Mission

University alumni working together to advance and commercialize intellectual property for the betterment of humanity.

We are legally organizing as a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and bringing more bleeding edge technology into the world. We will be governed and operated on a decentralized basis.

The Problem

Since the Bayh-Dole Act (1980) enabled universities and other nonprofit research institutions to commercialize and benefit from inventions developed with federal funds, the chasm between government and business support has only widened. In other words, corporations are using universities as outsourced R&D facilities. A track record of applied and basic university research has shown that activities tend to follow the interests of those who fund it, the consequence being that exploration is artificially constrained.

At the same time, the meager support for early-career researchers at even premier research universities has driven many away from academia, and into higher-paying jobs in the private sector. Frankly, although there are more PhD candidates overall in the US than ever before, there are less net funds for support, and even less mid-career individuals providing mentorship to the next generation of researchers.

Creative attempts at resolving these issues have been stymied by some of the characteristics innate to the research university apparatus—newer models for fundraising (such as crowdfunding and alumni community financing, mentorship programs, and accredited alumni investment groups) are difficult to implement for reasons such as regulatory complications and difficulty managing attribution (i.e., tracking exactly where dollars go), slow bureaucratic processes and the need for centralized control, as well as relatively conservative perspectives when allocating support.

Taken together, these issues create a situation where less researchers are doing less innovative research; we all suffer as a consequence.

The Solution

At base, we believe research should not be constrained by an artificially narrowed research focus. That said, universities incontrovertibly benefit not only from monetary support from outside corporate actors, but also from direction and oversight by seasoned executives and their associated teams operating within corporations in the private sector. A singular focus on results (in the context of funded research, on commercializable outcomes) can be a benefit, ensuring the “ivory-tower” stereotype of academia does not get in the way of progress.

We believe an alternative path exists—separate from corporate entities defining aims and managing the delivery of outcomes—that provides similar external governance, with superior results. Specifically, we seek to provide more funding for more research, but with the focus of a party wholly independent of the university enterprise.

Our aim is to build a community of interested alumni with the backgrounds and expertise necessary to meaningfully contribute to academic research opportunities through both their time/energy, as well as via monetary contributions (allocated in the form of grants). And, not only can these individuals gain an awareness of exactly where their dollars are going and why (not to mention helping foster successful outcomes)—they may also be able to earn real money for their efforts.

Utilizing modern technologies and novel corporate organizational forms, we intend to create avenues for the alumni of premier research institutions to get back involved with their alma mater, and potentially get paid for doing so.

The result? More money to fund more research, more researchers being funded to do more research better, and better processes motivating more successful outcomes.