Three Rules for the Entrepreneurial Scientist

By Clifford S. Coss, Co-Founder of GlycoSurf

When I first began synthesizing green, biodegradable surfactants for my PhD at the University of Arizona, I would never have guessed that it would evolve into patented technology or that I would be standing at the door of my first venture, GlycoSurf. The following rules and lessons I have learned since becoming an entrepreneur may not apply to everyone’s venture, because no two journeys are the same. However, if you are trying to start a venture from a university laboratory, maybe this article will help.

RULE #1: Love what you do

As you might imagine, there are a few dangers associated with doing research on synthetic compounds. I have no idea why working with dangerous chemicals is “cool,” but putting my life at risk in the lab is entertaining to my family and friends; however, the greatest dangers arising from the work are those to the environment and the community.

I do not think I am alone in finding it a bit hypocritical to synthesize “green” compounds with very “ungreen” processes. As I sought to make my synthesis “greener” and safer, I not only lowered the hazards, steps, and cost of the reactions, but also found that I had a patentable and potentially feasible technology for commercialization. The main consequence of this discovery was that there were no more exciting and dangerous stories to keep my family and friends interested for very long.

While “I make non-toxic, biodegradable surfactants, by environmentally-friendly processes, for use in personal care, medical, agricultural, and bioremediation applications” is sure to bore my Thanksgiving guests into a pre-turkey coma, I, personally, find the research and technology exciting and inspiring. Knowing full well that the journey taken to form a startup is long and difficult, my business partners and I – the founders of GlycoSurf – had to be sure we loved what we did. Not only that, but we must continue loving it no matter how much it complains as we nudge it along through the red tape of university and state legality. For us as founders, it is a no-brainer. We feel obligated to take our technology to the market in order to better our community – be it locally or worldwide – and the environment.

RULE #2: Make it happen

One of the hardest things to deal with is the possibility that your invention is not unique and will never develop into a successful startup. I think it is universally accepted that it is better to know this sooner rather than later. Research the market and get familiar with answers to key questions as early as possible, such as: What are customers buying now? What are they paying for it? Why should they buy from you? Understand as clearly as possible whether your technology is feasible or not before you spend too much money only to see it come crashing back down three months later.

Regardless of the answers you get to these questions, the key is acceptance – acceptance that your technology is or is not commercially feasible. I cannot imagine anything worse for up-and-coming entrepreneurs than the denial they hold onto regarding their own technology. If you truly believe that the technology works and can be successful in the marketplace, never doubt it. But if it is never going to leave the runway, accept the truth and let it go. Either way, there will come a certain sense of reality; if successful, you will have a lot of work to do, or if not, there will be some grieving and healing to be done. But, if you know it is going to work, grab hold of it and take it skyward.

RULE #3: Do not give up

For those of you unfamiliar with the oft painful process of nurturing a company through a university system, it involves people that believe in what you are doing (both from the university’s tech transfer office and from your own team), and people that you believe in. It requires strong intellectual property, the right disclosures and patents of that intellectual property, and careful and considerate navigation through the university’s conflict of interest maze. You need a successful proof of concept, a structuring plan for the company, and all the legal paperwork to create the business entity and build your team. Then, you must seek license agreements with the university in order to actually use your technology to manufacture your products, raise money to build your business, and then market and sell products. Easy enough, right? Before you know it, it has been years since you first disclosed your invention with the university and the light at the end of the tunnel is so far off you may actually be confusing it with the white spots you see from lack of sleep, way too much caffeine, and being more overwhelmed than an ant lifting a fifteen-passenger van.

It has been a long five years since I first took a multi-step, expensive and dangerous synthesis with a large environmental impact (the bad kind), and modified it into a “greener,” low-cost, scalable and reproducible process for creating “green soap.” Only now is it feeling like the dream I had so long ago might actually come true, even though I know that those last five years have been nothing compared to difficulties that lie ahead. Sure, it has been can be daunting and discouraging, but the key for me – and I think for any entrepreneur – has been to forge on and don’t let it get me down.

So, as your business progresses and you begin to experience success, the workload will become larger and the days longer. But take the time to remind yourself every day that this is what you really want to do. If you are like me, what you will accomplish is not just for you. It is for the betterment of your community and the world. Work hard to remain focused on what you want to achieve. Always remember the mission of your company and never stop defending it.

And remember, even if you’re seeing spots before your eyes today, they will – someday – resolve into the light at the end of the tunnel.