Gary Madsen, Ph.D., UNeMed Corporation’s new entrepreneur in residence, said one of his top goals is to “Bring real-world industrial experience to academia.”
To do so, he’ll serve as a mentor, coach and sounding board to students and faculty, in order to help create or revitalize startup companies based on UNMC biotechnology.
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Gary Madsen, Ph.D. |
Entrepreneurs in residence are a new idea at the University of Nebraska, added just this year. Dr. Madsen’s position is one of four system-wide.
Harvard itself has several, Dr. Madsen said.
Systemwide collaboration
The University of Nebraska’s EIRs will work not only with their own campuses, but also, ideally, synergistically with each other, said Michael Dixon, Ph.D., UNeMed’s president and CEO.
UNeMed is the technology transfer corporation for UNMC. Dr. Madsen also will work closely with its licensing specialists and patent lawyers, Dr. Dixon said.
“We want to enhance the deal-flow pipeline to UNeMed,” Dr. Madsen said.
Vast experience
He has experience in this area. Rather than becoming a postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Madsen instead joined Abbott Labs in Chicago and worked in technical product support.
“Basically, I was the one working with manufacturing and quality to get the products passed and out the door,” he said. “It was a real eye-opener, coming out of academia into that industrial environment.”
Check out this cool video from UNeMed that illustrates the service the group provides UNMC inventors. |
He later worked in product development, in infectious diseases and allergy. He worked to lead cross-functional teams to move the products through the developmental process, and acquired experience in working with the Food and Drug Administration.
He “became more of a businessman,” when he took on responsibilities in licensing and business development.
Startup time
After a stint at another lab, Dr. Madsen took a high-level position at a biosciences startup.
“Unfortunately, they were short on cash,” he said. But the experience was invaluable.
He then held director- and vice president-level positions at a trio of Wisconsin companies before moving into consulting.
His NU role
His appointment as EIR is a part-time position. He’ll continue his consulting work.
But he’ll also serve as UNMC’s in-house consultant, helping navigate a minefield that may not always be familiar to academic scientists.
Get in touch
“A lot of people believe once you have a patent, you’re ready to go,” Dr. Madsen said.
Not quite. Investors bet on a team, as much as on an idea.
But if you have that idea, Dr. Madsen can’t wait to talk.