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Creation of spin-off companies


General Information
Basic requirements for creating a company
Business Plan
Founding company with results made at the university
Support offered by Unitectra

 
General Information


The University welcomes and supports the founding of spin-off companies and sees in them one of the means to the economic realization of scientific discoveries. The University shows her support by subsidizing seminars (Business Tools, Inc.), offering consulting services, by finding and arranging contacts with investors, as well as by the letting of infrastructure at the University if available.





Basic requirements for creating a company


First of all, you need a business idea. This business idea is the first step in the founding of a company. The most important questions regarding the business idea are the following:
  1. Which problem can be solved by the product or service and what is the advantage for the client?
  2. Which market are you aiming at (client, size of the market, competition)?
  3. Is there any money to be earned with the product or the service (how, how much, how fast)?

In a second step a business plan is written. The business plan consists of important points that should guarantee the success of the company. Of prime importance, especially to investors, are the people behind the idea (the founders of the company) and the qualifications of the management.





Business Plan


The business plan gives information about the following aspects:
  1. Persons: who are the people who work for the company and what are their qualifications? Which other people are connected to the company (suppliers, partners, lawyers)?
  2. Business: profile of the planned company; which products will be sold to which clients; growth potential; economic key figures?
  3. Environment: changing factors the entrepreneurs have no control of, e.g. competition, official regulations, demographic or technological trends, etc.
  4. Risk factors: describe things that may go wrong and points where you might be extremely successful. How will the company react in these cases?

Various literature exists on the writing of a business plan. The contents and structure of all business plans more or less follow the same pattern.





Founding company with results made at the university


Results made at the University belong to the University. The University retains ownership of patents, the spin-off company, however, can acquire under a license the right to use the technology behind the invention.





Support offered by Unitectra


Unitectra offers its consulting services to the employees of the University as well as practical support when a business idea needs defining. We also coach you during the writing of a business plan, and, if necessary, call in external experts for certain cases according to the size and the type of the project.

Unitectra helps to set up licensing agreements for research results made at the University and that shall be commercially exploited by the spin-off company.

Finally, Unitectra will help you to find suitable investors and to make the right contacts.