Turning University MedTech Into Acquisition-Ready Assets
We design the commercial model, structure the transaction, and run acquirer-matched proof-of-concepts — turning de-risked university devices into assets buyers want.
Typical engagement: 12–18 months from rights secured to acquisition-ready status.
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Read our comprehensive playbook for university spinouts
Read the PlaybookThe Gap Between Innovation and Market
Most university spinouts and medtech innovations never make it to market due to tech transfer bottlenecks and misaligned commercial strategies.
Breakthrough devices stall in the lab due to tech transfer bottlenecks, a lack of commercial model, and no alignment with active acquirer demand. Meanwhile, innovators are buried in SBIR applications, grant cycles, and non-revenue "partnerships" with companies that are interested but not committed.
We close that gap. Think of it as an out-of-the-lab and into-a-polo-shirt exercise — taking your innovation, building the economic model, mapping the route to market, and fundamentally de-risking the asset.
turn your innovation into accretive value — and take it to market via acquisition, investment, or strategic partnership.
Match innovations to active acquisition pipelines
Compress licensing timelines from 9–12 months to ~60 days
Build recurring-revenue commercial models from hardware-first IP
Run proof-of-concepts that produce acquisition metrics, not vanity data
Our Process
A gated, execution-first commercialization sprint for university spinouts and medtech innovations. We de-risk the asset, align it to acquirer demand, and make it acquisition-ready with clean deal hygiene.
- 0
Fit & Thesis
Rapid screen to confirm there's a credible route to market, a protectable field-of-use, and clear acquirer theses to target. Establish kill/redirect criteria up front.
Note: This step is a fast filter to confirm market viability and acquirer interest before committing resources.
Timing:
1–2 weeks
Deliverables:
acquirer wishlist map, field-of-use hypothesis, preliminary unit economics, kill criteria
Exit criteria:
≥2 plausible acquirer profiles + defensible IP angle → proceed
- 1
Rights & IP Secured
Lock an exclusive option or field-of-use license with the Tech Transfer Office; confirm chain of title, patent status, and a basic FTO landscape. Define claims you will and won't make.
Note: The goal is to secure the rights needed for your target market quickly and cleanly, without unnecessary scope or cost.
Timing:
2–10 weeks (target ~60 days)
Deliverables:
executed option/license, IP memo (status + FTO snapshot), claim guardrails
Exit criteria:
exclusive rights (or binding path to them) in the intended market
- 2
Commercial Model & Unit Economics
Convert the invention into a business: device lease, consumables subscription, and cloud platform. Build price book, gross margin model, and capacity assumptions; define SLAs and terms.
Note: Structure fits the innovation — could be lease, consumables, subscription, or other models. Focus is on proving margins and scalability, not forcing a format.
Timing:
weeks 4–12 (overlaps rights work)
Deliverables:
price book, unit-econ model (COGS, GM, ARPU), draft MSAs/SLAs, channel plan
Exit criteria:
target GM ≥ 55% at scale and clear path to recurring revenue
- 3
Regulatory & Quality Readiness
Define intended use and regulatory path (e.g., 510(k)/De Novo/CLIA/LDT as applicable). Stand up a lite QMS (ISO 13485 scaffolding), risk management per ISO 14971, and basic design controls; document cybersecurity/privacy posture.
Note: This step is about scaffolding — enough to de-risk due diligence and enable proof-of-concepts, not a multi-year FDA submission process unless it's core to the deal thesis.
Timing:
weeks 6–16 (scaffold now; expand as needed)
Deliverables:
regulatory memo & milestones, QMS starter (procedures/templates), risk register, labeling/claims guardrails
Exit criteria:
acquirer-acceptable regulatory plan + minimum quality system in place for pilots
- 4
Prove It (Commercial Validation)
This step is about generating market proof, not just a lab result. We run targeted, acquirer-aligned pilots or early sales to validate the offer in a live setting. Success is measured against agreed metrics: conversion, price acceptance, delivery performance, compliance, and customer satisfaction.
Note: The objective here is to demonstrate that the business model works outside the lab, producing commercial evidence that materially reduces acquirer or investor risk.
Timing:
8–24 weeks
Deliverables:
signed pilot agreements or purchase orders, completed engagements with performance reports, customer references, data on unit economics in the field
Exit criteria:
≥1 credible paying customer or committed pilot that matches target acquirer's deal thesis
- 5
Proof-of-Concepts Built for Acquisition
Run 2–3 targeted POCs with pre-agreed success metrics aligned to acquirer wishlists: performance, turnaround time (TAT), cost-to-serve, usability, data capture, and compliance signals, not vanity endpoints.
Note: POCs are designed against acquirer-defined metrics from day one to produce data that supports a transaction.
- 6
Dataroom, Buyer Alignment & Transaction
Assemble a clean dataroom and run a structured process with strategics/PE. Evaluate asset sale, license, JV, or investment; structure economics including TTO backend (equity/royalties/milestones).
Note: The dataroom is built to meet diligence requirements and support multiple transaction paths, from asset sale to investment.
Timing:
weeks 16–36 (dataroom), weeks 28–54 (LOIs → close)
Deliverables:
dataroom (IP, financials, POC data, QMS, regulatory, supply, security), teaser/one-pager, LOI scenarios, transaction checklist
Exit criteria:
qualified LOI(s) matching valuation/structure targets and close plan
- 7
Transition & Value Protection (Optional)
60–90 day transition: assign licenses, transfer SOPs and QMS docs, vendor novations, customer hand-offs, and KPI tracking to protect the thesis post-close.
Note: Ensures operational continuity post-close and protects agreed backend economics.
Timing:
2–3 months post-sign
Deliverables:
transition plan, TSAs (if any), KPI pack, close-out report
Exit criteria:
obligations met; buyer confirms operational readiness
What You Get
The intent is simple: build something people want and will pay for, do it fast, and keep it lean. We focus on the minimal requirements to de-risk the asset and enable a go-to-market action — acquisition, investment, or strategic partnership. Every deliverable below is designed to support that transaction.
Exclusive Rights Secured
Option/license with field-of-use clarity.
Commercial Model
Define what you sell, how you sell it, and the economic model (e.g., lease + consumables + platform subscription) with validated unit economics. You may already have a plan, but there might be a faster or alternative approach that expands TAM or margins.
Reg/Quality Readiness
Regulatory plan, lite QMS, risk register, and claim guardrails.
Acquirer-Aligned POC Results
Pilots and reference customers that match acquirer metrics, not vanity data.
Clean Dataroom & Transaction Structure
Aligned to TTO backend economics and ready for diligence.
Typical engagement: 12–18 months from rights secured to acquisition-ready. Timing varies by IP status, regulatory pathway, and POC complexity.
Who We Work With
We work with teams sitting on high-potential IP that's stalled in the lab, stuck in licensing limbo, or lacking a credible route to market. Our role is to strip away the friction, prove the commercial case fast, and package the asset for a clean, high-confidence transaction.
University Research Labs
Protectable IP (or clear path to secure rights), technology readiness to run pilots within 6–12 months, no dependency on multi-year regulatory clearance before pilot.
Tech Transfer Offices
Willing to offer an exclusive option or field-of-use license, flexibility on backend economics (royalty/equity) to enable speed, PI engagement secured for the commercialization process.
Early MedTech Founders
Fully committed to a 12–18 month commercialization sprint, able to fund early milestones without raising VC (grants, strategic funding, internal capital), no IP encumbrances or founder disputes.
Corporate & PE Acquirers
Active interest in acquiring or licensing within defined market space, ability to engage in early diligence and provide wishlist metrics, committed deal timelines.
Note: The first intent is to de-risk the model — rights secured, commercial model built, market proof in hand. At the end of this process, you may decide to scale the business further. That's a separate path. Our role is to ensure that, either way, you hold an asset the market values and is ready to transact.
Our Markets
We operate in sectors where innovation is high, commercialization friction is real, and acquirers will pay for de-risked, acquisition-ready assets.
Medical Devices & Diagnostics
Single-use devices, diagnostics, and health monitoring tools from university labs and clinical innovators.
Food Safety & Environmental Monitoring
Pathogen detection, contamination prevention, and compliance technologies for agriculture, manufacturing, and public health.
Specialized Life Sciences Equipment
Niche lab automation, molecular testing platforms, and scientific instrumentation.
Regulated Industrial Technology
Safety, compliance, or monitoring solutions in energy, manufacturing, and transportation.
Proven Results
We've applied this model across multiple regulated and technical sectors where commercialization friction is high and acquisition demand is measurable.
Examples of past outcomes:
Food Safety MedTech
Rights secured, commercial model layered, pilots completed; exited via strategic acquisition in under 18 months.
Neurodiagnostics
Pre-incorporation commercialization, market proof via aligned pilots, acquirer interest secured prior to regulatory submission.
Industrial Biotech
Tech transfer executed, recurring-revenue model built, multi-site POC produced acquisition-ready metrics.