Replication of Faculty Spin-off Programs at Smaller College and University Cohorts

In 2009, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). was approached by several smaller colleges and universities in the United States for commercialization assistance. Since that time, Georgia Tech, a national leader in intellectual property creation and commercialization, has been attempting to replicate its successful faculty spin-off program, VentureLab, at these smaller cohorts. This effort is rooted in the belief that spin-off worthy innovation exists at smaller colleges and universities without a process to reach fruition, limiting the potential economic impact of federally sponsored innovation. Academic publications around university commercialization and faculty spin-offs suggest various variables which influence the outcome of university technology transfer efforts. This paper discusses these variables and others in the context of our efforts with and interviews at eleven institutions. The findings suggest additional factors for consideration in the replication of large university commercialization programs at resource constrained, smaller colleges and universities.