Great initiative! happy to share the news
Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
31–40 of 65 posts
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#32are you planning on batches in future years? I'm not really ready for this now, but will be in a year or so.
If this goes well, very likely -- for now we're focused on this first group as an experiment though.
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#33Hey I'm one of the people starting this fellowship program -- Our hope is to inspire more scientists to start companies-- we really believe that a lot more scientists could become great founders, and companies are often the most effective way to be developing research that can improve or save lives. Happy to answer any questions that pop up!
It says you provide lab space, is that all in one facility or is it more that you help teams find lab space in the bay area?
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#34Hey I'm one of the people starting this fellowship program -- Our hope is to inspire more scientists to start companies-- we really believe that a lot more scientists could become great founders, and companies are often the most effective way to be developing research that can improve or save lives. Happy to answer any questions that pop up!
It says you provide lab space, is that all in one facility or is it more that you help teams find lab space in the bay area?
Help teams find space through incubator spaces we know -- also this most likely only applies for teams that want to relocate to the Bay Area (otherwise we ask you to tell us how you will get lab space you may need).
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#35Are you interested in particular types of scientist? I.e., physicists, chemists, biologists? Computer scientists? :)
We think we can be most helpful for people working on life science companies, so mostly focused on that.
Two quick questions: 1) does your comment above mean that it makes little to no sense to apply if a startup is in different (albeit, somewhat adjacent) domain: mine targets materials science and engineering; 2) how do feel about solo founders?
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#36Any scientists applying need a partner from the software side? Would love to make an impact in something like this!
We have a google form you can fill out here if you are looking for a co-founder: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeHVqqOMBoWa_O3RyuI...
the form seems to need permissions, could you give public access please, thanks!
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#37Hey I'm one of the people starting this fellowship program -- Our hope is to inspire more scientists to start companies-- we really believe that a lot more scientists could become great founders, and companies are often the most effective way to be developing research that can improve or save lives. Happy to answer any questions that pop up!
Compared to the traditional "PI starts company with venture backing to commercialize their research" model what types of opportunities do you think are uniquely suited to your approach?
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#38Would you take on a pure CS idea that has the potential for profitable technologies to be built around it?
Also is there a requirement that you have to have a PHD or would you also consider BS holders?
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#39Calling this a "Fellowship" is misleading. The funding is an investment. See their FAQ: Q: How much equity does Sci-Founder take in my company? A: There are two funding options we offer: $250,000 for 10% equity $400,000 for 15% equity
Is it just me, or does it seem like an odd assumption that this hard-codes the value of the company to $2.5M-$2.7M? I would think they would have a percentage cut they target or a dollar amount they target, and the other variable is filled in based on their assessment of the startup's value at the time?
We want teams to feel like peers and not like we're treating some teams more favorably than others -- from my experience having worked at Y Combinator, I think creating a sense where everyone is equal is one of the many things YC has done really well.
Re: Sci-Founder Fellowship: Helping scientists to start companies
#40Billionaires will make the world a better place by investing in fellowships like this than donating money to charities.
I have long held that a place like Costco has done more good for the world than a bunch of conceited snooty egomaniacs sitting around a boardroom table at the Rockefeller Foundation.