TechNovum Cohort 2 UPDATE:

The start date for TechNovum Cohort 2 is to be determined. Please stay tuned for updates.

UPDATED January 27, 2021:

TechNovum^TM, the accelerator at UT Health San Antonio, is intended to assist investigator entrepreneurs who wish to play a more active role in the commercialization of their UT Health San Antonio-developed inventions. TechNovum provides practical commercialization-oriented educational coaching and is designed to help investigator entrepreneurs to validate their product idea through the use of customer and market feedback, and the creation and development of a compelling commercialization story. The deliverable is a vetted business model and an investor-ready pitch/presentation.

The second cohort is open to all life science innovations. In past, the teams would meet weekly, typically in the evening, for a 3 hour moderated coaching sessions over 14 weeks. We are currently developing a program that will abide by the COVID-19 guidelines in place within the University. The anticipated start date is TBD.

TechNovum is a value-added program of the UT Health San Antonio Office of Technology Commercialization in the Office of the Vice President of Research.  TechNovum was established for the purpose of enabling rapid and efficient translation to the marketplace of innovations discovered/developed at UT Health San Antonio, the chief catalyst of the city’s $40.2 billion health care and biosciences industry.

Cohort 2 Call for Applications: TBD

Cohort 2 Application Submission Deadline: TBD

Why Should You Consider an Accelerator?

TechNovum guides investigator/faculty entrepreneurs from idea to product and company. Using a cohort/curriculum and mentor-based approach, TechNovum is an environment that enables individuals to accelerate, or compress, the amount of time it takes to move a technology/product idea to the next stage.

TechNovum assists with the creation of a business model and a compelling investor pitch. At the conclusion of the program, faculty entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch to accredited investors at a Demo Day.

Educational Coaching Sessions

Investigator/faculty entrepreneurs in the cohort will meet for educational coaching sessions, hear from experts, and receive one-on-one guidance from mentors. Through regular facilitated coaching sessions, the selected teams will validate their product idea using customer and market feedback and prepare a compelling business model, and will learn how to pitch their technologies, and raise investment capital. Guest speakers will discuss essential considerations such as regulatory issues, financial issues, and product development (including customer requirements, design controls, materials biocompatibility, engineering, and other practical matters).

With the approval of the investigator/faculty entrepreneur team, a graduate student may be assigned to provide hands-on assistance throughout the process. As part of the commercialization team, participating graduate students gain a valuable and time-compressed entrepreneurial learning opportunity.

Mentors

Mentors with expertise in business and industry will be available to provide tailored guidance to each team. Mentoring meetings to be arranged at convenient times based upon a team’s schedule. If you are interested in volunteering and learning more about mentoring opportunities please email your interest and contact information to TechNovum@uthscsa.edu.

Demo Day and Investor Connections

At the conclusion of the program, TechNovum will host a Demo Day in which the investigator/faculty entrepreneurs will pitch their companies to accredited investors, as well as to the community.

If you would like to be added to our Demo Day invitation list, please send your name and contact information to TechNovum@uthscsa.edu.

Ecosystem

In order to provide members of the cohort with an even-wider array of services, TechNovum collaborates with partners and organizations in the San Antonio, Texas entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a reach that extends regionally as well as globally.

If you are involved with the Life Science Ecosystem and would like to learn more, please send an email to TechNovum@uthscsa.edu requesting more information.

Staff and Mentors

John Fritz and Sean Thompson of the Office of Technology Commercialization at UT Health San Antonio are co-directors of TechNovum. They will lead the educational coaching sessions and serve as mentors.

Business and industry experts will be available to mentor cohort teams. Some mentors will be provided by Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) San Antonio, which is based upon the highly successful mentoring methodology of the MIT VMS that has been replicated at over 90 organizations worldwide and is a part of a University of Texas System initiative called Texas Venture Connect. Other mentors will come directly from the community and other life science hubs around the U.S. Mentors have proficiency in business and product development, business model development, regulatory issues, and commercialization of medical devices.

If you are interested in learning more about serving as a mentor for TechNovum, please contact John Fritz (fritzja@uthscsa.edu) or Sean Thompson (thompsons3@uthscsa.edu).

Are You Ready for the Challenge? Apply to Join TechNovum

TechNovum welcomes applicants for the second cohort. Each applicant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be on staff at UT Health San Antonio; and
• Have an invention disclosure on file with the UTHSA Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) which has passed the OTC stage-gated process for commercialization of early stage technologies.

All life science inventions are welcome. (Future cohorts may focus on other industry sectors.)

Applicants must have an interest in validating the product and market for their invention, and willingness to participate in the program to advance commercialization of their inventions. They must be available to participate in the cohort that will run from approximately June through October 2020.

Five to eight teams of UT Health San Antonio faculty with life science inventions will be selected to participate in TechNovum. Each winning applicant will be limited to a team of 3 participants.

Interested inventors must complete the application process, which begins with the submission of a complete application to OTC. All completed applications should be emailed to TechNovum@uthscsa.edu.

APPLY NOW!

All applications will be reviewed by OTC, and selected applicants will be invited to pitch/interview with OTC. Then, a selection decision will be made, and invitations extended to the winning teams.

The deadline for applications is TBD.

Volunteer for TechNovum

TechNovum seeks volunteers with business and technical expertise to serve as mentors, providing guidance to the investigator/faculty entrepreneur teams in the cohort, and individuals to help with the program itself. Volunteer and mentor opportunities are flexible and varied. If you are interested in being a part of TechNovum, please contact us at TechNovum@uthscsa.edu.

Supporters and Partners

TechNovum is supported in part by the Office of Vice President for Research.

TechNovum Sponsor Opportunities

TechNovum is seeking sponsorship and support of our accelerator program and Demo Day event. We have 3 different sponsorship levels available: Bronze, Silver and Gold. For more information, please send any sponsorship inquiries to TechNovum@uthscsa.edu. We appreciate your interest in sponsorship opportunities.

Questions?

Contact TechNovum@uthscsa.edu, John Fritz (fritzja@uthscsa.edu) or Sean Thompson (thompsons3@uthscsa.edu).

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, now called UT Health San Antonio®, is one of the country’s leading health sciences universities. With missions of teaching, research, healing and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced 36,500 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world. To learn about the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.