Building Long-Term Strategic Value With Implementation Of Potential Growth Opportunities
Develop and apply growth possibilities within and between organisations. Create sustainable value by establishing and managing strategic relationships and alliances, within your own operations and with third-parties, leveraging expertise, technologies or intellectual property to expand your business and enhance reputation.
Strategic Alliances
TechMark works closely with clients to build market position, by locating, developing, defining, negotiating, and maintaining key business relationships - we expand your customer base, enhance products and services or enable diversification to new markets - establishing and managing strategic partnerships and alliances with business-to-business, business-to-customer, non-profit and governmental organisations.
We develop negotiating strategies and positions by identifying affinities, studying integration of new venture with company strategies and operations; examining risks and potentials; estimating partners' needs and goals, closing new business deals by coordinating requirements; drafting and negotiating term sheets and contracts; integrating contractual requirements into your business operations.
Our services include contact with potential partners and key opinion leaders; discovering and exploring opportunities, from IT development, specialised engineering, advanced marketing or key account management activities, sales, distribution and relations development, for current and prospective customers - leveraging expertise, technologies or other intellectual property to expand your capacities for identifying, researching, analysing and bringing to market new businesses and new products.
When generating leads and pitching to potential partners, tasks typically include:
- Researching potential new markets, organisations and individuals to identify new leads, their needs, buying influences (economical, technical, users) and partnering processes
- Contacting key opinion leaders and potential partners to establish rapport, open discussions and organise meetings
- Interviewing existing customers about their requirements for new product developments, coordinating feedback and development roadmaps with relevant personnel (R&D, technology, sales, marketing...)
- Representation at conferences, workshops and relevant industry events
- Involvement in new marketing initiatives, supporting collateral, elevator pitches, presentations, quotes and proposals with marketing & sales personnel
- Term sheet negotiations and coordination with relevant personnel (risk & compliance, legal, finance, product development, commercial...)
- Update meetings and progress reports to executive management
Keeping healthy relationships requires socialisation, from simple phone calls, to lunches, events or conferences. Business development must establish trust, be sure to keep their partners engaged, and the deals moving forward through term sheet to final contract signature.
“You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Licensing & Technology Transfer
Business development opportunities include licensing negotiations for innovative technology, which relies on the ability to transfer robust and reproducible technology from one party (for example an academic research organisation, acting via their TTO, technology transfer office) to a commercial entity or business (commercialisation) partner.
Developing technology toward commercialisation is challenging, technology transfer agreements (through which a licensor permits a licensee to exploit intellectual property, patents, know-how or software for the production of goods and services) are time-consuming negotiations, involving multiple corporate disciplines (legal, finance, risk, technical R&D, commercial, quality assurance, manufacturing, etc.).
Technology is often represented within patented inventions, with the terms of use and resulting financial compensation covered through legal license agreements - intellectual property that gives the holders (both owners, 'applicants', as well as inventors) legal advantages in commercialisation of the technology. Life science patents, for example, can cover specific chemical structure, a specific antibody or oligonucleotide sequence, or specific methods that improve their production.
In addition to the technical complexities of their innovation, there are further considerations that displace scientists and technologists to the possibly unfamiliar realm of commercialisation and business:
- Does the technology patent portfolio match the ultimate development and commercialisation aims?
- Is the technology best developed further: internally in an academic setting; licensed to an external party; or licensed to a spinoff company specifically founded for further development of the technology?
- Will the technology meet regulatory and quality assurance standards, or comply with existing GMP (good manufacturing practice)?
- How much financing is realistically needed to advance the technology, including not only direct funding for research and development but also funding to cover patent administration and business development activities?
- Does the researcher have access to the appropriate legal resources to permit adequate considerations for patents, licenses, approvals and other legal agreements, incl. legal support for company foundation?