Turn your research into a spinout. In 2 hours a week.
A high-pressure, high-reward commercialization accelerator practicum. Designed for PhDs, PIs, and innovators who want to see their science in the market, not stuck in the lab.
Weekly workshop sessions • Free practicum • Real work on real projects
An introduction
"What James did, more than anything, was prove my right to exist. My science was solid but this workshop showed me it had a real space in the market, a way to get it there, and a clear roadmap to follow."
Who Is This For?
If you're a PhD, PI, or innovator who wants to see your idea leave the lab, this is for you. The workshop is designed for people who can pressure-test model choices, explore arbitrage, and validate commercial viability before the heavy regulatory gates.
You should be at this stage:
- Past the idea stage. You've got proof it works, or will work, at least in lab conditions.
- Capable of arbitrage / a credible wedge: pricing, distribution, data exhaust, Trojan Horse, disposability, data, etc.
- Able to validate commercial viability ahead of full FDA pathways (e.g., RUO → CLIA for diagnostics, pilot customers for devices, early SaaS validation).
- Open to seeing your model challenged and changed.
- Medical devices and diagnostics with clear go-to-market wedges.
- SaaS, testing platforms, translational science tools.
- Life science / industrial tech that can validate commercially before long regulatory gates.
- Tools that can be commercialized under existing procedures or codes before pursuing new indications.
- Therapeutics / novel drug discovery (NCEs, biologics, cell & gene therapies) where validation requires FDA clinical trials (Phase I onward).
- Preclinical therapeutic concepts with no early commercial path (no RUO, CLIA, SaaS, or device validation possible).
- Napkin-stage ideas with no proof-it-works.
- Teams unwilling to adapt their model.
This practicum is about arbitrage and early commercial validation. Therapeutics and very early ideas matter enormously, but they can't generate the short-cycle feedback that the workshop depends on. You're welcome to sit in, listen, and learn, but you won't be "on the lift" until you hit proof-it-works and a commercial validation pathway.
You may think you're excluded because you don't see a path. That's the work. Finding the commercial wedge you can actually run with. Apply, and we'll find out together.
Why Should You Attend?
Most founders don't fail because the science doesn't work; they fail because the model doesn't work. This workshop pressure-tests your assumptions and shows you the plays that unlock leverage: pricing wedges, data-as-product, Trojan Horses, arbitrage. The model you thought you had will evolve.
The Commercialization Accelerator Workshop is a weekly workshop. Each week one innovation is in the spotlight, this is not shark tank, this is a collaborative working session. Together we map model choices, surface hidden wedges, and build an actionable commercialization roadmap.
Real work on real projects.
What You Will Walk Out With
This isn't a pitch-deck clinic or TAM 101. You'll leave with a reframed commercialization model, an understanding of your options, thesis, goals and route to market. A hybrid of clarity on your business, your business model, and the GTM motions to get there. And a one-page, defensible roadmap that makes execution obvious: what to do next, who does it, and when, so you stop random acts of entrepreneurship and start momentum. It's your startup and your journey: we stress-test your thinking into a strategy you can run, delegate, or hand to an operator.
Reframed Market Models
You might enter thinking you're building a DTC product. You'll leave knowing your real wedge is a Trojan Horse entry through telehealth, a pharma-subsidized RUO path, or a data-exhaust strategy where the dataset is more valuable than the assay itself.
Defensible Economic Plays
We surface arbitrage you didn't see: pricing strategies, disposability models, bundling, or reimbursement hooks that shift adoption curves and investor appetite.
A One-Page Commercialization Map
A rigorous document mapping who you serve, why the market cares, what the product must look like, and which model choices are viable. This becomes the anchor for investors, partners, and internal alignment.
A Sequenced Roadmap
Binary milestones that show how to move from RUO to CLIA, from prototype to pilot, from curiosity to payer relevance. Short, medium, and long-term goals, tied directly to a North Star.
A Reset in Confidence
Most innovators leave not just with a plan, but with a renewed sense of possibility: clarity on why their work matters, where it fits, and how to stop doing random acts of entrepreneurship.
Critical feedback from peers
Structured environment with faculty and fellow innovators.
Community exposure
Where cofounders, advisors, and micro-experts emerge.
The difference between a project that dies in the lab and a spinout that attracts acquirers is not the science; it's the model. This workshop gives you that model, and the playbook to execute it.
How It Works
A two-phase process that transforms exploration into execution.
Phase One: Controlled Chaos
- Think big, unrestricted.
- Explore adjacencies and alternatives.
- Search for arbitrage: the hidden gap that unlocks value.
- The only rule: the model has to be defensible.
Phase Two: Functional Map
- Convert exploration into a one-page plan.
- Define goals by time horizon (now, 6–12 months, long-term).
- Assign swim lanes: product, market, capital, distribution, operations.
- Result = a clear, defendable roadmap.
Why Me
I'm James Sinclair, author of the Amazon bestseller "Starting A Startup: Build Something People Want." I've had multiple exits, my frameworks for startup thinking have been downloaded over a million times, and I've helped a portfolio of medtech and software startups move from idea to market. What I do best is help innovators see how what they've built aligns to the market, and translate that into playbooks that can actually be executed.
Right at the early stage, when you're trying to figure out if your science has a path to market, I've been there. I know the uncertainty, the pressure to prove commercial viability, and the challenge of translating complex research into something investors and acquirers can understand. This workshop is built on that experience.
This is your journey. I'm taking everything I know to map out the scenarios, to fight a little, to explore, to determine the model and the route that best aligns with the market and your goals...
What You Can Expect
Weekly workshop sessions designed for maximum learning and community building.
- Weekly 2-hour live session (Fridays)
- One project in the hot seat, group critiques
- A safe space: pressure, but also empathy
- Vulnerability allowed, titles left at the door
- Community: you'll leave with more than a plan; you'll leave with allies
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Strategic Spinouts Commercial Accelerator Workshop?
A 2-day intensive practicum focused on arbitrage and early commercial validation for university spinouts and medtech innovations. We help you build defensible economic models and identify hidden value gaps that unlock acquisition potential.
Who should attend the commercialization workshop?
University researchers, PhD students, postdocs, and early-stage medtech founders who have proof-of-concept data and want to build acquisition-ready business models. Minimum requirement: proof your technology works.
Is the Strategic Spinouts workshop free to attend?
Yes, the 2-day practicum itself is free. Future commercialization work with Strategic Spinouts may involve project budgets, but the workshop is designed to give you immediate value without upfront costs.
What will I get out of the commercialization workshop?
A reframed commercialization model, understanding of your market options, a defensible roadmap for execution, and clarity on pricing strategies, bundling models, and arbitrage opportunities that shift adoption curves.
Do I need business experience to benefit from this workshop?
No. You bring the science and technical expertise. We help you build the commercial model, identify market opportunities, and structure defensible business strategies that acquirers value.
What if my university spinout idea isn't ready for commercialization?
Minimum requirement is proof your technology works. If you're still in the idea stage without technical validation, wait until you have proof-of-concept data. The workshop focuses on commercial validation, not basic R&D.
Do I have to pitch my technology during the workshop?
No, pitching is voluntary. The value comes from participating in the exercises and learning from the group dynamics. However, those who engage actively get the most benefit from the practicum.
How is this different from a traditional startup accelerator?
This is a transaction-focused commercialization sprint, not a cohort-based accelerator. We focus on building acquisition-ready assets aligned to buyer criteria, with emphasis on arbitrage and commercial validation rather than early-stage development.
Stop doing random acts of entrepreneurship.
Build a map that gets your science into the world.