Tim Van Acker

Experience

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  VIB

  Jun 2021 - now

  New Ventures Manager

  As New Venture Manager, I dedicate myself to creating new spin-off companies based on VIB’s innovative research. In close collaboration with the VIB scientists, I discuss their results and analyse whether their inventions might form the seed of a VIB spin-off company. I engage with the VIB Intellectual Property (IP) team to explore the best route to IP protection for new VIB inventions, perform competitive landscape analyses and discuss follow-up experiments with the scientists to create a strong proof-of-concept data package and to differentiate their invention from competitors. This also entails competitive grant writing to fuel the project with additional funding. Subsequently, I create investor pitches and business plans for the new spin-off company. Through pro-active discussions with different type of VCs, I am involved in the fundraising for the new company. In the next stage, I am actively conducting the negotiations (and drafting) of licensing agreements, shareholders’ agreements, etcetera. At the end of the ride, I will have guided the spin-off project through the entire trajectory “from experiment to incorporation”. Show less