#13 Fernando Gómez-Baquero on turning frustrated scientists into entrepreneurs

Fernando is the Director of Runway and Spinouts at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. Located in a beautiful building on Roosevelt Island, New York City, he is on a challenging mission: find highly talented, yet highly frustrated researchers globally and support them in discovering their inner entrepreneur. He has built a program that serves as a runway for postdocs on their path towards a spin-off. The package includes significant funding, mentorship, a tailored MBA and even emotional support. Fernando can show today that the program delivers on its promise to build intellectual property, turn scientists into entrepreneurs and wipe away frustration.

We talk about what he sees in an empty lab and how this motivated him to dedicate his career to building startups. He also tells us the „dirty little secret“ of how he became the Director of Runway and Spinouts. His program is unique since it is tailored to a very specific target group. The uniqueness lies in its flexible support system, a carefully designed cohort of individuals in order to keep the pressure and emotional support high, plus an easy as well as transparent tech transfer deal. The conversation with Fernando is also fascinating because he is crystal-clear about his values and ambitions.