I am a Canadian biophysicist and entrepreneur. I’ve spent about 10 years as an academic researcher and 4 years as an entrepreneur as CEO of Northern Nanopore Instruments, a recently-acquired nanotechnology company that my colleagues and I spun out of our research. Currently, I have a foot in both academia and entrepreneurship, and I’m involved in the startup community as a mentor and advisor focused on supporting companies navigate the valley of death between academic research and early commercial operations.
In the course of turning my academic research into a commercial enterprise in the form of a deep tech company I ran face-first into numerous challenges that exist in the Canadian innovation ecosystem. As my network grew and I connected with other entrepreneurs and founders, I heard the same stories, over and over. The fact that my experience seemed to be nearly universal inspired me to start writing about them, in the hopes of improving the situation.
I sometimes wonder if I missed my calling as an economist, as you will find that the fundamental economic maxim “people respond to incentives” informs the vast majority of the opinions on this blog. All of the challenges and problems that exist, on both the academic and industrial side of the equation, exist because incumbent policy frameworks incentivize the wrong behaviors. The solutions are usually simple, though it’s important to not conflate “simple” and “easy”.
This blog is a compendium of my thoughts on the various moving parts in the innovation ecosystem, with the goal of using the challenges I faced as a productive input to the conversation around how to make it better. I also provide practical guidance on navigating the valley of death as a Canadian entrepreneur using the various support programs that are available.
The intention is to post once a week on various aspects of the Canadian innovation policy, scientific publishing, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, research ethics, and other related topics.
The point of my writing is to support Canadian innovators and scientists seeking to commercialize their research, and I can’t do that effectively from behind a paywall. I intend to keep the majority of this content free. If you do choose to support the blog through a paid subscription, you will be incentivizing me to create more content, rather than unlocking access to anything hidden. Donations in support of this work are always deeply appreciated.
In the course of my career I have benefitted tremendously from the guidance of mentors and other innovators, and I love getting opportunities to pay it forward. If you think I can be helpful to you as a scientist or entrepreneur, I’m always open for a Zoom call or coffee chat. Don’t hesitate to reach out directly if you would like to discuss.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.