| Our Process |
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Objectives of The Emerging Technology Fund The University Funds employs an early-stage development process designed to achieve three primary objectives; identify high value, university-developed technologies, enable our analysts to conduct speedy and effective due diligence, and to execute efficient and speedy formation of properly structured portfolio companies. We then provide the necessary experts and technical resources to support the proof-of-concept validation and early stage commercial development of acquired intellectual property (IP). The overall objective of our portfolio strategy is to transition emerging technology innovations into commercially-ready products or components that are ready for licensing or acquisition, or to develop ventures into attractive candidates for latter-stage venture funding. A Proven IP Sourcing Network We leverage a global electronic network of research universities, national research institutions and corporations that currently provides access to over 6000 promising innovations. Complementing this network is the personal relationships our principals have with key decision-makers in over 100 major universities and corporations. Our team has developed various methods to efficiently review the technology landscape around up-trending market sectors, and to identify new sources of IP that provide opportunities for commercial collaborations. These methods enable the comparison of multiple researchers’ technology approaches and help us to identify avenues for combining related and convergent technologies which may lead to breakthrough innovations. The IP Development Process The Emerging Technology Fund is based in the San Francisco Bay area to take advantage of the Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute. The more than 100 faculty and 60 post-doctoral fellows working at the Institute offer a rich resource of advisors to assist us with due diligence and management of our investments. Once a technology is identified, our licensing process ensures continuity of rights to intellectual property through subsequent sub-licensing & acquisition. Our team has deep experience in complex multi-technology licensing transactions involving multiple institutions. These approaches avoid fragmentation of IP ownership and increase the potential market value of the core technology. In most cases, nascent university technologies require the completion of a proof-of-concept stage to verify their commercial feasibility. This validation must occur prior to direct corporate licensing, acquisition, or later-stage venture capital financing. By managing this proof-of-concept and early development phase, our fund provides a much-needed service for latter-stage venture firms and corporations by providing them with more commercially-feasible investment and development opportunities. Global corporations believe gaining access to this reservoir of convergent technologies in universities and national labs is imperative for maintaining their competitive advantage. The University Funds was established to provide funding and management support for the transition of these breakthrough discoveries from within the research environment, through the proof-of-concept stage, to where the most viable innovations are developed into a more ready state for use in commercial applications. |