At the Commercialization Opportunity Forum, emerging technology companies were eager to persuade investors and potential strategic partners they have the right stuff to make a commercial win of their innovative technologies. On October 8 and 9 in Tysons Corner, Virginia, 39 small companies, whose early research and development have been sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, presented their business plans to 114 investors and other firms.
The forum represents DOE's growing interest in helping companies make the transition from developing technologies to launching successful businesses. Realizing that some technologists lack the business know-how to translate their technical knowledge into commercial successes, DOE hired Dawnbreaker, a Rochester, New York company, to coach technologists on thinking and expressing themselves in terms understandable to investors and larger companies.
Under DOE's Commercialization Assistance Program, Dawnbreaker provides hands-on training and guidance to companies whose initial funding for their innovative technologies has come from one of three DOE sources: the Small Business Innovation Research Program, environmental technology development programs falling under the Office of Science and Technology, or the Energy-Related Inventions Program. During the months before the forum, Dawnbreaker worked with companies to help them clarify and express to investors information, such as technology features, advantages, and benefits; targeted market segments; and potential payoffs to investors or strategic partners.
During each of the 20-minute presentations, presenting companies also stated what they were seeking in an investor or strategic partner. Although most were looking for alternative sources of funding, they were also looking for strategic alliances with companies having expertise they lacked, such as production and manufacturing or sales and marketing. The "buyers" at the forum were a diverse group. Some were venture capitalists. Others were large architecture and engineering companies seeking licensing agreements, companies seeking expertise to fulfill contractual obligations, or firms wishing to acquire processes that could be integrated into their production line or products to serve their established market niche. Even a representative of American Re-Insurance Co. of Princeton, New Jersey was there to scout for technologies that could help Am-Re's clients better manage their environmental risks. In addition to presentations, the forum's networking sessions and evening reception were occasions for technologists, investors, and strategic partners to discuss mutually beneficial opportunities.
For information about Dawnbreaker, see its Web site at http://www.dawnbreaker.com.
