Discoveries that Dare. Ventures that Endure.
UMN’s Startup Launch Protocol gives University of Minnesota faculty-led startups a fast track to licensing groundbreaking innovations, backed by the resources and structure needed to turn bold ideas into lasting impact.
The program consists of two components:
Ignite Option: A flexible-term option (1–3 years) designed to provide startups with the early access and time needed to explore and begin building a viable business with University innovations. This option enables startups to conduct internal development, technical validation, and continue customer discovery before committing to a full license.
- Liftoff License: An exclusive license available to startups that have successfully met the required milestones from the Ignite Option or have otherwise completed equivalent conversion milestones, including business planning and legal formation. It provides a structured, startup-friendly agreement with pre-set business terms designed to support the success of early-stage deep tech commercialization.
Industry standard license terms based on your innovation’s domain:
Sector | License Details |
|---|---|
| Medical Devices | Startups commercializing medical devices, imaging tools, or sensor-based systems that require FDA review or operate within a regulated medical pathway. This category includes hardware-based devices, software-connected devices, point-of-care diagnostics, molecular or biological assays, imaging technologies, and any product that performs clinical measurement, detection, diagnosis, monitoring, or therapeutic support. |
| Physical Sciences/Engineering | Startups commercializing innovations in materials science, electronics, energy systems, robotics, advanced manufacturing, chemical processes, mechanical or electrical engineering, or other hardware-based technologies that do not require a medical regulatory pathway. These products typically involve physical devices, engineered systems, specialized instrumentation, or manufacturing technologies intended for industrial, commercial, or consumer use. |
| Software-Only, Non-Regulated Digital Technologies | Startups commercializing software-based innovations where the core intellectual property lies in the software itself—such as algorithms, analytics, AI/ML models, data platforms, or digital tools—and where the product can be brought to market without specialized hardware or regulatory approval. Detailed Definition: Software-Only, Non-Regulated Digital Technologies |
| Assessments, Curriculum, and Digital Content | Startups commercializing validated assessments, curriculum materials, and other digital content where the core intellectual property lies in the validated content, instructional design, scoring system, or underlying methodology. These products may be delivered through software, but the software functions only as the delivery method. Detailed Definition: Assessments, Curriculum, and Digital Content |
| Agriculture Technology | Startups commercializing innovations in crop science, plant or animal genetics, biologicals, precision agriculture, sustainable farming tools, food and feed technologies, or other agriculture-focused products that improve productivity, resilience, sustainability, or efficiency in agricultural systems. This category includes biological materials, engineered traits, digital–physical farming tools, and hardware or sensor technologies used in agriculture. |
| Small Business or Non-profit | This pathway is available for consulting firms, non-profit organizations, and small service-oriented entities that do not raise outside investment, do not develop regulated or scale-intensive technologies, and do not operate as commercial startups. These licenses are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure alignment with the University’s mission and may use simplified business terms tailored to the organization’s structure and impact goals. Talk to our licensing team for more information. |
| Pharma/Biotech/Diagnostics | Diagnostics, drugs, biologics, cell/gene therapies, vaccines, and other regulated therapeutic products requiring FDA approval are excluded from the program because their path to commercialization involves far longer timelines, significantly higher capital needs, and more complex regulatory demands than other sectors. Talk to our licensing team for more information. |
Access startup tools, grants, incubators, and mentorship through the Venture Center.