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3 - Starting up your company

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2022

Shreefal S. Mehta
Affiliation:
The Paper Battery Company
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Summary

Steps taken to start a new venture can make for rocky road ahead if consideration is not given to the points reviewed in this chapter. How to select and build a team and fairly distribute the founder’s equity, how to select an advisory board or a board of directors, and the importance of establishing a culture within the new company are all points discussed in detail and highlighted through personal stories and case examples. The main components of a business plan are covered in many texts and blogs, so this chapter focuses on the practical issues that few academic texts discuss, such as: how to perform due diligence on your investors and tips on creating slide decks , pitching and presenting business plans, and structuring financials and milestone to meet investors key concerns. The sources of financing and expectations of investors are reviewed with a view to guiding the entrepreneur or executive through the key elements for success, including successful closing on a term sheet or preparing for due diligence so that the process moves smoothly towards closure of the financing. The specific challenges facing an academic technopreneur moving into a decision-making executive (CSO or CEO) role are reviewed and guidance offered on utilizing the strength of the team around them.

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Chapter
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

References and additional readings

Blank, S, and Dorf, B. (2012). The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company. K&S Ranch Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0984999309Google Scholar
Feld, B. (2019). Venture Deals: Be Smarter than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist. 4th ed. New York: Wiley. ISBN-1: 978-1119594826Google Scholar
Fled, B, and Cohen, DG. (2019). Do More Faster: Techstars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley. ISBN-13: 978-1119583288Google Scholar
Harnish, V. (2012). Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It … and Why the Rest Don’t (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Gazelles Inc Publishing. ISBN: 978-0986019524Google Scholar
Mehta, S. (2004). Paths to entrepreneurship in the life sciences. Nature Biotechnology 22(12), 16091612.Google Scholar
Mehta, S. (2019). Chapter 2: From scientist to CEO, in Bio and MedTech Entrepreneurship: from Startup to Exit, edited by Flaadt, H and Dogwiler, J. 2nd ed., Stampfli Verlag. (Note: accompanying text for the BioBusiness course taught by the author, with details at http://www.biobusiness.usi.ch/).Google Scholar
Shimasaki, C. (2009). The Business of Bioscience: What Goes into Making a Biotechnology Product. New York: Springer. ISBN-13: 978-1441900647Google Scholar
Shimasaki, C. (2014). Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Starting, Managing, and Leading Biotech Companies. Elsevier Science. ISBN-13: 978-0124047471Google Scholar

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