Spinout Company Development

As well as supporting our existing spinout companies through access to information and resources, we proactively support academics who are considering the formation of a new spinout company as a means to commercialise intellectual property emerging from their academic group.

We provide:

  • Advice in relation to the appropriateness of spinning out as a course of action;
  • Sourcing/screening of potential commercial management;
  • Support in understanding proof of concept requirements;
  • Links to sources of finance (proof of concept, seed and later stage investment);
  • Support in developing and validating the business plan;
  • Guidance through the spinout development decision making procedures
  • Links to sources of further information / professional advice
  • On-going shareholder support to existing spinout companies

Further useful information

A range of additional information is available to help those involved in, or considering getting involved in, new ventures below and via www.bizzinn.org

Contact David Coleman or Steve Ellis if you have a proposal for a spinout company or visit the Alta Innovations website for more information.

 

The Basics of Being a Shareholder

Being-a-shareholder. This presentation outlines what it means to be a shareholder, how shares are allotted and typical rights of shareholders. This was presented September 18th, 2012, and reproduced by kind permission of Pinsent Masons.

 

 

Roles and Responsibilities of Directors

Roles-and-Responsibilities-of-Directors:This presentation outlines who a director is, and gives an overview of statutory duties and other obligations. Presented June 26th, 2012, and reproduced by kind permission of Pinsent Masons.

 

Companies House Guidance: Important information and guidance on offical matters related to the life of a company, from incorporation to winding-up.

 

Institute of Directors:  Useful information and guidance.  Some information is free and some requires membership.

 

 

 Tax Considerations

Shareholder-Issues: When a business is in its early stages, the prospects of an eventual sale or change in ownership structure can seem very distant. Decisions are often taken about shareholder issues, which create legal and commercial problems for shareholders that can prove to be very expensive and time consuming to resolve. This note, drafted in July 2012, and reproduced by kind permission of Deloitte, looks at some of the key areas that can get overlooked when a business is in its early days.

 

HMRC Guidance: HMRC guidance on the acquisition of shares in University spinout companies

 

 Company Funding

Financing a Spinout Company: For SMEs, obtaining and securing the right source of finance can present a major challenge. Lack of available funding for SMEs has been brought into sharper focus post-credit crunch. Many growth businesses are started by entrepreneurs, often with little experience of how to raise finance to fund this growth. This guide from ICAEW (The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) seeks to help them when it comes to looking for sources of finance; it sets out the main financing options and the key issues to consider when choosing between those options.

 

Spinout Manual

Spinout-image (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

 

Colleges

Professional Services