Why Start-ups and New Products Fail and How to Avoid It

Commercializing technologies developed on the lab bench is the dream of many research scientists and engineers. However, to maximize the likelihood of commercialization, it is important to be aware of the failure modes that bedevil technologies when companies try to develop them into new products. Learn the main reason why new products fail through examples that span a wide range of companies and industries and take lessons from the ones that have succeeded. At the heart of this is how to bring to market something that is solving a real unmet need within an ecosystem that is primed to accept the innovation.

In this seminar, Dr. Vanessa Chan, will discuss what she's learned as 1) a partner at McKinsey & Company helping Fortune 100 companies launch their new technologies 2) an entrepreneur launching her own invention and 3) an angel investor investing in technology led start-ups.

Vanessa Chan is an Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Speaker, Educator and Working Mom. She is a leading thinker in innovation and entrepreneurship where she thrives at the interface of technology and business. Her speciality is translating technology/product assets to meet unmet needs for B2B, B2C and DTC Companies.

Vanessa earned a Ph.D. from MIT, a B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in Materials Science and Engineering and holds three patents.