The University of Texas at Austin
The UT Austin College of Engineering

Product Realization and Technology Commercialization Seminar

Seminars are from 3pm - 4pm in CPE 2.206.

Aug. 29

Introduction
Dr. Steven Nichols (Clint W. Murchison, Sr. Fellow of Free Enterprise)

Technology commercialization, product development, new production introduction; Difference between technology commercialization and new venture creation

Sept. 5

Customer Pain / Customer Problem
Dr. Norm Kaderlan (President, Technology Innovation Group, Inc)

What is the problem that the technology helps to solve? What is the process that tech entrepreneurs follow to help solve customers' problems?

Suggested Readings: HBR, by Clayton Christensen, et. al: "Marketing Malpractice"

Sept. 12

Economics/Pricing Models Within the Engineering & Development Process
Mr. Thomas E. Ortman (President, Concurrent Design)

Difference between cost and price; Understand value; Product development and manufacturing process leading to a cost versus sales price

Sept. 19

Funding
Ms. Susan Davenport (VP, Business Retention & Expansion, Austin Chamber of Commerce)
Mr. Jamie Rhodes (Chair, CTAN)

Getting projects financed internally at a company; Getting funding externally

Suggested Readings: Stanford E-64: "Hotmail Corporation"

Sept. 26

IP
Mr. Steve Sprinkle (Sprinkle IP Law Group)

Patents, trademarks, copyrights; provisional patent, continuation, internationl patent; public domain

Suggested Readings: HBS 9-802-161: "Legal Aspects of Entrepreneurship: A Conceptual Framework"

Oct. 3 Entrepreneurial Example
Mr. Dale Misczynski (President & CEO, Monebo)

The mindset and process of an entrepreneur

Suggested Readings: HBS, by Amar Bhide: "The Seven Questions that Every Entrepreneur Must Answer"

Oct. 10

Entrepreneurial Example: Intrapreneurship
Mr. Hall T. Martin (Corporate Development Director of Emerging Markets at National Instruments, Executive Director of Central Texas Angel Network) )

The mindset and process of an intrapreneur

Suggested Readings: HBS 9-304-075: "Emerging Business Opportunities at IBM (A), HBS 9-304-076:"Emerging Business Opportunities at IBM (B)

Oct. 17

CTO as Founder
Dr. Chetan Kapoor (CEO, Agile Planet and Research Scientist, UT)
Dr. Thomas Milner (Co-founder CardioSpectra and Professor, UT)

What is the role and what are the learnings of a CTO that starts a company?

Suggested Readings: Stanford SM-57: "NexStage Entertainment"

Oct. 24

Competitor Scan & Analysis
Mr. Bart Bohn (Assistant Director, ATI Wireless and IT)

How are others solving this problem?

Suggested Readings: HBR, by: Theodore Levitt, Marketing Myopia

Oct. 31 to Nov. 1

I2P Global Competition

Attend I2P Global on Friday Oct. 31 and Saturday Nov. 1 at the AT&T Conference Center

Nov. 7

How to Get That First Dollar
Dr. SV Sreenivasan (CTO, Molecular Imprints and Associate Professor ,UT)
Dr. Thomas Milner (Co-founder, CardioSpectra and Professor, UT)
Dr. Theodeore Rappaport (Founder, Wireless Communications Inc. and Research Professor, UT)

Go to market strategy

Suggested Readings: Stanford E-220: "Facebook"

Nov. 14

Business Plan / Pitch Deck
Mr. Dan Watkins (DFJM)
Mr. Blair Garrou (DFJM)
Mr. Charley Dean (Principal, Silverton Ventures)

How to write a business plan; The components of a business plan; raising internal company funds; business plan preparation inside of a company

Suggested Readings: HBS 9-897-101: "Some Thoughts On Business Plans"

Nov. 21

Pitch Review
Dr. Rob Adams (Lecturer, McCombs School of Business) and Wisdom Cluster

Idea-to-Product pitch and a business plan (McCombs team visit) pitch with comparison