commercialization Archives - Startup Economist

Universities Are Sitting on the Next Great Companies. Here’s How to Launch Them.

Wednesday, 29 April 2026 by Paul O'Brien

You Can’t License Your Way to Commercialization The Texas Innovation Conference & Awards at TCU didn’t change university tech transfer overnight but that’s not a criticism, it’s almost a compliment. What it did was harder and rarer: it put the people who actually need to be in the same room, in the same room, and

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The IP Trap: How Licensing Knowledge Became a Tax on Progress

Thursday, 08 January 2026 by Paul O'Brien

A couple of weeks ago I published Universities Aren’t Commercializing Innovation, They’re Taxing It with a challenge I knew would find support from most but anger from a few. Founders forwarded it privately. Economic developers chimed in with encouragement. Researchers beyond the 25 universities that benefit from commercialization sent me flowers. Intellectual property stifles innovation.

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Universities Aren’t Commercializing Innovation, They’re Taxing It

Friday, 19 December 2025 by Paul O'Brien

Everywhere I go lately experiences at some point, the same conversation. Different city, different state, different accents and startup hype, but the same whisper once the doors close and University administration is out of the room. I was just in Phoenix, sitting with startup operators and ecosystem builders, and within minutes we were right back

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