New Ventures Advisors Lend Their Expertise
C4C’s New Ventures team has created a vibrant network of expert advisors, including entrepreneurs, business executives, angel and venture capital investors, attorneys and others. This network is an invaluable resource for UW researchers as they are developing their business ideas.
Our highly effective Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (EIR) program invites veteran industry experts to join C4C for six to nine months at a time. During this period, they help identify technologies with commercial promise, and provide UW researchers with real-world insights about the commercialization process along with expertise in target markets, product development, and fundraising strategies. See current EIRs below.
Our new Capitalization Table Board of Advisors program will help UW start-up companies ensure that the structure of the start-up is appropriate for the business model and plan for the company. And it will help ensure the company is fundable and operational moving forward. See current advisors below.
Current C4C EIRS
Emeritus EIRs:
William R. Baker, senior pharmaceutical executive at Gilead Sciences
Henry Berg, engineering executive and former director at A3 Alliance, LLC
Ronald Berenson, medical oncologist who founded biotechnology companies HemaQuest Pharmaceuticals, Xcyte, and CellPro
Gino Borland, serial entrepreneur and energy angel investor
Terri Butler, technology entrepreneur, former product developer at 3M Company
Jeff Canin, energy angel investor, former venture capitalist, investment banker, and wall street analyst and co-founder of three energy related companies
Tom Clement, co-founder and former CEO of Pathway Medical Technologies and board chairman of the WBBA
David Croniser, former pioneer of diagnostic imaging at Siemens
Michael Cockrill, managing partner of Atlas Accelerator and former CTO of QPass
Perry Fell, board chairman and former CEO of NanoString Technologies and co-founder of Seattle Genetics
It’s motivating that such talented and experienced executives are choosing to devote their time to identifying opportunity at our university.
Linden Rhoads
UW Vice Provost—Commercialization
Commercialization Board of Advisors
Capitalization Table Board of Advisors
The capitalization table board of advisors is offered as an opt-in resource to UW start-up companies. C4C has recruited a panel of top venture attorneys and other veterans representing the different roles in the innovation ecosystem to informally counsel founders on their initial decisions around allocation of equity in their start-up. These advisors are experts on best practice, current market norms, and deal terms.
Decisions on equity allocation and capitalization structure need to be appropriate for the start-up’s business model. They must be made such that the resultant company is fundable and will have the best opportunity to execute on its plan. Issues with the capitalization table can cause serious problems for start-ups when decisions were made without the benefit of conferring on best practice.
The C4C New Ventures group helps to prepare each team that presents to the board by providing foundational materials on capitalization table construction, coaching on advance preparation of a presentation on the contributions of founders to date, and the expected and needed contributions from founders, advisors, consultants, start-up management, and employees going forward. The format of each meeting is an open dialogue between the start-up team and the board of advisors.
