Advisory services for spin-offs and technical commercialisation
KEBNEK helps research teams, deep-tech founders, and industrial innovators clarify the commercial path from technical know-how to product, business case, investment or partnership.
Choose the right advisory path
Spin-off
Validation
✓
For university teams, researchers or Technology Transfer Offices.
✓
Decide whether research know-how is ready for spin-off, licensing or further validation.
Technology
Commercialisation
✓
For founders, SMEs and industrial innovators.
✓
Turn technical capability into product positioning, market logic and business case.
Investor & Partner
Preparation
✓
For teams preparing for investors, grants or strategic partners.
✓
Build a credible pitch, milestone plan and negotiation argument.
Technology Scouting
for Industrial Innovation
✓
For industrial companies looking for relevant university technologies, research teams or deep-tech ventures to address concrete product, process or automation challenges.
Spin-off Validation
For university teams, researchers and TTOs deciding whether research know-how can become a viable spin-off, licence or commercial partnership.
Typical situations
- A research result looks commercially promising, but the product is not yet clear.
- The team needs to define what know-how can be transferred.
- The university or TTO needs a structured commercialisation recommendation.
- Potential founders need to understand customer, market, IP and execution risks.
- The project is not yet ready for investors, but it needs a decision path.
What Kebnek does
| Workstream | Typical output |
|---|---|
| Know-how definition | Clarify what can realistically be transferred or commercialised |
| Customer hypothesis | Identify who may have the problem and who may pay |
| Product concept | Formulate the first marketable offer |
| Commercialisation route | Compare spin-off, licence, partnership or further development |
| Risk map | Identify technical, market, team, IP and funding risks |
| Readiness recommendation | Define whether to proceed, postpone, redirect or validate further |
Typical outputs
Spin-off readiness assessment, know-how map, customer hypothesis, first product concept, commercialisation risk map and recommended next steps.
Technology Commercialisation
For deep-tech founders, SMEs and industrial innovation teams turning technical capability into a product, market position and business case.
Typical situations
- You have strong technology, but an unclear first market.
- The value proposition is too technical for customers or investors.
- The product concept needs sharper positioning.
- Pricing, business model or go-to-market logic is uncertain.
- You need to decide whether to invest further in development or market entry.
What Kebnek does
| Workstream | Typical output |
|---|---|
| Market segmentation | Identify the most promising customer groups |
| Use-case prioritisation | Select where the technology creates the strongest value |
| Product positioning | Translate technical capability into customer value |
| Business model logic | Define revenue, pricing and delivery assumptions |
| Go-to-market roadmap | Identify the first commercial steps |
| Strategic partner logic | Clarify which partners may accelerate adoption |
Typical outputs
Market validation, product positioning, value proposition, pricing assumptions, business model logic and go-to-market roadmap.
Investor & Partner Preparation
For teams preparing for fundraising, grant applications, strategic partner discussions, licensing negotiations or internal investment decisions.
Typical situations
- You are preparing for pre-seed or seed investor discussions.
- You need to explain what funding will provide.
- A strategic partner needs a clear reason to engage.
- A grant application needs stronger market and impact logic.
- You need a negotiation position for discussions with universities, investors, or partners.
What Kebnek does
| Workstream | Typical output |
|---|---|
| Pitch narrative | Build a clear story from problem to product to market |
| Milestone plan | Explain what the next funding or project phase will achieve |
| Budget logic | Connect spending to risk reduction and value creation |
| Investor argument | Translate commercialisation logic into investability |
| Partner argument | Explain why a strategic partner should engage |
| Negotiation preparation | Clarify objectives, fallback positions and red flags |
Typical outputs
Pitch storyline, investor deck logic, milestone and budget plan, risk-reduction roadmap, partner argumentation and negotiation preparation.
Technology Scouting
For industrial companies looking for relevant university technologies, research teams or deep-tech ventures to address concrete product, process or automation challenges.
Typical situations
- We have a production bottleneck and need to know whether external technology could help.
- We want to assess realistic automation opportunities before investing.
- We need to understand where industrial AI can create practical value.
- We are exploring a new product or technology direction.
- We need better sensing, monitoring or quality-control capabilities.
- We want to identify the right university, research or deep-tech partners.
What Kebnek does
| Workstream | Typical output |
|---|---|
| Define the industrial challenge | Clear problem statement and scouting brief |
| Map relevant technology areas | Priority technology domains and search logic |
| Identify candidates | Shortlist of university teams, spin-offs or deep-tech ventures |
| Assess fit and maturity | Readiness, industrial fit, integration complexity, IP considerations and adoption risk. |
| Recommend engagement path | Suggested route: pilot, research collaboration, licence, investment discussion or strategic partnership |
Typical outputs
KEBNEK delivers a practical shortlist of relevant external technology options, assessed for industrial fit, maturity, adoption risk and recommended next engagement path.
How engagements are structured
KEBNEK engagements are typically structured as focused advisory sprints or milestone-based support. The scope depends on the maturity of the technology, the available evidence and the decision the client needs to make.
Three engagement formats
| Format | Best for | Typical outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic consultation | Early discussion or unclear need | Initial assessment and recommended next steps |
| Milestone plan | Specific validation or business-case question | Defined deliverables within a focused timeframe |
| Ongoing advisory support | Longer commercialisation or fundraising preparation | Continued support tied to decision points |
Which service do I need?
| Your situation | Recommended service |
|---|---|
| We are a university team and may create a spin-off | Spin-off Validation |
| We have research know-how, but no clear first customer | Spin-off Validation |
| We have a technical product, but an unclear market positioning | Technology Commercialisation |
| We need a business case before investing further | Technology Commercialisation |
| We are preparing for investors or grants | Investor & Partner Preparation |
| We need to prepare for a strategic partner meeting | Investor & Partner Preparation |
| Which external technologies could help us solve a product, process or automation challenge? | Technology Scouting |
| Where can AI realistically create value in our production environment? | Technology Scouting |
Not sure which service fits your situation?
Start with a first consultation. We will clarify the maturity of the opportunity, the main commercialisation risks or industrial challenge and the most useful next step.