From Science to Start-Up - The VC Landscape for Emerging Technologies

MEMS, nanotechnology and smart systems are often cited by venture capitalists as ‘the next big thing’ in technology investing. Well over $1 billion venture dollars has already been invested in these areas and the interest is intensifying. In this talk, we’ll take a look at today’s venture capital market and the realities of the technology commercialization process. We will examine a typical investment lifecycle for new technologies and discuss where MEMS, nanotechnology and smart systems play in this cycle. After surveying the venture landscape, we will focus on best known methods for transforming successful research into successful startups. We will identify key attributes that venture capitalists seek in early stage startups and characterize their relative importance. Topics will include the roles of the technical founders, assembling a management team, intellectual property, and target markets. Proceedings of the 2004 International Conference on MEMS, NANO and Smart Systems (ICMENS’04) 0-7695-2189-4/04 $20.00 © 2004 IEEE