Academia

With deep expertise in supporting early-stage cleantech ventures, from proof-of-concept to commercial deployment, we empower TTOs and spinouts to validate their solutions in the market and ready them for investment and commercialisation

ACADEMIA SERVICES

  • We help Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) pinpoint high-value opportunities and move them toward market faster. Our work strengthens a university’s cleantech profile by attracting industry and investor interest and improving spinout readiness through focused entrepreneurial support. By engaging corporates around clear innovation needs, we open direct pathways for university technologies to be tested, validated, and deployed. Our work includes:

    Portfolio reviews and opportunity scouting  

    Detailed commercial review of specific opportunities

    Cleantech Cluster development

    • Ecosystem and market reviews

    • Programme development

    • Stakeholder/partner engagement

    Cohort based entrepreneur support:

    • Cleantech Incubator/Accelerator programme development and management

    • Entrepreneurship events: sprints, hackathons, workshops, training courses/webinars, industry collaboration 

    Corporate engagement and Innovation Challenges

  • For spinouts, pre-spinouts, and licensing opportunities, we help teams assess commercial potential, refine business models, and shape go-to-market strategies. We support commercial readiness through business plans, investor materials, and operational structures, while connecting teams to key partners and investors. Ongoing mentoring and, where needed, fractional C-suite support strengthen capability and drive critical milestones. Our services include:

    Assess e.g. market potential, business model, value proposition, go to market strategies​

    Build e.g. business plans, commercial teams, investment ready financials, pitch decks, grant proposals​

    Introduce and structure e.g. prospective value chain partners, C-suite and NEDs, corporates, licensees and investors​

    Mentoring to guide and develop the entrepreneurial team

    Fractional C-suite management to address executive team capability gaps and deliver critical development milestones

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ACADEMIA CASE STUDIES

  • Energy Catalyst Accelerator: Business Fundamentals Workshop Series

    A series of five workshops for cohorts of academic entrepreneurs and pre-revenue start-ups. Content focused on the fundamentals of starting and growing a business specifically within this sector including: Energy access market dynamics, Understanding and engaging customers, business models, business planning and securing finance.

    Participants each developed a coherent pitch and strategy for their business proposition while being exposed to real world case studies and guest entrepreneurs from the sector, culminating in a pitch competition to sector focussed investors.

    Delivered in parallel with one-to-one needs diagnostics,  mentoring and focussed support tasks.

    24 teams supported over two cohorts.

  • Agritech Spin-Out

    Eigen brought its combined experience in investment, start-up formation, business planning and contractual arrangements to guide the team on their optimum approach for commercialisation. This support helped the team develop a pitch which won a $1m award from the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy, and to secure agreement on a spinout from the University of Loughborough. The company is now expanding the number of installations in Africa.

  • Efficiency for Access Design Challenge Accelerator

    A total of 25 Teams and 75 undergraduates and recent graduates were trained in business skills. Support included 11 online workshops, 1-2-1 mentoring plus a final pitch event.

    14 Teams went on to receive funding for proof of concept pilots.

    9 Teams went on to form new start-ups.

  • Low Carbon Construction Materials

    Originally spun out from Durham University, Eigen mentored this scale-up SME over three years. In that time Eigen secured expert input around UK market opportunity and requirements followed by cost modelling work to support decisions on speed and location of manufacturing scale up. Eigen experts delivered considerable leadership coaching (1-2-1) including support on communication to and motivation of wider team. The guidance has helped the company thrive including raising £3m of growth funding, securing several blue-chip partnerships and seeing its product being used in multiple UK projects.

  • Loughborough University Cleantech Mixer

    Collaborated with the University’s TTO and Incubator to deliver a networking event for spinouts, entrepreneurial academics, student and graduate start-ups, local companies, investors and stakeholders. Delivered an update on investor and startup activity in the sector and chaired a discussion panel with cleantech entrepreneurs. Event focussed on stimulating entrepreneurial activity within and around the university ecosystem in the Net Zero and Cleantech space.

  • Net Zero Innovation Portfolio University/RTO Accelerator

    Cohort of 8 University/RTO teams; Two in-person workshops and exercises; Value Chain Mapping, Route to Market Options & Business Models; 1-to-1 mentoring

    Content focussed on real world case studies of the commercialisation of net zero innovations with guest speakers from successful entrepreneurs. Each team ended the programme with a strategy and clear road map of next steps for the commercialisation of their innovation through spinning out or licensing.

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