Get investment ready with Unicorn
Unicorn is the expert network to help spin-out companies get investment ready. We are the University Commercialisation Readiness Network, or Uni-corn for short.
For researchers, scientists, academics, PhDs & post-docs
From investment readiness training to impartial founder advice and spin-out strategy - Unicorn has you covered.
For Universities and Technology Transfer Offices
Become a Unicorn member and leverage the UK’s expert network for research commercialisation.
Interested in becoming a Unicorn advisor or investor?
If you’re passionate about empowering research-based and impactful ventures, please get in touch via the form below.
We’re on a mission to help founders and TTOs de-risk the spin-out process and get them ready for investment and impact
Spin-outs are complex and come from every subject discipline
Spin-out founders typically build companies that draw on insights they’ve gained during their research and deep domain expertise.
Spin-out ventures encompass the full spectrum of academic and scientific research: from bio-engineering to pharmaceuticals, from green-tech to deep-tech, from artificial intelligence to nuclear fission, from software to social-sciences, from impact to arts- based ventures - university spin-outs tackle complex problems at the edge of knowledge and practice.
TTOs can’t cover every specialism
University Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) cover a wide variety of business and legal functions and generalist support. For most TTOs, it’s not viable to retail specialist advisors for the high variety of disciplines and sectors they need to cover.
This increases risk in prioritising which ventures to support with limited resources.
Uni-corn network: deep expertise for spin-outs
The Unicorn Network was formed to give founders and TTO’s access to the best specialist advisors and maximise the success of research commercialisation and spin-outs.
Launching a spin-out is exciting; Unicorn services gives both founders and their institutions the best chances for success.
Founders, TTOs & Investors:
Unicorn brings the spin-out ecosystem together
Unicorn provides a bridge across the ecosystem of academic founders, universities and investors
A Network of Experts
A vetted network of venture finance experts, serial angel investors, exited entrepreneurs, patent lawyers and scientific sector experts with deep domain expertise, experience and networks.
Leverage and gain access to the combined deep expert pool of the UK’s top business angel networks and spin-out experts.
Trusted Professionals
All experts and mentors in our network are vetted and sign up to the Unicorn trusted expert policy.
We provide confidential, and secure services for founders, TTOs and spin-out ventures
Actionable Advice
The advice our experts provide is highly practical for founders and TTOs.
Our focus is always on helping unlock and de-risk the next step, wherever you are in the process: whether that’s testing the idea further or helping ventures get investment ready.
Ecosystem Approach
“It takes a village to raise a spin-out”.
Unicorn provides a bridge between founders, universities and investors.
We work highly collaboratively, with a focus on nurturing the whole UK spin-out ecosystem.