(547d) Translating Biotechnologies from the Lab to Start-up’s – Three Companies, Three Paths

The path followed by innovations created in the lab to the commercial sector varies with the technology, the people, the mission of the company, and the readiness of the market for new ideas. This talk will consider three recent start-up companies advancing innovations developed in my laboratory at MIT, and the paths they have pursued towards their goals for commercialization. These companies include OneCyte Biotechnologies, Honeycomb Biotechnologies, and Sunflower Therapeutics. Each has taken a different, non-traditional path to generating commercial traction and advance the technologies on which they are building new capabilities. I will share some of my experiences and common lessons learned from these endeavors and others that I have previously been involved in as we consider the stories for each with respect to the technology readiness from the lab, the people involved, the purpose of the companies at their inception and their evolution in understanding their potential markets. Each one has a unique path it is charting that may help inform other entrepreneur’s as they begin their journey. (Full disclosure: I have interests in all three companies as a co-founder and advisor. My interests are reviewed and managed by MIT in accordance with their policies related to potential conflicts of interest.)