IP Commercialization

NIH? Kauffman Foundation VP Lesa Mitchell told me recently she doesn't expect much interest from Nashvillians in KF's "Proof of Concept" model for seed-stage investing and technology commercialization. Seems she's talked with folks here. My own checking at key Vanderbilt listening-posts suggests that, at first blush, she's probably right. The people I spoke with felt said they're doing fine without POC. They have access to IP, University funds, angel-investor networks, advisors and all the rest (although oversight of these activities is concentrated in a tech transfer unit of the administration, rather than in sci-tech research-oriented schools, themselves).