DojoExplore is a 5-week, introductory in-person seminar series designed to expose undergraduate students to the field of biotech, its basic functions, and its multitude of opportunities. The program is executed in collaboration with an on-campus student association for promotional and partnership purposes. Guests ranging from biotech VC to early-stage biotech founders to industry and academia leaders will be carrying out 1-1.5 hour seminars on a weekly basis. The end goal of DojoExplore is to foster a sense of community between campus participants and the broader biotech ecosystem and accumulate the necessary resources and network to sustain a biotech hub in the local area.
Week 1: An Introduction to Biotech
Very high overview of what the biotechnology industry is, aiming to cover the purpose that biotech serves, careers within the biotech industry, and the major players within the industry
Week 2: Spinout Founders
Key responsibilities, frameworks for success, and background required to be an effective spinout founder in the biotech space
Week 3: Market Analysis
Comprehensive market analysis for a biotech startup, understand the importance of addressing market needs, and develop and validate a proof of concept for their business idea
Week 4: Intellectual Property & Technical Moat
Intellectual Property (IP) and its role in biotech commercialization, purpose of Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), the importance of patents, and the mechanisms involved in the commoditization of IP.
Week 5: A Biopharma Story, from Seed to Series A
Navigating the early stages of building a biotech startup, with a focus on budgeting, grant applications, effectively crafting and communicating the company's vision to various stakeholders, articulating the value proposition of the technology.
Mid-August / Mid-November
Once the director has been selected, the Program Managers can support the associate recruitment process through advertisement, application review, and interviews. Upon recruitment, they should be onboarded, introduced to the Nucleate Dojo team, and begin brainstorming. It is expected that the Explore team devises a plan and approximate timeline prior to finding a partner organization.
Late-August / Early-December
The search for partner organizations should begin shortly after onboarding the Explore team. The agreement between the partner organization and the Explore team should be established at a minimum of 4 weeks prior to the program launch.