Your Research Might Be a Startup

Use the Project vs. Company diagnostic to figure out whether your breakthrough has real market demand.

You'll map your research to problems that buyers already spend money solving.

By the end of Session 1, you'll have an honest answer and a clear direction.

You'll talk to 5 real potential buyers. Not professors. Not friends. People who currently pay to solve the problem your research addresses.

You'll have a full week to schedule and complete these conversations, so you show up to Session 2 with real evidence.

Use the Translation Stack to move from "what we built" to "what it does" to "why a specific buyer cares."

Paired exercises with feedback. If your partner can't repeat it back, it's not clear enough yet. You'll iterate until it lands.

The 5-Question Framework: What problem exists? Why now? What did you build? Why only you? What if this works?

Most researchers start at question 3. The market needs questions 1 and 2 first.

You'll build yours live, using what customers actually told you.

The "one more paper" loop. Building for scientists instead of buyers. Ignoring the IP question.

These are the patterns I see in researchers who delay the leap by years.

You'll learn to recognize them in your own thinking and move past them.

Week 2 capstone: present your 3-minute pitch to me and your peers.

Structured feedback on where the business case clicks and where it breaks down.

You leave with a recording, feedback notes, and a clear sense of whether you're ready for the next step.