Mentoring, Assessment & Planning (MAP) Program
The MAP goal is to develop strong commercialization plans for SHARPhub companies to put them on a stronger development path. A consultant is assigned to the company to work together to develop a business plan to enable likelihood of funding through an SBIR grant and/or equity funding application.
- 8 Steps to Commercialization of Research Technology online curricula provides actionable learning in concise 12-minute video format accompanied by materials to enable participant companies to prepare a summary business pitch as the course develops.
- Participants work 1:1 with a consultant to assess commercial potential of their technology and validate (or pivot) to optimize outcomes.
- Biweekly Zoom sessions with outcome goals.
8 Steps to Commercialization of Research Technology
(one video for each step)
Step 1: Conceptualize potential business opportunity/research application
Focus on making a disciplined examination and create a detailed description of : Forces disciplined examination & description of a). Problem being addressed, b). proposed solution to that problem and c). differentiation vs others in competitive space.Step 2: Define opportunity
Insures positive return on development efforts by a). determining the size, trend of the target market, b) strengths/weaknesses of the competition and c). identifying the stakeholders whose acceptance is critical to commercial success.Step 3: Construct business model
Hypothesizes how resources will be assembled & combined to produce a profitable enterprise.Step 4: Conduct customer discovery
Validates conceptual appeal of business concept, identifies opportunities for improvement and hypothesized resource utilization.Step 5: Pivot
Iterate to enhance commercial potential of application of research technology (ie: refocus research application toward larger commercial potential); reconstruct the business concept and business model.Step 6: Legal
Resolve various legal issues (ie: search/file for IP; establish organization legal structure; prepare Founders’ Agreement.Step 7: Estimate commercial value of research technology
Determines if further development is warranted & provides necessary input for SBIR grant application.Step 8: The Pitch
Consolidate all startup development efforts combining customer discovery, forecasting and evaluating. Helps validate continued development efforts and provide a compelling presentation to motivate stakeholders and investors.
MAP Program Application: