Why did you start your spinout?

Our research seemed to be leading towards a marketable product and, with guidance from QMI, a spinout seemed to be a feasible way forward.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Unless you have the knowledge and confidence to do it yourself, get all the guidance you can from experts to help set things up.

Why did you start your spinout?

We were researching the fundamental cellular mechanisms that control the release of appetite-regulating hormones in response to dietary nutrients, specifically in human gastrointestinal tissue. We made a surprising discovery that led us to finding out that a specific nutrient combination activates L-cells leading to synergistic gut hormone release that drives the feeling of fullness or satiety.

We were very excited because these hormones help us control our appetite and food intake, an important pathway that goes wrong in obesity. So, our discovery suggested that we had a potentially new product to help obese people lose weight.

We created Enterika Ltd to take these findings forward and develop a commercial product. Starting a company allowed us to obtain funding from various sources including Innovate UK to begin our commercialisation journey.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Think about how your research can answer or solve real-world problems and pursue your research with a constant view of translating findings into solutions.

There are many aspects of research that offer potential sources of commercialisation – all of which come from understanding the key pathways and processes of a given area of interest.

Often, these are unexpected findings, as was the case for us, which requires an open mind that does not dismiss unusual data.

Why did you start your spin-out?

We founded our spin-out company with a clear vision to address the growing demand for enhanced insights into visual attention. Recognising the pivotal role of visual communication in various industries, we identified a significant gap in providing comprehensive analytics for visual content.

Our innovative approach leverages cutting-edge methodologies to offer unique insights into visual attention, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and optimize user experiences. The positive feedback and market validation we’ve received underscore the relevance of our services, and our passionate team is committed to contributing to the evolution of industries that heavily rely on visual elements.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

For fellow scientists and collaborators, my advice is to embrace a holistic perspective when developing technology. While the innate drive is to push the boundaries of scientific accuracy, collaborating with industry partners has taught me the critical value of considering end users. Understand their challenges, preferences, and prioritise simplicity in your products.

Remember, it’s not always about achieving the highest precision in a lab setting; sometimes, sacrificing a bit of precision can significantly enhance the user experience. Striking a balance between accuracy and practicality ensures that your innovations have an immediate and positive impact on the end user.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I started the spin-out in order to achieve impact from my research. I entered into research in order to develop technologies that could help with the need for clean, sustainable energy generation.

I hope that by spinning out AeroSolar I will be able to translate my academic research into real commercial products.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

I would say consider very hard if you want to go down the route of commercialisation. It is a great experience, but also requires constant persistence to succeed.

Once you start it’s very hard to stop!

Why did you start your spin-out?

As an academic researcher, my goal is to translate research ideas into commercial products for real-life applications. Starting my spin-out is a key step.

Why did you start your spin-out?

We realised early on that RoEx has huge potential in the market, even during my PhD research conducted under Prof Josh Reiss, which underpins the technology. With the market opportunity, combined with Josh’s history of cofounding successful QMUL spin-outs, and my own industry experience and successful start-up exit to Apple, we felt now was the right time to spin-out the technology.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Entrepreneurship as an academic is challenging, more so than anticipated initially. I have found it valuable to remember the foundation of the business is a technology with immense potential – one we’ve already seen results from and that gives us a unique advantage. Also, the move from academia to entrepreneurship demands the rapid acquisition of new skills. Again, I have found it transformative to embrace this learning curve. Lastly, I’d like to add that QMUL are invaluable allies. Their support spans all aspects of business, and their vested interest in your success can be a game-changer. Lean on this backing and move forward with conviction.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I grew up in Silicon Valley and have always loved great software with intentional and thoughtful user interfaces and user experiences (UI/UX). However, I became a biologist, where great software UI/UX design is rare. When my research hit a need for a software that didn’t exist I rose to the opportunity and created SequenceServer, a software for BLAST analysis of proprietary or unpublished DNA and protein sequences. Initially open-source, it rapidly became popular, but I struggled to find the software engineering capacity to maintain it. Spinning out a company has enabled me to take SequenceServer to the next level, increasing accessibility and researcher productivity, and adding new functionalities.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Creating a spin-out is hugely gratifying at personal and professional levels. It’s also a lot of work and can be a distraction from other things in science and in life. So, there are some trade-offs – be careful not to underestimate them. Also, think carefully about the businesses’ funding and business plan. Raising investment and venture capital is alluring and attracts a lot of press, but it shouldn’t overshadow the primary goal: creating a sustainable business with robust foundation.

Why did you start your spin-out?

First and foremost to get new music and audio technologies into the hands of creators. Even the most wide-ranging research agenda can only reach a fraction of the community that a company can address. Bela aims to change the way we create interactive systems through powerful yet easy-to-use open-source tools.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Get out there and try something on whatever scale is achievable. You’ll gain enormous practical experience getting your research into the hands of even a handful of users, and you’ll learn a lot of valuable skills along the way. Don’t worry about having the perfect idea or the grandest possible scope from day 1, just look for opportunities that you can reach and see where they take you.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I am passionate about impact from research. For me, its not enough to just write a paper and hope that it gets read and cited. I’m inspired by seeing research make it all the way from proof-of-concept to product, or in some other sense making a difference. Entrepreneurship is a great way to achieve that aim.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Firstly, the goals of entrepreneurship and academic research are not contradictory. One can publish papers, create open source code and share knowledge while still protecting IP. In fact, academic impact can promote the commercial offerings. Secondly, QMUL offers tremendous support to start-ups and the teams behind them. They’ve supported me on the journey at all stages. So, if you’re interested in commercialising research, its really worth contacting Queen Mary Innovation. Finally, it can be a really rewarding experience. Entrepreneurship is challenging and risky, but absolutely wonderful when it succeeds.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I started Kinomica because I thought we had the potential to help treat cancer patients with the most appropriate anti-cancer drug out of the several different treatments now available. My research team and I had been developing this technology over the last 15 years, but without further development this was just academic. We needed a vehicle to develop these approaches into tests that can actually bring benefit to patients. Kinomica is now developing these tests in a way that one day, in the not-so-distant future, will enable clinicians to make a more informed decision on the best-suited treatment for a given patient.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

My advice to entrepreneurial academics is to keep believing in your ideas despite inevitable setbacks, and keep persevering.

Why did you start your spin-out?

A major toothpaste manufacturer took an option to license our patent, but even after a number of years they didn’t do anything with it. I wanted to see our research on fluoride bioactive glasses translated into products and setting up a spin-out was the best way to achieve this in the end.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Good science is not enough. Costs and profit margins are critical for business success. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and there will be many setbacks and low points. The highpoints are good though, including prizes, TV appearances and my personal favourite – a picture of myself with the BioMin F Toothpaste on a billboard in China!

Why did you start a spin-out company?

It is very satisfying to see academic research translate into beneficial technology. It is surely the purpose of academic research in science and engineering to produce technologies of benefit to society. Some may take longer than others to translate, so when the opportunities arise, we should try to exploit them.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

You must be able to answer this question – what value does your technology bring to the customer? Who are the customers and how will you get your technology to them? Our company’s moto is ‘making it big by keeping it small’. This not only refers to the underlying science but also to the company strategy; get as far as you can with as few resources as necessary to build value before needing investment. Choose the people involved very carefully, a successful technology is of no use if it does not make a successful business. Academics rarely have both science and business acumen, so finding partners that understand the market for your technology is a key to success.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I am passionate about impact from research. For me, its not enough to just write a paper and hope that it gets read and cited. I’m inspired by seeing research make it all the way from proof-of-concept to product, or in some other sense making a difference. Entrepreneurship is a great way to achieve that aim.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

Firstly, the goals of entrepreneurship and academic research are not contradictory. One can publish papers, create open source code and share knowledge while still protecting IP. In fact, academic impact can promote the commercial offerings. Secondly, QMUL offers tremendous support to start-ups and the teams behind them. They’ve supported me on the journey at all stages. So, if you’re interested in commercialising research, its really worth contacting Queen Mary Innovation. Finally, it can be a really rewarding experience. Entrepreneurship is challenging and risky, but absolutely wonderful when it succeeds.

Why did you start your spin-out?

I started Warblr because my research found that machine learning had reached the right readiness level to help people identify bird sounds. With my co-founder Florence Wilkinson we see the Warblr app as a digital way to engage people with nature and the sounds all around them!

Why did you start your spin-out?

Retroscreen, now hVIVO, was one of the first medical school companies, which I cofounded with an external business-oriented scientist. The idea was to help formalise collaborations with pharmaceutical companies when we first started screening for anti-HIV drugs. The company has since expanded into clinical trials, hence the name change.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurial academics?

I would advise interested academics to consider bringing in commercial expertise early on. We benefitted greatly from the appointment of two well-experienced advisors who helped raise finance. I enjoyed my time as Scientific Director, but a company has a life of its own and is a lot different from running research grants!

Why did you start a spin-out company?

I started Keratify because there were limitations with human skin testing and I knew I had a good concept that could resolve the key issues globally. Publishing on its own would not achieve that level of outreach. As a researcher, I’ve always been naturally drawn to translational and industry-funded research. I wanted to run my own business, thought there was a strong commercial opportunity, and the timing was right both personally and in terms of support to kick-start the business.

What advice would you give to aspiring academic entrepreneurs?

Work out how you can generate revenue as quickly as possible. There is a huge focus on achieving investment rounds or winning grant funding with university spin-outs; this is great initially but it doesn’t form a sustainable business on its own. Be prepared to work fast and iterate as you go – perfection is not the key, desirable and good enough will provide the platform to reach perfection.