CustomerDiscoveryPros.com
Raise Ready
Raise Ready
for University Ventures
Investment Readiness Bootcamp for Research-Backed Startups. Built for academics, researchers, and university spinouts ready to move from the lab to the market, whether your invention is software, a device, or a new process, with the story, strategy, and investor confidence to close.
Apply for the Next Cohort
Format
Live Zoom + Online Course
Duration
8 Weeks, Cohort-Based
Cohort Size
10 Ventures Max
Investment
$899+ to Enroll
“Most academic founders speak the language of research.
Raise Ready for University Ventures teaches you to speak the language of investors, without losing the science that makes your venture worth funding.”
Our Difference
Why Raise Ready for University Ventures Works
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From Lab to Business Language
We help academics translate methodology, data, and findings into the language investors actually use to decide.
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Meet Investor Milestones
We teach you which proof points, at which stage, actually move an investor from interested to committed.
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Work Alongside Your TTO
From invention disclosure to licensing terms, we help you align your raise with your Technology Transfer Office, not around it.
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Position You for Success
We help you build the story, materials, and investor relationships that put your venture in the strongest possible position to raise.
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Share-the-Risk Model
Our deferred compensation and warrant structure means we only win when you do. Your success is not just our goal, it is our motivation.
The Problem
Investors Pass on Research They Cannot Translate
Most academic founders and university spinouts pitch before they are ready. Their story leads with methodology instead of market impact, they have not aligned their raise with their Technology Transfer Office's licensing terms, and they are targeting investors who do not fund their stage or sector. The result: a long string of "not for us right now" responses that do not tell them what to fix.
Raise Ready for University Ventures is an 8-week bootcamp built for researchers and academic founders, preparing them to raise with confidence, from Friends and Family through Angel investors, deep tech funds, and beyond.
The Pitch Problem
Investors see hundreds of pitches. Researchers who lead with the science, not the market pain and business impact, and who cannot answer hard questions about customers, competition, or unit economics, get passed on, fast.
The Story Problem
Most academic founders tell their publication story. Investors want the founder's insight story: the specific moment you understood the problem better than anyone else, and why that means you will win.
The TTO and IP Problem
Founders who cannot clearly explain their IP ownership, licensing terms, or how their Technology Transfer Office fits into a raise lose investor trust fast. Raise Ready for University Ventures gets that alignment right before you are in the room.
Who This Is For
Built for Researchers With Something to Show
Raise Ready for University Ventures is not for idea-stage founders. It is for academics and researchers with a working invention, disclosed IP, or early customer evidence, and a concrete plan to raise or license in the next 6 to 12 months.
Profile One
The Faculty or PI Founder
You have a lab discovery ready to license or spin out, early users or pilot partners, and are ready to raise your first outside capital. You know your invention but have not yet translated it into a story that resonates with investors. You need help with the narrative, the deck, and the target list.
Profile Two
The Postdoc or Graduate Researcher
You co-invented the core IP and have been through grant funding, but venture funding is a different game. You are not sure if the problem is your story, your targets, your pitch delivery, or how your licensing terms are structured. You want structured feedback, a peer group, and a proven process to diagnose and fix what is holding you back.
Also Suited For
The University-Affiliated Spinout
Deep tech and research-backed ventures coming out of a university venture lab, incubator, or accelerator, working alongside their Technology Transfer Office toward a raise. You need a pitch that works for commercial investors while your licensing terms are still being finalized.
W
Written from inside the field. Randy Shawn Fisher is co-author of a customer discovery guide for IP and Technology Transfer professionals, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), alongside co-author John A. Fraser, former President of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). That research-backed methodology is built directly into this program.
Program Outcomes
What Every Founder Walks Away With
Every participant leaves Raise Ready for University Ventures with a complete Investor Readiness Package ready to deploy on day one after graduation.
Expert advice for an investor-ready pitch deck
A 200-word snapshot of the business opportunity you are presenting to investors
A Value Proposition that speaks to investors, not just peer reviewers
An investor target list of 20+ prospects matched to your stage, sector, and technology
Customer discovery interviews and feedback on investor conversations
Expert insights for presenting better to investors, and sharing your research story in a compelling manner
Financial summary ready for data room with a clear and defensible ask
A clear framework for coordinating your raise timeline with your Technology Transfer Office
Peer relationships with cohort founders for ongoing accountability and warm intros
A proven roadmap to focus your efforts and company milestones to meet investor needs
The Curriculum
8 Weeks to Investment Readiness
Each week combines a live Zoom session with practical homework that builds toward your Investor Readiness Package. Every session includes peer feedback, expert instruction, and applied practice on your real venture.
01
Customer Discovery: Know Your Market Before You Know Your Investor
ICP mapping, pain hypothesis, and the job-to-be-done framework, applied to your invention
Why investors fund researchers who know their market better than anyone else
Homework: 5 structured customer discovery interviews
02
Turning Research Findings Into Investor Evidence
How to translate lab results and publication findings into language investors trust
What "validated" actually means at the Friends and Family, angel, and seed stages
Homework: Discovery synthesis memo
03
The Narrative Arc: Your Story, Your Insight, Your Edge
Problem, insight, solution, traction, ask: the sequence that holds attention
Why the researcher's insight story outperforms the publication story every time
Homework: One-page founder narrative draft
04
Deck Architecture, Market Sizing, and the Data Room
Slide architecture that investors actually read, from cover to ask
Market sizing done credibly, and positioning your IP and licensing terms within the deck
Homework: Draft pitch deck (10 slides)
05
Finding the Right Investors for Your Stage
Friends and Family through angels, deep tech funds, corporate venture arms, and non-dilutive routes like SBIR and STTR
How to build and tier an investor target list of 20-plus names
Homework: Tiered investor target list
06
Investor Due Diligence: Vet Them Before They Vet You
How IP ownership, licensing terms, and Technology Transfer Office agreements affect investor diligence
Red flags to identify before you take a meeting
Homework: Diligence notes on your top 5 investor targets
07
Presenting Like a Founder: Delivery, Q&A, and Objection Handling
Confident, direct delivery that builds trust without overselling the science
Live Q&A and objection practice within the cohort
Homework: Recorded solo pitch (5 minutes)
08
Investor Readiness Package and What Comes Next
Full cohort pitch rehearsal with structured peer and facilitator feedback
Finalizing your complete Investor Readiness Package
Next steps, TTO coordination, and cohort alumni network access
Program Format
How the Bootcamp Works
Raise Ready for University Ventures is delivered online over 8 weeks in a cohort of up to 10 companies. Each week combines a live Zoom session with online course content, peer community, practical homework, and facilitator and peer feedback.
Enrollment is $899+ per venture. The remainder of the program value is structured as a mix of deferred compensation and warrants, aligning our success with yours. We win when you win.
Facilitated by Randy Shawn Fisher, CEO, Customer Discovery Pros. Program content draws on Randy's WIPO-published work on customer discovery for IP and Technology Transfer professionals, co-authored with John A. Fraser, former President, Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).
Live Weekly Zoom Sessions
Each week includes a live group session covering the curriculum with time for peer discussion, applied practice, and direct Q&A with the facilitator.
Online Course and Peer Community
Participants access course materials, tools, and templates between sessions and stay connected through a peer community for accountability and shared learning throughout the 8 weeks.
Expert Advice and Peer Feedback
Structured expert advice and peer feedback on your real decks, narrative, and pitch, culminating in a full cohort pitch rehearsal in week 8 that simulates an actual investor room.
1-on-1 Coaching Session
A dedicated one-on-one coaching session focused on your Value Proposition, so you can walk into investor conversations with a clear, compelling case for why your venture wins.
Program Economics
Aligned Incentives, Not Just a Course Fee
Raise Ready for University Ventures is priced so that academic founders with limited runway can access world-class preparation. The $899+ enrollment fee covers your registration. The balance is structured as a mix of deferred compensation and warrants, which means we are invested in your success long after the program ends.
$899+ to enroll. The balance is structured as deferred compensation and warrants.
This structure gives you access to expert preparation without depleting early runway or research funding
Cohort of 10 ventures means you benefit from peer learning, feedback, and warm introductions across the group
We succeed when you raise. Our incentives are fully aligned with your outcome.
We only accept founders who meet our criteria and are ready to do the work.
Who Should Apply
Three Paths Into Raise Ready for University Ventures
Raise Ready for University Ventures is built for academic founders, but there are three distinct ways to engage with the program depending on your relationship to research-backed ventures.
Academic Founders
Program participants
Working invention, prototype, or disclosed IP, not idea-stage
Planning to raise or seek licensing capital in the next 12 months
Able to commit to 8 weeks of sessions and weekly homework
Ready to give and receive direct peer feedback on real materials
Technology Transfer Offices
Referral and pipeline partners
Refer researchers and spinouts in your pipeline who are close but not yet investor-ready
Receive an invitation to the cohort graduation session as a featured observer
See your referred founders return with stronger decks, validated customer discovery, and a clear ask
Custom cohort options available for TTOs with multiple spinouts ready at once
Angel & Deep Tech Investors
Referral and pipeline partners
Refer academic founders in your pipeline who are close but not yet pitch-ready
Receive an invitation to the cohort graduation session as a featured observer
Preferred early-look access to cohort graduates who match your thesis
Diligence-ready materials that respect your time and theirs
Ready to Raise
with Confidence?
Start with a 15-minute conversation to see if Raise Ready for University Ventures is the right fit for where your venture is right now.
Book a Free 15-Minute Call No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about fit and timing. Subject to change without prior notice unless guaranteed in writing. Terms and conditions apply. Amounts in USD.