Stage 1: Basic Research
The Basic Research stage provides an opportunity for prospective founders to explore available Accell360 resources, as well as educational materials detailing the demands and rewards of entrepreneurship.
During this stage, familiarize yourself with the resources and expectations of the Accell360 program and discuss starting a business with family, colleagues, and stakeholders.
Questions to answer: Where do I start? What entrepreneurial resources does NU provide?
Deliverables
The intake form includes a 500-word summary describing: a) the need being addressed, b) the proposed solution, c) foreseeable strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur, and d) reasons for moving forward. Once the Intake Form is processed, you will be contacted by the CRI to schedule a meeting to explore your research, venture concept, and next steps.
CRI has curated a number of informational resources on how to start a company.
CRI provides and constantly updates a comprehensive list of the action items every company needs to consider during its first year of existence — everything from registering an Employer Identification Number (EIN) with the IRS, to filing for trademark protection with the USPTO. This checklist is being continually updated, so please check back in for additions.
CRI Support
Generally, once an invention is disclosed to CRI, an initial internal review of commercial and patentability potential is conducted. If the review finds commercial value in the disclosed invention, the CRI will file a provisional patent application. When our faculty inventors propose spinning out a company to commercialize the disclosed invention, CRI offers these founders with strategic intellectual property protection.
