The Hard Truths of Commercializing Deep Tech: Lessons from IP to Startup Success

Ian Bergman sits down with Hassan Jaferi, Sr. Director at Myant Ventures and veteran of IP, tech transfer, and startup acceleration, to unpack the realities of turning academic breakthroughs into thriving businesses.

From his early career as a patent examiner to building and mentoring deep tech ventures through Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners, Hassan shares the pivotal lessons he’s learned about bridging the gap between research and commercialization. He explains why most startups fail to define the real problem, the critical role of industry engagement, and how founders can avoid wasting years chasing the wrong market.

Key insights include:

• Why 50% of academic spinouts struggle to identify a true problem to solve

• The importance of engaging industry early—and speaking in the language of problems, not solutions

• Three hard-won lessons from scaling Bitnobi, a data-sharing startup that was recently acquired

• How founders should think about grant funding, bootstrapping, and the right time to raise venture capital

• Why embedding entrepreneurial experience inside universities can make or break tech transfer success
  

Whether you’re building a deep tech startup, working in corporate innovation, or navigating university tech transfer, this conversation delivers practical lessons on what it really takes to move research from the lab to the market.

For full show notes and resources visit: https://www.alchemistaccelerator.com/podcasts