Summary
February 8, 2027 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
Transforming a scientific discovery into a viable company requires more than strong research. Promising technologies can stall between the lab and the market when they lack the funding, partnerships, commercial validation, or infrastructure needed to advance. This session introduces the pathway from research discovery to early-stage venture creation and examines the critical transition points along the way.
Participants will explore how a scientific innovation can move from invention disclosure and technology transfer through licensing, non-dilutive funding, incubators and accelerators, and ultimately to institutional investment. The discussion will also consider the current deep tech landscape, including sectors attracting investor interest such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence, climate technology, advanced materials, and quantum technologies, as well as emerging sources of capital including philanthropic and impact-oriented funding.
This 60-minute webinar will include a concise primer on key concepts, a moderated fireside conversation with a scientist-founder, deep tech investor, or technology transfer leader with experience bringing research-driven technologies toward market, and audience Q&A. Participants will also receive a one-page resource sheet highlighting key concepts and resources for further learning.
About the PhD to VC Course
Scientific discoveries can hold enormous promise, but translating an idea from the lab into a startup or other commercial opportunity requires scientists to navigate an unfamiliar landscape of funding, investors, technology transfer, and venture creation. This four-part short course introduces scientists to the fundamentals of venture capital and research commercialization in accessible, practical language, with an emphasis on how these systems apply to science-driven ventures.
Across the course, participants will learn how venture capital funds work and why their economics shape investment decisions; trace the pathway from scientific discovery to commercialization; examine how investors source, screen, and evaluate early-stage science startups; and explore the many ways scientists can participate in the venture ecosystem. The course will also consider where venture capital fits alongside grants and other non-dilutive funding, why promising science does not always translate into an investable opportunity, and how scientific expertise can contribute to venture diligence and decision-making.
Each 60-minute webinar will combine a concise primer on key concepts with a moderated fireside conversation featuring a guest expert and audience Q&A. Participants will also receive a one-page resource sheet for each session highlighting key concepts and resources for further learning.
To earn a Certificate of Participation, register by January 25, 2027, and attend all four sessions live in full. Registration remains open after the series begins and includes access to all recordings for one year, but late registrants are not eligible to receive a certificate.
This course is being offered exclusively for Academy members. Nonmembers can purchase membership directly during event registration in order to participate.
Registration
This event is open for registration.