Resource:How to start a biotech materials company and conduct clinical trials as an undergraduate student

Biotechnology, especially in medical applications, is a notoriously unfriendly industry to startups. The exploratory research required prior to operations, the high capital costs, and the maze of regulations surrounding medical technology paralyze many would-be entrepreneurs, and they make preparations lengthy and difficult for the rest: Kinshuk Mitra, a previous University Innovation Fellow, noted that he's seen entrepreneurs 8 years into starting their companies, still entirely in the startup stage.

Kinshuk, currently a senior in biomedical engineering at Ohio State University, started up in his junior year. His company, Oncofilter, is developing a special microfluidic tool to diagnose cancer. Developing this tool requires laboratory space, clinical trials, and other long-term and valuable resources: Kinshuk's relationships with university leaders, including the Deans of Engineering and Science, have been instrumental to his success in starting up so quickly and effectively.

Establish a relationship with university leadlers

    •    Intro (short paragraph on why you needed this connection)
    •    People (who you wanted to connect with)
    •    Materials (what supporting data or materials you brought with you to meetings)
    •    Process (what steps you took and who you interacted with)
    •    Timeline (how much time it took from idea to connection)
    •    Results (what happened as a result of your connection)
    •    Follow-up (what plans exist to maintain that connection)
    •    Lessons learned and tips for others (what worked and what didn’t, and your recommendations for others)