Why launch a startup company?

A start-up helps to create focus and make an impact by developing new solutions that can change the market or even society. But bringing an invention to a commercial state involves lots of risks: financial risk, technological risk, regulatory risk… A startup can take risk like no others, while maintaining the flexibility to adjust course if there are headwinds.

Who can launch a startup?

While anyone can found a company, there are a couple of aspects to take note of.

Academic Entrepreneurship

Commercial value differs from research-generated value, as it emphasizes tangible outcomes and impact beyond the generation of knowledge.
Academic entrepreneurship allows someone to participate in commercial value creation, carrying a responsibility towards the company’s mission and growth.
The Academic Entrepreneurship policy of our knowledge institutions allows researchers to obtain up to 5% of shares in a company while still being fully employed by UMC Utrecht.

As a researcher you may be inclined to pursue a dual role: continuing your research, and managing a startup at the same time. However: Leading a startup is a full time job. Utrecht Holdings encourages researchers to choose between either the entrepreneurial path, or the science path.

Please note that Academic Entrepreneurship is not the same as the rewarding of Inventorship.

Licensing IP

Patents and other forms of intellectual property (IP) are owned by the UMC Utrecht or Utrecht University. An academic spin-off company needs to obtain a license to the IP to commercialize an invention. See Obtain a License to find out more about this process.