From the Lab to the Market, October 2011

Training Week #3 – From the Lab to the Market
Deep Analysis of Real Cases
Faro, 25-26 October 2011
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University Technology Enterprise Network (UTEN) invites you to attend the training sessions on October 25-26 at the Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal.

This training week will consist of two sessions addressing critical issues experienced driving technologies from the laboratory to the market:

• The startup experience and support role of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem;
• Practical experience in valuation of intangible assets and deal negotiation.

Day 1 will deeply explore the process required to take nascent technologies from the laboratory, develop a product and/or service concept and reach the market through startup or licensing approaches. Several guest speakers will present their experiences at various points in this commercialization process. Speakers will include the CEO’s of leading Portuguese technology-based companies who will share their experiences during the company startup and product marketing phases. Further, the outcomes from an UTEN internship at the University of Texas at Austin will be presented detailing efforts to establish international business relations and co-development arrangements for startups. Each presentation will provide an opportunity for the audience and speakers to jointly investigate creative ways to support new ventures and establish the necessary business and scientific linkages to assist in their growth. The in-depth analysis of these startup experiences is purposed to create a broader dialogue among the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Portugal (including technology transfer offices, incubators, government, and others) and identify the best approaches to initiate and sustain new enterprises in the country.

Day 2 of the training week will focus on the practice of technology valuation and deal negotiation. In this session, we will explore benchmarks used to establish a valuation for intangible assets, such as intellectual property, and determine likely market entry for a given technology. Using these points of reference, we will apply various valuation techniques to obtain a defendable negotiation position. Attendees are expected to bring a technology description to the training week and solid understanding of the market surrounding this innovation. The second half of the session will focus on the art and practice of business negotiation. We will explore the negotiation room, the players, the agendas, and common strategies used to obtain advantage during the deal process. Special attention will be given to university-company negotiation scenarios and best approaches for small company or university participants. We will practice communications skills and negotiation methods to keep discussions on point, make equable value trades and drive a deal to closure under terms that are mutually attractive.

We hope the agenda will be of high interest to entrepreneurial faculty, technology transfer officers, incubator managers and entrepreneurs in Portugal. Please plan to attend the Training Week and feel free to send this invitation to other parties who may be interested.