TEP is a nationally-recognized recurring year-long process now in its sixth year. The program was created through a unique consortium TEP Co-Sponsors for entrepreneurship education and technology commercialization linking the Pacific Northwest National Labs, University of Oregon Office of Technology Transfer, the UO Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship, the UO Law and Entrepreneurship Center, faculty inventors, professional schools, private investors, and state and local economic development programs.
TEP is a major component in the experiential framework of the Oregon MBA and for law and science graduate students interested in entrepreneurship. Working in inter-disciplinary teams provides real-world experience not available in any other academic program at the university .
Collaborative Model:
The four primary partners bring complementary inputs to the program: (1) PNNL and UO Office of Tech Transfer contribute patented or copyrighted technologies that they believe offer commercial potential, and tap their streams of licensing royalty income to support the students’ interdisciplinary technology evaluations. (2) UO academic departments provide access to faculty inventors, and contribute doctoral students and post-docs in physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, psychology, computer science, education and others. (3) The LCE contributes MBA students and faculty advisers with expertise in accounting, finance, marketing, and business planning. (4) The CLE contributes law students and faculty advisers with expertise in assessing intellectual property. (5) Supported by UO faculty, technology transfer professionals, and PNNL commercialization staff,
Program Phases:
1. Fellow Selection and Summer Fellowship Program
Each spring applicants are solicited from first-year MBA students and second-year law students to be selected as TEP Fellows and assigned to inter-
disciplinary teams of three. Click here for application process
PNNL and UO Office of Tech Transfer present the new TEP Fellows with a set of 8-12 high-potential proprietary technologies for their consideration.
TEP Fellows travel to the PNNL facility, and confer with scientist inventors and technology commercialization managers. Similar visits are held with UO inventors/scientists.
Each TEP Fellows team screens the potential technologies, and selects one in which they see the greatest promise for commercialization.
Between June and September, the TEP Fellows teams complete a Market and Business Feasibility Assessment which includes conducting due diligence, guided by faculty advisors with expertise in technology commercialization, and supported by mentors recruited from the professional venture investing, legal, and new product development communities. Teams, working with advisers who closely monitor progress towards goals, have three monthly check-points during the Summer Fellows phase. Issues addressed include the following: technology due diligence
market opportunity analysis
competitive set analysis
marketing strategy development
business model development
intellectual property landscape evaluation
intellectual property protection strategy
financial modeling
At summer’s end, the TEP Fellows teams deliver an in-depth written and oral assessment of their technology’s potential for commercialization to a distinguished audience that includes: UO Deans of the Lundquist College, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the UO School of Law; the UO Vice President for Research; executives from Battelle Memorial Institute; regional venture capital investors; and executives from Oregon technology corporations and economic development agencies.
About half of the TEP teams proceed to develop a business plan in the New Venture Planning Class. The other half determined that their technology or chosen markets are not sufficiently attractive. The program emphasizes that determining to not start a business is also a highly valuable outcome.
2. New Venture Planning (MGMT 625):
Those TEP Fellows team members concluding that their technology represents a highly attractive commercial opportunity may go on to enroll in the LCB’s Fall Term graduate business planning course, and spend the term building a professional business plan, business team and investor presentation for launching a new venture. In transistioning to this phase, TEP venture team memberships may change to add specific expertise or to account for other gaps.
3. Venture Quest Business Plan Competition:
In early December, TEP teams present their business plans at Venture Quest, the LCB’s internal business plan competition. Feedback from the judges is especially valuable for those teams who are invited to proceed to Venture Launch.
4. Venture Launch (MGMT 610), External Business Plan Competitions:
Successful teams from the LCB’s internal competition may be invited to represent the University of Oregon at one or more of the major international business plan competitions generally held in the late winter and spring terms. In this phase, team memberships often change as teams evaluate their personnel gaps.
In Venture Launch, plans and presentations are honed to a very high level through close interactions with faculty, and exposure to feedback from many Venture Capitalists, Angel Investors and service providers to Entrepreneurial businesses. This is a truly “live fire” experience, with the investors treating the students like anyone else asking for money.
In the program’s first five years, 7 teams have competed at 28 competitions, including competitions throughout the USA, and competitions in Canada, Thailand and Hong Kong.
