THE CENTER FOR RESEARCH INNOVATION
VENTURE SUPPORT PROGRAMS
Offering a comprehensive suite of vetted resources, the CRI’s Venture Support Programs empower inventors to realize the commercial potential and impact of technological discoveries from inception to exit.
About
The CRI’s Venture Support Program keeps a pulse on new companies launching out of labs with Northeastern University Intellectual Property. Through Venture Support Programs, the CRI tracks new companies’ needs as well as progress against business build milestones and recommends relevant entrepreneurial resources based on venture stage. Venture Support Programs enable access to CRI-specific supplemental startup support services for Faculty founders.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONSULTANTS
Entrepreneurship Consultants (EC) program provide business development guidance and counsel to Northeastern spinout companies from concept to commercialization.
GRANT WRITING SUPPORT
The Grant Writing Support program is designed to fuel the growth of spinout teams ready to embark on their venture journey.
BUILD SPACE SUPPORT
By collaborating with external ecosystem partners, such as Portal Innovations, the CRI offers subsidized build space to support promising teams and technology emerging from Northeastern labs.
EVENT ATTENDANCE
The CRI subsidizes attendance fees for Spinout founders, enabling them to attend key industry events, pitch their ventures, and connect with potential partners and collaborators.
DESIGN CONSULTANCY
Subsidized support is available for promising Spinout companies to work with designers on creating their website, pitch decks, and other marketing materials.
VENTURE CAPITAL OFFICE HOURS
The CRI offers meeting preparation and training for promising Spinout teams to effectively present to VCs, such as Osage University Partners, during recurring office hour sessions.
PITCH PREPARATION
The CRI assists Spinout companies with pitch preparation through practice sessions and mock pitch events. In addition, the CRI offers subsidized access to tools like Scroobious, a pitch development platform.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
Join CRI’s Venture Community
To join our Venture Community, Faculty founders must demonstrate a desire to spinout by submitting an invention disclosure describing the technology driving new company creation and preliminary company materials outlining technology readiness level, commercial readiness level, and go to market strategy.
Interested in joining the Venture Community?
ELIGIBILITY
blank
blank
1. Qualified Spinout
- Have completed CRI’s Training Course
- Be incorporated or formed an LLC
- Have licensed or optioned IP from Northeastern
- Submit company materials prepared to outline commercial readiness/business plan/go-to-market strategy
2. Stage of Spinout
- Business lead—Spinout must have a business lead or PI must be ready to engage as business lead
- Commercial readiness—technology or suite of technologies must be ready, or almost ready, for corporate or professional capital engagement
- Technology Readiness Level (TRL) must be between 3 and 5, ready to be brought to market with proper backing through a corporate partnership or professional capital
- Launch readiness—company must have space secured, or almost secured, outside of lab at Northeastern
3. Mentorship Networks
- Company / founder / co-founders must have leveraged internal / external mentorship networks (VMN, HSE, etc.) prior to applying for venture support
- If PI is engaging as business lead, PI must have at least one external, experienced entrepreneurial business advisor actively engaged in guiding the team on commercialization and business build
4. Funding
-
Company must have secured commercialization-oriented internal and/or external funding to date (i.e. CRI’s Spark Fund, IDEA’s Gap Fund, America’s Seed Fund-SBIR/STTR, NSF PFI, professional capital etc.)
-
- Funding may be non-dilutive or dilutive
-
5. Commercialization Goals
- Company must have a clear plan for major milestones in next 6-9 months
INTERESTED IN BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONSULTANT?
Entrepreneurship Consultants (EC) program provide business development guidance and councel to Northeastern spinout companies from concept to commercialization