Innovation Discovery
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Innovation Discovery
Innovation Discovery
Cutting-edge research is happening on our campuses every single day. The Innovation Discovery Team partners directly with researchers to guide them through the process of transforming their research into investable startups, built upon robust scientific and business foundations. We are especially interested in supporting projects in the life sciences and climate that are anchored in rigorous science, have clear market needs, and have a competitive differentiation.
What We Offer
- 1:1 Meetings: Exploratory meetings with faculty, graduate students, and post-docs who have a compelling project that they are interested in using to create a company.
- Office Hours: Regular office hours that are a supportive space to ask any company creation questions you may have.
- Events: Our team hosts events to support early-stage founders as they learn about company creation and foster relationships with industry stakeholders.
- Bespoke Guidance (QB3 partnership with BEVC): Hands-on, tailored guidance as you spin out your research to a new company, including support to create product definition, business plans, team formation, and fundraising strategy.
Eligibility
- Life science or climate technology project
- Rigorous preliminary data
- 12 months or less from incorporation
- Individual identified to lead company creation
- Located in the Bay Area
Team
Our team has combined company creation experience that spans various technology-oriented sectors and business models. We have deep technical expertise, firsthand experience as founding team members, industry experience, and an understanding of what makes a company investable from the venture perspective. In addition, we have recruited exceptional mentors who have built companies and led them to successful exits.
Katarina Klett, PhD
Director of Research Translation
Katarina has spent over a decade working in bioengineering labs across the world in both academia and industry. Through these experiences, she built a strong understanding of engineering and biology. Most recently, Katarina completed her doctorate from Stanford University, where she worked at the crossroads of stem cell biology and engineering. During her doctoral work, Katarina joined a biotech venture team. While there, Katarina operated as a core team member, where she advised early-stage founders in the portfolio, landscaped market trends, and performed due diligence on potential investment opportunities. Katarina is deeply passionate about translating ongoing research to viable technologies that can make a major impact on patient lives and the planet.
Katarina Klett, PhD
Director of Research Translation
Wanichaya (Noem) Noiwangklang
Co-Lead, Innovation Discovery & Director of Workforce Development
Noem has been working in biology and biotechnology at Berkeley for 18 years and overall at UC for 24 years, including biological research, lab operations, and company startup. Through her work at QB3, she runs several programs to help the 35 startup biotechnology companies at Bakar Labs, the largest university owned and operated biotech incubator in the country. In addition, she has co-founded two companies that are advancing gene and cell therapies to the clinic. She has since provided the companies extensive operational support, including professional development, HR, finance, and lab operations.
Wanichaya (Noem) Noiwangklang
Co-Lead, Innovation Discovery & Director of Workforce Development
Widya Mulyasasmita, PhD
BEVC, Managing Partner
Widya Mulyasasmita, PhD is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at BEVC, an early stage VC firm investing in the intersection of science, engineering, and computation. Before BEVC, Widya led life science investing at B Capital group. Earlier, Widya was the founding Chief Business Officer at InterVenn Biosciences and was Director of New Ventures at Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Widya has served on the boards of multiple healthcare companies across preclinical, clinical, and commercial stages. She started her career at McKinsey & Company. Widya received her B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering and Bioengineering from UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Stanford University.
Widya Mulyasasmita, PhD
BEVC, Managing Partner