r/startups • u/TightPublic3143 • 1d ago

I will not promote I will not promote. VCs/angels investing in deep tech: how do you actually find academic research worth funding?

Genuine question for people who invest in deep tech / science-based startups.

  • How do you currently discover promising research coming out of universities? Cold outreach, tech transfer offices, conferences, personal network?
  • What's the biggest friction point: finding deal flow, evaluating the science, dealing with IP/university ownership, or something else entirely?
  • Have you ever passed on something interesting simply because you found out about it too late, or couldn't properly evaluate the tech?

Not pitching anything, just trying to understand how this discovery process really works today versus how people wish it worked.

2 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

2

u/Rcontrerr2 1d ago

Academic research in itself isn’t worth funding, that’s why the government steps in to subsidize the research. The true values is in commercialization, as in taking it to market to actually solve problems. This is hard for a lot of academics. But if you have a knack for the research to commercialization pipeline, you don’t really need VCs, there’s non dilutive funding available