Let’s stay with the spin-offs first. How quickly does it ideally take from the first contact to the foundation?
Frank Floessel: If it’s a standard founding and no special legal clarifications are needed, then the future founders can choose the Express path. It offers three pre-defined options for licensing of patent rights, from which the founder can choose, and the option to purchase software rights, data, or prototypes from ETH. Once the future founders have all the necessary documentation together, they should have a Spin-off founded in six to eight weeks.
And when does it take longer?
Beat Weibel: As soon as the IP questions are complicated, for example, if third parties are involved or if the founders wish to incorporate in the US. With these sorts of negotiations, my team is required. Young companies benefit from various support measures.
The regulations mention the ETH Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (E3). What does this mean?
Wood: “E-cubed” refers to all the different entrepreneurship offerings made available by ETH for founders and their companies. This includes the favorable conditions for office, laboratory, and infrastructure usage, access to entrepreneurship promotion programs run both centrally by Frank’s team at ETH Entrepreneurship or decentrally, for example, at an ETH center, training programs, and events with investors. Our aim is not to manage all programs, but to virtually bundle them gives the ETH community much needed visibility on the range of offers and ensures that there are consistent terms and conditions in place across ETH.
Start-ups should now also be able to benefit from these services. What considerations led to the ETH start-up label?
Floessel: Until now, those who founded a company at ETH after their studies received hardly any support from ETH. With the new start-up label, we have created the basis for these companies to also benefit from the ETH ecosystem.
Can any ETH member apply for the start-up label?
Wood: Yes, companies founded by ETH students as well as companies founded by ETH employees can apply for the Start-up label. We’re looking for companies with a clear link to ETH and a scalable business model. GetYourGuide or Doodle are examples of companies that, if founded today, would be eligible for the Start-up label. A pizzeria or a consulting company would not get the Start-up label.
Will it be possible to communicate the distinction between spin-offs and start-ups to the general public?
Weibel: In principle, the difference is in the names. With an ETH Spin-off, one takes research results out of ETH and creates a company from them. An ETH Start-up is a company founded by an ETH person. However, in everyday language, the terms are often used synonymously.