SHAPING INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF TECHNOLOGY

Timothy L. Faley, PhD
Managing Director,
Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for
Entrepreneurial Studies,
Univ. of Michigan

The task of taking break through technology and determining if it is ready for commercialization is a challenge to both the engineer and the entrepreneur. We will discuss what is needed from a business prospective to determine when a technology is mature enough to be commercialized. The audience is encouraged to bring specific questions that they would like to discuss.

Tim Faley is the Managing Director of the Samuel Zell & Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Wolverine Venture Fund. Most recently, Dr. Faley coordinated technology transfer activities as the Director of Technology Transfer and Commercialization within the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. He marketed research products to industry and created start-up companies, based on the College's research and technologies. Prior to coming to the University, Dr. Faley spent ten years at Dow Chemical Company, where he focused on technology transfer and new business development and served as the financial officer of Dow's Technology Licensing business, dealing with licensing, JVs, and alliances. Preceding his career at Dow, he worked on the faculty of North Carolina A&T University, where students twice selected him as the outstanding chemical engineering professor. Dr. Faley earned his Ph.D. and MS in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from Northwood University, and a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana.