Launching a company and navigating the complexities of the startup ecosystem can be challenging. This is particularly true in life sciences (e.g., biotech, diagnostics, tools, medtech, synthetic biology, agriculture), where technical risks are compounded with market, regulatory, and financing risks. In this seminar series, we explore the foundational principles behind starting, financing, and building successful startups, with an emphasis on academic spinouts leveraging bioengineering technologies. Guest speakers include experienced entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, senior executives from industry, as well as legal counsel and IP licensing professionals. The series will provide students with the fundamentals required to start conceptualizing their startup idea, ample networking opportunities, and will culminate in a fireside chat with recent PhD/MS graduates who have launched biotech startups. This course is open to MS/PhD/MD/JD/MBA students only. This class has a capacity limit and students must apply to be admitted. The application can be accessed via: https://forms.gle/fu62vHYkVaCNP1hK7
2 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
Launching a company and navigating the complexities of the startup ecosystem can be challenging. This is particularly true in life sciences (e.g., biotech, diagnostics, tools, medtech, synthetic biology, agriculture), where technical risks are compounded with market, regulatory, and financing risks. In this seminar series, we explore the foundational principles behind starting, financing, and building successful startups, with an emphasis on academic spinouts leveraging bioengineering technologies. Guest speakers include experienced entrepreneurs, venture capital investors, senior executives from industry, as well as legal counsel and IP licensing professionals. The series will provide students with the fundamentals required to start conceptualizing their startup idea, ample networking opportunities, and will culminate in a fireside chat with recent PhD/MS graduates who have launched biotech startups. This course is open to MS/PhD/MD/JD/MBA students only. This class has a capacity limit and students must apply to be admitted. The application can be accessed via: https://forms.gle/fu62vHYkVaCNP1hK7
Offered in Spring 2026 at Stanford University.