakers Good to Excellent 100% Thought event met expectations Learn what it takes to build a strong, innovative culture. Topics covered Contracts, option agreements, incentive schemes; Initial team hiring and management; Building a culture; Growing a team to scale; Contingency planning and pitfalls. 14 15
Sales, Communications & Marketing An effective approach to sales, marketing and communications can be the difference between success and failure for new technology start-ups. This module covers key concepts you should understand and implement when starting your company at Imperial College London. Why attend? Learn about the three disciplines of sales, communications and marketing, and how they differ from, and complement, each other. Presenters Our presenters are a mix of experienced start-up founders, entrepreneurs and Imperial Innovations staff. Explore the basics of marketing planning, learn the key elements of the marketing mix and identify strategies and tactics to target the right customers Hear from teams who have successfully executed marketing and communications plans on start-up budgets Explore and understand key sales strategies for start-ups and how they can work for your business Learn the fundamental ideas behind communicating your start-up to the world and the strategies you can use to do it Topics covered Key concepts in marketing, sales and communications that will support start-up technology businesses to achieve their goals 16 17
Legal Essentials Legal essentials provides an overview of the key legal documents and concepts that are essential in forming a start-up company. Post formation Directors duties Why attend? Understand the legal foundations of founding a company Filing requirements Board minutes Hear advice from experienced company founders on what to do and what not to do when considering legal agreements Meet potential mentors and business partners; Network with like-minded Imperial peers; See worked examples that will help you get to grips with key legal documents Topics covered Pre-company formation Case studies on pitfalls Distribution agreements, manufacturing agreements etc Presenters There will be a variety of guest speakers and presentations from various investors, entrepreneurs, public funders and innovation ecosystem experts. Founders contracts dispute resolution between founders How to choose a lawyer How to efficiently work with a lawyer Explanation of term sheets Formation and investment documents Explanations of licences from Universities, Articles, IA, NED letters, etc 18 19
Growth and Exit This module is designed as an overview of the concepts and ideas behind growing a technology start-up and preparing for exit through listing or acquisition Why attend? Understand what investors look for in listed companies Hear about successful acquisitions from founders and partners Learn techniques for growth - focused on getting investment, building a strong team, setting up the right business structure Keep track of common pitfalls and learn how to avoid them Topics covered Acquiring growth investment Structuring your company for growth Ways to exit Partnering for exit IPOs Presenters You will hear from a mix of presenters and speakers with significant experience in supporting companies throughout growth and exit. The module will be followed by a panel discussion among companies that have been through these processes. 20 21
Imperial Innovations Innovation Academy courses are provided by Imperial Innovations With a focus on societal and economic impact, we top ten universities in the world (source: QS World What we do We provide advice on establishing proof of develop and commercialise technologies developed by University Rankings 2018). We work with researchers at Imperial College concept, using our commercial experience to Imperial academics. London to help develop their novel research into new inform inventors about what businesses want to In an average year, we assess around 400 inventions, businesses, products or services. see Imperial Innovations works exclusively with Imperial College London to develop, protect and commercialise novel technologies through licensing to established companies or forming start-ups. complete 40-50 licence deals, form more than 10 new companies and file patents on 70 new technologies. In addition to working with Imperial College London, we provide technology transfer services to select NHS We support the process of taking an idea from the lab into the market. Importantly, we take the commercial risk, paying for IP protection up-front Imperial inventors don t pay a penny to work We may provide development funding or support inventors in their applications for funding from other sources We advise on IP and commercial strategy Our relationship with Imperial College London is covered by a technology pipeline agreement that grants us exclusive commercialisation rights over unencumbered intellectual property developed at the College. Trusts in London linked with the College. We are a subsidiary of IP Group plc, a developer of intellectual property based businesses out of universities in the UK, US and Australia. with us. We assess inventions, considering commercial potential, the state of the market and development requirements We protect intellectual property through patents We manage the licensing process (including negotiations and post-deal administration) Our Venture Support Unit establishes new businesses, finds mentors and management and provides access to preferred suppliers Imperial College London is a world-leading university focused entirely on science, technology, medicine, engineering and business. It is ranked among the and other appropriate forms of intellectual property protection Above all we are flexible in our support capable of executing novel deals and providing specialised support where required. 22 23
Imperial White City Incubator A hub for innovation and entrepreneurship and the home of Innovation Academy The Imperial White City Incubator (IWCI) is Access to a range of events to support business crowd funding platforms. Support and community a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, providing growth Enjoy the benefits and shared experience of working office and laboratory space for early-stage companies. Based at Imperial College London s White City Campus, the Incubator s central location in London A preferred supplier network providing discounted services We also run several Investor Showcase events every year to help support opportunities for our clients to access finance among other entrepreneurs. We also organise a range of training and events to help offers easy access to customers, investors, commercial partners and consultants. The IWCI also affords access Access to Imperial College London networks Preferred Supplier Network entrepreneurs prepare for future challenges to the expertise of leading scientists at one of the Part of a growing ecosystem, we can help you access: Covering essential services: world s top universities. The Imperial White City Incubator offers: State of the art facilities serviced to a high standard Office and laboratory space suitable for technology and research-focused startups Sector-specific events Employees - interns and new graduates from Imperial Academic expertise Networking opportunities Investor Network Through Imperial Innovations, access early-stage Law Intellectual Property Banking, Accounting & Insurance Consulting Marketing, PR, Design and Multimedia Recruitment Product & Manufacturing Laboratory Equipment Suppliers Incubation support with services supplied by investor networks comprising a mix of grant & funding Imperial Innovations networks, angel investors, venture capital firms, and 24 25
Entrepreneurial Programmes Imperial Innovations operates a range of programmes for startup entrepreneurs White City Innovators Programme The Innovators Programme is designed to give entrepreneurs and start-up companies free access to work space and workshops to help them grow Young Innovators Programme The Young Innovators Programme is aimed at school students local to White City aged 14-18, who have completed the Maker Challenge Programme run by Learning and Networking Programme dedicated to start-ups and spinouts, consisting of: Skills workshops: GDPR, European and local Keep up to date with all of our events Imperial Innovations runs a wide range of events and programmes dedicated to supporting Imperial College London staff and students in gaining entrepreneurial and develop. It is about ensuring your company is Imperial College London. Participants will have the grants, Funding and finance, R&D tac credits skills, building their networks, and finding mentors. You ready to take the next steps from learning about the responsibilities of company directorship to what angel investors really look for. A mini pitch at the end of the opportunity to further develop their innovative ideas and to gain a range of skills from practical business knowledge to presenting, communicating and Investor showcase events: community events to introduce companies to can keep up to date about all of them using the link below. four weeks gives you a taster of what it might be like networking. They will also learn to navigate through each other and build a strong and supportive https://www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/staff/training- if you get through to an accelerator or find yourself in the innovation ecosystem in London and get a good entrepreneurial community and-events/ front of a potential funder. More information is available from the https://www.imperialincubator.com/ innovatorsprogramme understanding of the available opportunities that could help them take the next steps. Over a period of 4 weeks, participants will interact with sector experts through a series of workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities. ecosystem events to engage with other stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem in order to expand the support and guidance provided to Imperial companies. Micro-courses, video courses and bite-size guides for those short on time. 26 27
Innovation Academy: business skills courses for Imperial entrepreneurs Learn the skills you need to build a business around your scientific innovation. Innovation academy covers the full range of skills that start-up entrepreneurs find essential, with a focus on building a new business in a university environment. Find out more at: www.imperialinnovations.co.uk/ innovation-academy INNOVATION ACADEMY