Past InnovationU Recordings
A Startup Case Study: SageSpectra
April 16, 2024 – The event panelists shared their experiences on the challenges they faced, the strategies that propelled their growth, and the lessons learned along the way.
John Hanks is a founder and inventor at SageSpectra that has licensed technology with Texas A&M University. He is a Professor of Practice at Texas A&M and an experienced industry veteran with more than 30 years of corporate and startup experience. Hanks will discuss the growth, strategies, and challenges from an inventor’s perspective.
Madi Heck is a co-founder and current Chief Executive Officer at SageSpectra. A recent MBA and Master of Engineering graduate from Texas A&M University she is passionate about engineering solutions to improve patient quality of life. She has spoken to over 200 healthcare and startup experts while conducting customer discovery and market research for SageSpectra’s PAD screening device. Heck will share her perspective as a company officer.
The moderator was Pete ONeill, Chief Innovation Officer for Texas A&M Innovation.
Starting a Company as a Pathway to Translating Academic Research
February 6, 2024 – This seminar explored the topic of starting a company. Our panel of experts, including an experienced entrepreneur, investor, and a business attorney, shared their perspectives for launching a company with a focus on companies based on academic research.
Event presenters were Michael Ellis, Partner, Stibbs and Co., Jose Quintana, Founder and CEO of Advent GX, and Mike Bridges, Early-stage investor and General Partner at Seed Round Capital. The moderator was Pete ONeill, Chief Innovation Officer for Texas A&M Innovation.
Commercialization Funding Mechanisms
December 4, 2023 – The seminar explored the various funding opportunities to advance research innovations toward commercialization.
Discussion topics included learning about securing internal funding through programs like National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (NSF iCorps), Advancing Discovery to Market (ADM) and the Translational Investment Fund (TIF), non-dilutive funding sources, such as SBIR/STTR grants and competitions such as the Texas A&M New Ventures Competition (TNVC), and for-profit dilutive funding and private investments, which is essential for entrepreneurial commercialization.
Event presenters were Saurabh Biswas, Executive Director for Technology Transition at Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Pete ONeill, Chief Innovation Officer for Texas A&M Innovation, and Matt Kebodeaux, Board Member for Aggie Angel Network. The moderator was Chris Scotti, Director for Texas A&M Innovation.
PLAYLIST: Translation Strategies for Internal R&D – 4:50; Concept to Product Roadmap – 9:15; Translational Investment Fund (TIF) – 17:00; Non-Dilutive Company Funding – 21:27; SBIR-STTR – 22:39; External Dilutive Funding – 35:50; Sources of Dilutive Funding – 42:30; Angel Investors/Angel Networks – 48:30; Question & Answer – 54:20.
Protecting Intellectual Property
October 16, 2023 – The seminar reviewed the standard patent process and discusses recent topics impacting IP protection, including how artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT can constitute an unexpected public disclosure, as well as how IP relates to sponsored research.
The event featured the following presenters: Mark Kelley, J.D., LL.M., Intellectual Property Attorney, Texas A&M Innovation, who presented slides on behalf of Dr. Lekha Gopalakrishnan, member of Winstead PC’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, Dr. Travis Young, associate director, Sponsored Research Services, Texas A&M University, and Ms. Janie Hurley, senior licensing director, Texas A&M Innovation.
PLAYLIST: Technology Transfer 101 – 3:15; Who Should Be Named as an Inventor? – 7:45; AI in IP – 16:30 IP: Sponsored Research – 18:55; Problematic Language/Situations in Research Agreements – 25:06; Why Protect IP? – 35:30; When Do I Disclose? – 51:25; Question & Answer – 54:45.
