THE PAIN
•
“Needle in the haystack” effect. Too many opportunities
to sort out and too little time to "nurture" the ones with "potential"
• Varied IP policies in Canada and a vast geographic spread make it
difficult for a company employee to really travel to all of the
universities and research institutions regularly and extract the best
opportunities
• Time/manpower sinkhole to keep abreast of the latest research. Most
web based opportunity lists are not entirely up to date. Best
opportunities are the latest ones.
• Unrealistic expectations by inventors
• Deal closing may not be a university priority
• Experience-level of Technology Transfer staff could be a problem
THE NEED
• Trusted outsourcing capability to RELIABLY pre-filter opportunities
• Cost-effective scouting as an extension of current in-house Business
Development
• Anonymity when searching for sensitive technologies, confidentiality
about the activities inside the company and exclusivity in the area of
choice
• Shorter times to deal closings
• Realistic expectations from academics
THE SOLUTION
• Outsource to one reliable service whose very business model relies on excellent relationships
with universities
• Use economies of scale to contain costs
• Bound by confidentiality
• Exclusivity in given area
• Regularly reports to the company
THE COST
• Retained service mode. No cost to universities.
• No financial overhang from closed deals
• Easy to budget
• Low, manageable cost
• WELL below in-house costs to do similar scouting
"
I can look up what I need in terms of new technologies through a web
search. Why would I pay ArrowCan Partners to get me this information?"
Those who value the ArrowCan
Model see three advantages beyond the initial identification of
the appropriate technologies. We have come to refer to these as the
SOT advantage.
Soft
Parameters: Once the technology has been
identified, the client REALLY wants to know about the PEOPLE behind the
technology. Early technologies will take many months of working with the
inventor to bring them to the right point to be useful to the industry
partner. The "people chemistry" will play a VITAL role in either
facilitating this or dashing it on the rocks. The inventor, the
Institution, the Department, even the collaborating graduate students
will ALL have a very important role to play. A web search does not
address these issues. ArrowCan does as an INTEGRAL part of its model.
Orthogonal
Technologies: Often the most interesting
OUTSIDE early technologies are those that are borne out of someone's
vision to make connections between apparently orthogonal areas. This is
the area that is most exciting for new "disruptive" ideas. Commonalities
between variability in the data in SNP databases and radar software, for
example, can and have sparked some exciting developments in Signal to
Noise improvements. A search of EITHER area would not have revealed the
connection. These connections are made BECAUSE of the intensity of the
travel and the "trust and understanding" that are established by regular
helpful visits. It is unlikely that a routine database or web search
would turn up such a connection. Only a HUMAN mind, dedicated to MAKING
such connections is useful here. ArrowCan Partners has such minds.
Top
of Mind: The connection between a new
technology and a company is in most cases NOT a systematic, algorithmic
one in Technology Transfer offices. Often it depends on which company
last visited the office and on how well the company individual explained
their needs. Unless medium sized companies are prepared to spend the
time (and money) to dedicate someone within the company to do what
ArrowCan offers at a very competitive price, they will always run the
risk of losing the best opportunities to the larger companies.
ArrowCan offers its clients the ability to profit from the intensity of
its visits to research institutions across Canada while
simultaneously profiting from anonymity and confidentiality. When a
web search turns up an interesting technology at a particular
institution, the relations are already made and well cultivated through
ArrowCan's constant efforts. Through the advantages of "economies of
scale" ArrowCan Partners IS able to dedicate the time needed
because it is done on behalf of ALL of its clients.
The SOT advantage makes
ArrowCan Partners an ideal and reasonable adjunct to database searching
and web browsing for client companies.
For more information designed for Research Partners
Click Here
For more information and examples of
what ArrowCan Partners has already done for some Research Partners
Click
Here
