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Policies and Programs

Duke policies, programs, and guidelines for various matters of interest to technical founders contemplating a start-up.

Duke New Ventures Program

These are guidelines for projects engaging with the Duke New Ventures program. Contact Us for more info.

New Ventures Program

Internal and Regional Funding Programs

Funding programs for entrepreneurial activity available to University employees.

Translational Funding

Conflict of Interest Policies

Duke policies on conflicts of interest and conflict of commitment related to research at Duke.

Conflict of Interest

Patent and Revenue Policy

These guidelines are relevant for understanding payments made by a start-up under a University license.

Policy on Inventions

SBIR/STTR Implementation Procedure

SBIRs and STTRs are awarded directly to an small business concern (SBC), which may issue a subcontract to Duke.

Duke SBIR/STTR POLICY

Library Resources

The Fuqua library has access to specialized databases and tools that are often useful in startup development. We list three here.

Pitchbook

Database of capital raising and provides a convenient source for looking up particular start-ups and their recent fundraising activities.

Pitchbook

Pharmaprojects

Insight into the development pipelines of pharma companies, often illuminating who else is working on a particular concept and how far along the project may have progressed.

PharmaProjects

Markets and Markets

General market research database on companies and industries.

Markets and Markets

Other Useful Resources

Unlike in the 1990s and early 2000s, people have written extensively on the inner workings of technology-based startups, their founding, and their funding, with plenty of useful short anecdotes and guides. Below are a handful that may be helpful. We note once more that start-ups in different industries can require very different advice. Digest any resource on this page in the context of what you are trying to build and its potential industrial market.

Entrepreneur, investor, and Duke MIR Robbie Hardy shares a section from her program, "The StartUP Experience", that deals with common start-up misconceptions.

Start UP Myths excerpt

Paul Graham is one of the founders of Y combinator, one of the most successful and well-known start-up incubators and angel funds.

Startup Mistakes

The development of a new therapeutic is a difficult and long road. John Maragonre, former CEO of Alnylam, lays that out well here.

Reflections on Alnylam

A helpful guide to the legal basics of getting a new start-up going from the Hutchison law group.

University spin out reference document

One filter method from an angel/family office triaging potential seed investments in private companies.

Private Company Evaluation

Excerpt from “Business Model Generation” by Osterwalder et al. about thinking through a business model.

Business model canvas

"What I Wish I Knew as a Scientist-Founder" by Omri Drory, Ph.D., General Partner @ NFX and Head of NFX Bio

Watch here

A primer on the early stages of company formation for an academic bioscientist, including the question, “what is the right role for a technical founder?”

So you want to start a biotech company?

Excerpt from "Disciplined Entrepreneurship" by Bill Aulet on turning an "idea" into a "company".

Aulet method

For more general resources, please visit our Resource Page

OTC Resource Page