THE R&D VENTURE STUDIO STAGE GATES
Sponsor & Managing Director
Venture Builder + Fellows
Venture Builder + Fellows
- A new channel is defined through sponsorship (internal or external)
- R&D leadership ensures a home department for the channel
- New studio channel created
- Funding allocated
- Venture Builder(s) hired
- Conduct tech scouting in home department
- Conduct market needs survey in topic area
- Incorporate expert feedback
- List of promising opportunity areas
- Preliminary database of tech capabilities in home dept., market needs & venture ideas
- Top 3-5 opportunity areas selected
- Project team members each explore 1-2 opportunity areas
- Targeted exploration of technologies & market
- Team formation (potential cofounders, advisors)
- 3-5 team projects, each with a team, a pitch deck and supporting business materials, and a technical reason to believe
- 1 or more proto ventures ready for incorporation and external investment
- VC term sheet (pre-seed) or other committed source of funding (e.g. DARPA grant)
- Commercial incorporation
- Founders go full time
- Receive first external funding
- Pass off to local accelerators or incubator programs
- Newly formed startup(s) go on to change the world!
- Technical de-risking
- Market de-risking
- Vision for first product
- Business plan & go-to-market strategy
- Fundraising