Summary
January 25, 2027 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET
For scientists considering how to translate a research discovery into a startup, venture capital can become an important source of funding, but the way investors evaluate opportunities can feel unfamiliar. This session introduces how venture capital works, where investment capital comes from, how funds generate returns, and why those mechanics influence which science-driven ventures investors choose to support.
Participants will learn how capital flows from limited partners into venture funds and then into startups; how management fees, carried interest, and power-law economics shape fund performance; and how financing typically progresses from pre-seed through Series A. The session will also explore why venture investors pass on the vast majority of opportunities they review, why a scientifically promising idea may not necessarily be considered investable, and what venture capital is and is not well suited to fund compared with grants, non-dilutive funding, and other sources of capital.
This 60-minute webinar will include a concise primer on key concepts, a moderated fireside conversation with a guest investor from an established early-stage venture fund, 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.