Deep Dive into Deep Tech Incubation

Part I

Friday, September 25, 12 pm Eastern (90 min)

How COVID-19 Is Affecting The Deep Tech Startup Ecosystem

Overview – COVID-19 has been the most profound shock to the national research enterprise since World War II. The repercussions are still shaking out, but lost research output due to temporary closures of most state economies has wreaked havoc on the pace of innovation and commercialization in the U.S. It is expected that the financial and economic affects of the pandemic on capital markets will be a catastrophic event for many early-stage companies, especially those that are bringing deep technologies to market. The first part of the Deep Dive Into Deep Tech Incubation webinar series will feature thought leaders from government, academia, startups, and the investment community to discuss how deep tech entrepreneurs can try to weather COVID-19 and make it out on the other side of this ongoing crisis stronger and better prepared.

Part II

Friday, October 16, 12 pm Eastern (60 min)

Deep Tech Incubation Fundamentals and Best Practices

Overview – Deep tech innovators and entrepreneurs often need increasing levels of support due to the capital intensity and long lead times required to commercialize their innovations. Incubators and accelerators play a critical role in helping fill gaps and connect dots for aspiring deep tech startups, providing everything from mentorship to access to talent and matchmaking with various capital sources. This support is essential to an early-stage company’s success, especially given the plethora of well-intentioned programs that can often confuse or misguide aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who are almost always working with limited resources. The second part of the Deep Dive Into Deep Tech Incubation webinar series will feature leading experts from the nation’s top deep tech incubators and accelerators who will share tips, lessons learned, and best practices for deep tech startups and venture development organizations.

Part III

Wednesday, November 18, 12 pm Eastern (60 min)

Deep Tech Incubation and Academia Nexus

Overview – Deep tech innovation is often born out of academic research at campuses across the nation. As a result, colleges and universities play a unique and critical role in fostering the development and commercialization of technologies that will transform our lives. The technology discovery and transfer processes can be especially risky for deep tech innovations given the complexity of scaling them from lab to market and understanding potential commercial applications. However, colleges and universities remain at the forefront of deep tech incubation. Their people and programs that support this research translation process directly impact the strength and competitiveness of technology innovation in the U.S. The third part of the Deep Dive Into Deep Tech Incubation webinar series will feature visionaries from leading academic institutions to discuss this research translation nexus and how they manage the deep tech commercialization process and instill strong entrepreneurial cultures at their respective campuses.

Part IV

Friday, December 18, 12 pm Eastern (60 min)

Deep Tech Venture Capital and Corporate Partnerships

Overview – Deep tech startups typically require significant capital and time to get their innovations into the market. More and more financial investors have entered this space space as they view the outsize financial returns that are possible worth the risk of supporting deep tech startups. In addition, more corporate and strategic partners are competing by investing in innovation, whether it is structured as direct investments in early-stage companies or other forms of support like joint ventures or non-recurring engineering. These venture capital and corporate partnerships provide highly valuable validation for deep tech startups, which enables them to raise follow-on capital and secure the partnerships that are critical to commercialize their technology. The fourth and final part of the Deep Dive Into Deep Tech Incubation webinar series will feature top investors and corporates who are actively partnering with deep tech startups as well as entrepreneurs who have benefited from this type of support.