The Startup Process

engineering patent lunch

What Startup Teams Gain Working With Us

  • Business skills and practical knowledge 
  • Structured company roles and activities 
  • Confidence when launching 
  • Access to our Commercialization Partners and our network 
  • Continued support from our professional team

We provide the people and resources to ensure that every startup is properly equipped with the connections, tools, and expertise to launch a successful company. 

The startup process is broken into three phases: intake, venture development, and getting to license. Each project is unique, and activities may overlap across phases. Depending on the nature of the opportunity, the entire process could take between 30 days and a year, or potentially longer. But in the end, the inventor drives the pace and motion of the project.

Intake

First we host an initial meeting with the inventing team to explore the team’s intentions and determine the unique needs for their startup. 

Outcomes: 

  • Assignment of a TLA Mentor-in-Residence, licensing manager, and external business advisor 
  • Create an initial plan to license 
  • Establish a timeline for future meetings

Venture Development

During this phase, we dig into the details to help form the company structure. Depending on the needs of the startup, some or all these topics may be addressed.

Outcomes: 

  • Team formation 
  • Business case development 
  • Funding strategy 
  • Capitalization table 
  • Governance plan 
  • Asset development 

License

With your TLA Licensing Manager’s help and leadership, licensing occurs concurrently with venture development. This phase addresses required steps for attaining a license.

Outcomes:

  • Assistance in going through U of A compliance processes (Conflict of Interest and/or Conflict of Commitment)
  • Formulating the license agreement 
  • Agreeing on the license terms 

Startup Toolbox

Learn more about the TLA’s network resources and access our library of business planning tools and guides.

visit the toolbox

U of A Startup Guide

Download our comprehensive resource for understanding the ins and outs of the startup process. 

View the startup guide

Frequently Asked Questions

No employee (or anyone else) may use University-owned IP outside the University without proper notification to the University, and appropriate licenses to that intellectual property. In addition, there are Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment policies and procedures that must be followed when employees wish to start companies outside of the University. Tech Launch Arizona can help navigating these requirements.

A warrant is a type of security that entitles the University to buy the underlying stock of the issuing company at a fixed price called the “exercise price.” Warrants are a form of consideration the University often receives in a license with a startup, usually in lieu of an initial license fee. More often now, in lieu of warrants, stock in the company is provided as consideration in a license. This stock is held by the UA Foundation. Either form may be referred to as equity.

These forms of equity are held until some form of “liquidation event.” That is, typically until the startup is acquired by another company or “goes public” with an initial public offering (IPO) of stock in the company.

 
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