The Office of Corporate Alliances is here to help individuals connected with Hopkins as they explore commercialization options. The office is staffed with business people and reports to the Vice Provost for Research. The service is free. Do you need to choose between licensing your technology vs. starting a company around your idea? How about researching a market, funding needs, personnel, technical expertise or manufacturing help? Or are you planning an institute or center? We are happy to meet with you and share our contacts and experience, and direct you to appropriate resources. We are here to make sure your commercializing plans are carried through. If you have never participated in a startup before, the prospect is daunting. The following links are good sources of high-level information on the rewards as well as the risks of starting a company and licensing technology. If you prefer to brainstorm, come on by our office. Please also take advantage of the many business education opportunities offered throughout the university, sponsored by this office, the Hopkins Biotech Network, and others. If you have missed our various entrepreneur bootcamps, you can review our archives of presentations given in the past. The only way to become comfortable with the business world is to deal with it on a regular basis. Keep in mind that the creation of a legal entity is a matter that requires knowledge and expertise in the law of the state where the entity is created, and certain other knowledge, such as taxation. A licensed and practicing attorney should be consulted. If you are looking for direct, immediate feedback from the private sector regarding the commercial potential for your research, you should become familiar with the Hopkins Technology Opportunities Program. This group of faculty regularly presents their ideas to the Alliance for Science and Technology Development, a group of venture capitalists and executives from industry whose mission it is to help faculty assess intellectual property and, when possible, to commercialize research. Best overall Web site: www.entreworld.org. This Web site, funded by the Kauffman Foundation, is the overall best source of information on how to start and grow a business. There is information on everything from funding sources to running a meeting of your board of directors. Information is not always current, because the Web site points to thousands of other sites (some of which are no longer in business); however, it changes often and is all-encompassing. More focused sites that are worth visiting include the site for The Small Business Administration, which presents a number of online resources to help entrepreneurs write business plans. Of particular interest to most investors is the marketing plan; specialized help can be found for that online as well. A book worth reading: we recommend taking a look at The Eutrepreneur's Guide to a Biotech Startup, written by Peter Kolchinsky and downloadable for free from the internet. Grants (COS) Angel Funding Venture Capital SBIR/STTR We are in contact with many venture capital funds, and can help you decide which entity to approach for funding, how, and when. Venture Capitalists manage money for institutional investors (the “limited partners.”) They seek companies which they can exit within a few years (typically no longer than five), and whose value, at the moment of liquidity (either public offering or merger), can be expected to be multiples of the money invested over the formative years. Venture capitalists will either invest in a company led by an experienced entrepreneur, or will select the management team themselves, and they prefer companies targeting large markets (hundreds of million dollars). This type of funding comes with significant help and extensive contacts; it is also the most expensive way of funding a company (in terms of the equity given up for the money and help). Venture firms tend to specialize, either by stage of development (a few will invest in seed or startup companies, most prefer “second stage” or later stage investments), or by industry. Competition for venture funding is fierce, and the right approach can make a big difference in whether a company is even invited to submit a business plan. Use the links below to learn about the industry. National Venture Capital Association Mid Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) Back to top | 
