HACKER Q&A
📣 pollypocket424

How do startups/founders engage with Universities/academia?


Hi all,

Apologies if this is an incorrect forum for this, but I am working on a project with a few UK-based universities who want to expand their presence in Silicon Valley/SF. I've been asked for some concrete proposals of activities that would help connect students/researchers from the Uni with VCs/funders/founders in San Francisco/SV.

I have a pretty good idea from the University side.

From the start-up/VC side -- what is attractive and interesting about working with a University?

What sort of programming or showcases would be interesting enough to have you engage with the University and its students?

Is access to a tech-campus affiliated with a top-ranked University an attractive proposition?

Lastly, are there any examples or instances where you've collaborated with a University (one-off events, or sustained programming) and found it to be useful/successful?

Many thanks for your help.


  👤 PaulHoule Accepted Answer ✓
One scenario is "technology transfer" where a research group has done a lot of work on a technology and they either have patents or applying for patents and they will license them to you.

Potentially this can be a big win but there are many practical reasons why you might not get the pot of gold at the end of this rainbow.