Prepared by Salim Virani, Source Institute
For Sofia Tech Park and the European Commission
Work In Progress - may contain some errors and ommissions
This presentation will give you a thorough overview of our assessment of Bulgarian STEM capabilities, and our proposed intervention.
It takes roughly 20 minutes to read, but covers our 60-page report.
The most striking revelation of our research is the high-calibre of scientists. There are so many who have complete breakthroughs, and most try to commercialize.
A few are succeeding.
But all are isolated.
He's developed a metagenomic system that allows people achieve health goals based on analysis of their intestinal microbes.
He's sent 3 winning teams to the biggest synthetic biology competition in the world.
He needs more bright students to stay in Bulgaria.
He's developed malaria treatments for the WHO and technologies that make blood transfusion cheaper and more accessible.
He works in the BioPharm Lab, and is passionate about his new innovations for the cosmetics industry.
He's developed a probiotic for intestinal health that kills e.coli and salmonella. It's completed clinical trials and is selling internationally with revenues into the millions.
Former CFO of Tokuda Hospital, he engages in different healthtech companies, and has a Europe-wide distribution network for medical devices for hospitals.
Citations - there is a language barrier for Bulgarian scientists to publish.
Patents - there is a history of warranted distrust towards 'entrepreneurs' and the legal system, so scientists choose secrecy over patenting.
Metrics used in international comparisons are not representative of actual scientific development in Bulgaria.
We don't know what that is yet.
Bioinformatics
3D Rapid Prototyping
Industrial IoT
AI
Micro & Nanotechnologies
Cyber Security
High-Performance Computing
Drug Development
In Vitro
Biosynthesis and natural products
AR & VR
Each has unique, rare equipment, and staff who are at the forefront of their fields.
Among the facilities are a 3D metal printer that can make precision auto parts. There are 10 in the world. 3 are at Tesla.
There's a radio dark room for penetration testing electronic hardware. It's suitable for heads of state to conduct meetings and secure communication.
Success to be measured on direct commercial outcomes and long-term commercial capacity.
Real impact is measured in absolutes, and periodic performance rates deter complacency, so we have suggest both types of metrics for each of the 5 areas of interest of STP's various stakeholders.
* a more detailed and extensive list of metrics is available in the full report
Build on local strengths.
With an assessment of strong local talent that faces barriers to a global leadership position, our strategy is to activate world-class results on our own terms.
The best picks travel to the best programs, like Y Combinator.
Everyone else competes here.
Investable Startups
Input pipeline for all startup programs
Specialized programs emerge, to compete for the best within their category.
Investable Startups
Gaming Startups
But often the best-in-class are missed. They're global successes with local ingredients, but disregarded because they don't fit the former definition.
Investable Startups
Gaming Startups
Antivirus
IoT
?
We have 11 labs with world-class scientists and state-of-the-art equipment.
A wider view of success leads to defining success on our own terms.
If we look for local success here
Investable Startups
And also here...
We can define new pathways to here.
Investable Startups
Investable Startups
Reverse engineer from successes on local terms
To adapt to emerging needs and opportunities. With such a diverse range of technologies, it's impractical to predict them.
To develop a talent pipeline, and improve selection of companies.
To provide access to relevant answers, and establish a leadership position in the international community.
Open | Performers | |
---|---|---|
Quarterly | One-week intensive Unconference Opportunity Assessments |
Speaker room access to conferences Private retreats with international experts |
Monthly | Goal-setting workshop Pitching workshop |
Mentor quorum |
Fortnightly | Peer to peer goal sharing PPP progress reports |
Speaker dinner Problem-solving "clinics" |
* This schedule is simplified for illustration. See the full report for a more detailed schedule.
Week 1 - Lean Startup
Week 2 - Customer Development
Week 3 - Team
Week 4 - UX Design
Week 5 - Sales
Week 6 - Growth
Week 7 - Fund-raising
Week 1 - big customer deal on the table, while we need to hire a freelancer, and some investors are talking...
Week 2 - deal is stalling, our server went down
Week 3 - signup rate dropping, but 2 new big deals signed...
Don't schedule topics.
Schedule help.
Day 1 - submit bullet-points of key challenges & peer-advice groups
Day 3 - Dinner with experts who can address those challenges
Day 4 - problem-solving sessions with invited experts
Week 1 - big customer deal on the table, while we need to hire a freelancer, and some investors are talking...
Week 2 - deal is stalling, our server went down
Week 3 - signup rate dropping, but 2 new big deals signed...
Responsiveness |rɪˈspɒnsɪvnəs|
noun [mass noun]
A program’s ability to systematically assess and provide knowledge as and when it is needed.
Real entrepreneurs don't need to be told what to do.
To transform people into entrepreneurs, we enable them to rely on their own agency.
Agency — |ˈeɪdʒ(ə)nsi|
noun
Flexibility given to the learners in deciding their goals and outcomes.
This starts with inspiring and empowering the learner to self-direct, and then builds on that self-direction by switching to a supporting rather than directing role.
Helps everyone see potential for themselves, not just people who already started.
When they're ready, they have the support they need.
The initial European Commission guidelines requested separate accelerator, incubator and education programs.
Instead, this tiered approach applies the strengths of each type of program where they're needed. This allows more organic responses to various needs, and distributes the program's resources towards those who progress the most. It also avoids duplication of overheads between programs, like marketing, selection, and recruiting.
Allows anyone to start with support, and earn deeper support if they show progress. They can increase commitment as they like, on their own terms.
General Topics | Peer Support | Expert Support |
Goal-setting* Presenting IP Protection Launch weekend |
Peer-advisory groups Open Spaces (conferences where the participants choose the topics.) |
Assessments with mentors* One-week intensive training camps Online course from local successes* |
* If they'd like to apply to the performance tier, founders submit regular progress reports for mentors to review.
Open access invests our precious time in enabling more people to reach our standards, rather than on ineffectively filtering a dwindling number from receiving support.
This is possible because the open tier only delivers support that has zero or a small-marginal cost of adding new learners. We can fill a hall for a lecture we're running anyway, we can make our online course free.
The open tier allows:
Startups submit progress reports (plans, problems, problems) every two weeks.
Review board forwards interesting cases to mentors, (and schedules relevant support for quarterly unconferences and meetups).
If mentors find the case interesting, they make contact.
Mentors work with the team over time, then if they feel they are suitable, they nominate them for the performance tier.
Based on interviewing local and relevant entrepreneurs. People who have walked the same path, speaking their language.
Building the course also serves as a research tool for devising a technology transfer strategy.
Ongoing public interviews attract other tech transfer success cases, so they become visible to us.
They also allow us to go deep, ask questions and analyse the situation.
Allows the entrepreneur to draw on deeper, ongoing support from the mentors and the broader STP network, and access to facilities like office space and lab use.
Mentoring | Peer Support | Expert Support |
Mentors and teams mutually-select each other. Calls and progress reports every 2 weeks. Mentors also meet to seek help from each other. |
Peer-advisory groups Unconferences Problem-solving working groups: an afternoon where 2-3 founders will solve another's challenge. |
Speaker dinners VIP conference access to speakers Private retreats with selected international role models |
Goals are agreed, not dictated.
Entrepreneurs will set targets for themselves, not take orders. Our role is to help them see benchmarks and options, to light their path.
Bulgarian universities and corporate divisions are full of people who want to start their own projects.
The problem is nobody will help or show them the way. Existing support programs won't support them unless they've already started a project. There's a gap.
Awareness
Interest
Participation
Regional Tours
Uni & Science Park networks
Press
Partners (local funds & programs)
Open events (at co-working spaces, universities)
Online course
Lecture series
Opportunity assessments
Engagement in the Open Tier
A Clinic session emulates an apprenticeship. A challenger, who has their own real challenge to solve, and an expert, who has some relevant experience in that area, will work together in a fixed timebox.
Open Spaces are conferences where the participants define the session topics by co-creating a schedule.
Consultants tend to "photocopy" general methodologies. They're useful to build local knowledge in global practices.
Interdisciplinary groups of explorers, makers and innovators don't have influential expertise, but quickly find practical solutions.
Hyper-connectivity |ˈhʌɪpə-kɒnɛkˈtɪvɪti|
noun [mass noun]
Being able to make meaningful connections that jump outside of the learner’s network, to the most relevant sources.
This starts with brokering select connections on the learner’s behalf.
Once we know their challenges, we reach out to our network, and plug people into one of the easy formats that are already scheduled.
It evolves into creating environments where they can make those connections instantly by themselves.
Larger gatherings such as Open Spaces build a community around organisations like STP. They become known for relevant discussions that progress the state-of-the-art.
Bulgaria can rise to global leadership in science commercialisation.
Leancamp was an Open Space event that ran in 40 cities and 4 continents.
It developed the Lean Startup methodology by attracting a dispersed group of founders and designers to help each other.
We can do the same for commercializing science.
We designed and launched both of the UK Royal Academy Of Engineering's international commercialization programs: the Leaders In Innovation Fellowship, and The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
We have the experience to run large-scale pinnacle programs.
Salim Virani
salim@source.institute