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EIPTN Conference 2018

EIPTN Conference 2018. Teaching IP at Business Accelerators and Incubators: A UK Perspective Joe Sekhon. Key terms. Startups Young, innovative firms with growth ambitions. Business Incubators

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EIPTN Conference 2018

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  1. EIPTN Conference 2018 Teaching IP at Business Accelerators and Incubators: A UK Perspective Joe Sekhon

  2. Key terms

  3. Startups • Young, innovative firms with growth ambitions. • Business Incubators • Designed to nurture and grow new businesses by supporting them through the early stages of development and change. • Business Accelerators • Support for more established and high growth companies looking to scale up their business. • Support is provided through a highly selective cohort-based programme of limited duration (3-12 months).

  4. UK Business Accelerator & IncubatOR Landscape

  5. Entrepreneurial UK? • 205 Incubators • 163 accelerators • 11 pre-accelerators • 7 virtual accelerators • 4 virtual incubators Source: NESTA

  6. Entrepreneurial UK? • Digital technology, health and life science focus. • 7000+ businesses serviced by this support network per year. • 50%+ accelerators based in London. • Incubators spread more evenly across UK.

  7. Services Offered • Incubators • Office space for open-ended duration. • Rent/fee based. • Mentorship/entrepreneurial training. • Admission selective and ad-hoc based (not cohort based) • Accelerators • Focus on services over physical space. • Fixed duration programme (3-12 months). • Growth based (payment via equity than rent/fees). • Seed funding. • Admission in cohorts and highly selective. • Mentorship/entrepreneurial training. .

  8. Services Offered • Mentorship/entrepreneurial training • Marketing • Finance • Accounting • Strategy/Business Planning • Networking • Raising capital • IP? • Reduced to a binary discussion about patents and trademarks • Applied for? Yes/No .

  9. natwest bank accelerator programme

  10. My Role • Appointed IP mentor after discussions with senior management at RBS, Natwest and Ulster Bank • Gordon Merrylees (Head of Entrepreneurship) • Darren Pirie (Head of Entrepreneurs Development) • Objective • Provide IP mentoring and support to entrepreneurs based at flagship London Accelerator • 12 entrepreneurial hubs across the UK • Free to join • subject to interview and evaluation of startup idea .

  11. Three Programmes • Pre-Accelerator • Intensive, eight week programme • Periodic mentoring events • Early stage startups • Accelerator • Six-month programme for established entrepreneurs • 1:1 coaching • Access to business mentors • Fintech Accelerator • Six-month programme .

  12. Where does IP education/training fit in? • Pre-Accelerator • Webinars and digital workshops • Online learning portal • Accelerator • Legal advice from legal sponsor (Pinsent Masons) • Fintech Accelerator • Review of IP from legal sponsor (Pinsent Masons) .

  13. Is the IP education/training fit for purpose? • Hmm...maybe? Feedback from entrepreneurs: • Transactional • Advice and guidance at one off events as opposed to when needed. • Relationship with each entrepreneur not the priority. • Delivered by lawyers with little experience of teaching. • IP reduced to a discussion about end product (patents/trade marks) in general terms not tailored to business. • Simplistic • Webinars, digital workshops, online learning content generic and basic. • Specific business specific questions not answered. .

  14. So what have I done as an IP mentor? • Stage 1 – Introduced University Framework • Mini lectures and seminars • Scheduled monthly • Covering typical university IP syllabus • Stage 1 – Feedback from Entrepreneurs • Too generic • Don’t have time! • Feels like I’m back at Uni! • Not relevant to me • A waste of time! Could have phoned my supplier instead! • Resulted in poor attendance. .

  15. Personal reflections on feedback

  16. Stage 1 Personal Reflections on Feedback • University learning and teaching methodologies cannot be simply ‘copy and pasted’ across to other arenas • Making the same mistakes as the legal sponsor? • Focused on my comfort zone and not what the end-user wants? • Stage 1 curriculum and delivery of it based on my assumptions of what entrepreneurs needed and desired. • Commit to meeting with London Hub entrepreneurs • Identify their IP needs and wants • How would they want these needs/wants to be met? • What role could I play? • Above all what do they want from me? .

  17. Stage 1 Personal Reflections on Feedback • So what did the entrepreneurs say? • Happy to attend your sessions if they improve my bottom line. • Can you teach me to apply for my own IP? • How do I present my IP to external investors? • Could you provide me with 1:1 coaching on IP when I need it? • I have received a ‘cease and desist’ letter from a competitor; can you help me with this? • Are there any alternatives to patent and trade mark protection? I’m on a budget. • What should I include in an NDA? • Little or no reference to typical university IP syllabus content (black letter IP law). .

  18. Time to pivot- Stage 2

  19. Luis Vives • Spanish Scholar and Renaissance Humanist • “The educated man should not be embarrassed to...ask and learn from the craftsmen the peculiarities of their profession...” • Courtesy of Professor Manuel Desantes Real • Professor of International Private Law • University of Alicante .

  20. Principles Underpinning Pivot • Tailored curriculum • To the needs of the hub community and individual entrepreneurs. • Advice and guidance specific to each entrepreneur’s business (case study). • Informal concise Delivery • 1:1 coaching (chat over coffee?). • Speed mentoring (5 minutes face to face on pre-agreed topic). Approximately 10 entrepreneurs in an hour. • Drop in clinics (45 minutes). • 20 minute FAQ sessions on popular topics (NDAs, database searches). • Action Plans. • Triage to other sources and experts. .

  21. Thinking of working with Accelerators and Incubators as an IP mentor? • Personality Traits • Agile, fluid, flexible, ability to ‘think on your feet’. • Ability to be available at short notice. • Understanding of practical implications of each IPR. • Avoid if you simply want to present a concise version of your university lecture and seminar material. • Benefits • Personally rewarding; helping future wealth/job creators. • Opportunities to work as non-executive directors. • Informs university teaching and research (case studies). • Identifies gaps in your knowledge. • Expands your network. .

  22. Stage 2 Feedback • I’m glad we met; I enjoyed it and learnt quite a bit. I’ll start looking over the action plan and look into what part I actually want to patent. • I want to thank you greatly for all the useful advice. I’ve taken away a lot today that I now plan to be implementing. And as always, speaking with you has always been valuable. • Thank you so much for seeing me. Its always a confidence boost to hear what you have to say and your advice is greatly appreciated and I will definitely take it all on board. • I took a lot from our meeting; in particular the importance of taking things step by step at these early stages. .

  23. Thank you End of Presentation

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