Entrepreneurship (The Gate) (English, only academic staff)
Learn the basics of how in-house support can help you develop as an entrepreneur in your innovative, academic-based start-up. The session will start with the general terms on entrepreneurship, especially on early-stage technology start-up and spin-offs. We will discuss both general aspects and challenges of starting a new spin-off company based on technology developed during your time at the university.
Although excellent science is a good starting point for the new business there is much more to explore for a commercially successful start-up. It is a long journey from the bench-top to the market with lots of time and resources involved. It is also essential to get in touch with the right partners within the ecosystem right from the beginning. You will hear what types of support and help you can get within TU/e from the Gate – the one-stop-shop for your entrepreneurship journey. More specifically you will hear about what you need to build a strong business case starting from the initial proof-of-concept and how to attract funding and investments along the way.
Learning goals:
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- Entrepreneurship basics: general aspects and challenges from concept to market
- Resources and assistance available to you at the Gate
- Do’s and don’ts of getting your start-up off the ground
- Overview of building a business case and attracting funding
Instructor
Marcella Gagliardo
Marcella Gagliardo is Business Development Manager for Electronics, Physics and Photonics at The Gate. In 2000, she obtained her MSc in chemistry (Palermo University, Italy; and Leiden University). In 2005, she obtained her PhD at Utrecht University with a thesis on photo/redox- and catalytically-active Ruthenium (II)-complexes of anionic bisphosphinoaryl ligands. Before The Gate, she covered various positions as researcher (e.g., Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, today TNO) and as innovation manager (AkzoNobel) and laboratory manager (AkzoNobel and Stahl).
Nick Maassen
Ir. Nick Maassen, PDEng has obtained his Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Eindhoven. After his Bachelor, he decided to follow the multidisciplinary Master Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion, which has kept his interest ever since. At the last day of his graduation project at the JET fusion reactor, during a chat with a colleague, the idea emerged to use heat pipes as plasma facing components in the divertor of a fusion power plant. He came into contact with VDL-ETG and, as part of the PDEng program DTI, he developed the 3D-printed Heat Pipe Array. After that he cofounded StarWarden as CTO to continue development and now he is looking to accelerate progress by hiring more people.