Farley Center, InQbation Lab Host Entrepreneurial Bootcamp
The intensive two-day program empowered Northwestern healthcare researchers with entrepreneurial skills
Northwestern’s healthcare researchers are getting a crash course in entrepreneurship and business skills, thanks to a unique partnership.
The Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Querrey InQbation Lab hosted their second Farley-Q Entrepreneurial Bootcamp on February 20-21, bringing together 28 participants from across the University’s research ecosystem. In this event, PhD students, post-doctoral researchers, and research professors from McCormick School of Engineering, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences converged for an intensive program designed to bridge the gap between healthcare discoveries and market innovations.
“I learned so many perspectives about approaching entrepreneurship in a healthcare lens and was able to see how the ‘business’ side views science and academic research,” said Anthea Weng, a PhD student at Feinberg. “It was a great opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship which I rarely come across in my PhD program.”
Bridging Healthcare and Entrepreneurship
The event featured a mix of keynotes, practical workshops, and collaborative exercises. Participants learned directly from those who had successfully navigated the path from academia to entrepreneurship.
Micah Litow (MBA, ’11), chief product and solutions officer at Prendio and BioProcure Inc., kicked off the bootcamp with lessons from more than 20 years of leadership experience at Medtronic, Danaher, McKinsey, and high-growth startups. His message to the researchers was clear: understand the problem thoroughly before developing solutions, build conviction in your approach, assemble the right team, and rigorously evaluate risks.
Another keynote came from Stephen D. Miller, Judy E. Guggenheim Research Professor Emeritus at Feinberg, who discussed his experience translating immunology research into COUR Pharmaceuticals, a company developing therapies to treat patients with autoimmune diseases. Miller shared insights from his journey to COUR conducting breakthrough clinical trials that demonstrated the induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance in autoimmune disease treatment and partnering with Takeda Pharmaceutical and Genentech.
Eduardo Acuna (MBA ‘99), clinical associate professor at the Farley Center with 25 years of experience in strategic planning, sales, marketing, and cross-cultural communication, led workshops focused on finding product-market fit. Acuna emphasized that successful entrepreneurship demands not just passion and resilience, but a balanced team combining technical expertise, communication skills, and business acumen.
"The things that Ed taught also translate into day-to-day life and in your communication," said Saad Abuzahra, a post-doctoral researcher studying interventional radiology at Feinberg. "Even if you don't want to go through the entrepreneurship route, what we were taught today benefits you in your daily life."
Industry Insights from Experienced Innovators
Bootcamp sessions included exercises in market opportunity identification, stakeholder analysis, and customer validation. Prashanth Somu (MBA, ‘24), global product manager at Boston Scientific, guided attendees through the intricacies of navigating the complex healthcare value chain from research through market entry. Andrew Sykes, adjunct professor at Kellogg and founder of Habits at Work, shared his expertise on the art of networking, a crucial skill for any aspiring entrepreneur.
A highlight of the bootcamp was the panel discussion featuring former Northwestern PhD students turned founders, John McGee (PhD, ‘22) and Nick Sather (PhD, ‘18), who shared their journeys from academia to entrepreneurship. Their stories resonated with the attendees, providing real-world examples of the challenges and triumphs of starting a business.
On the second day, the bootcamp broke into separate commercialization tracks to offer specialized insights into different sectors. Jerzy Wojcik, VP of regulatory and quality services at EdgeOne Medical, drew from his extensive background in biomedical engineering and product development to provide valuable insights into bringing medical devices to market. Eric Schiffhauer, senior director of translation at the Chicago Biomedical Consortium, used his prior work with Deerfield Management and the Chicago Biomedical Consortium to advise on therapeutic development from multiple angles. Leland Brewster, director of venture traction at Redesign Health, shared his firm’s framework in evaluating inbound ideas as well as their approach in commercializing digital health.
The attendees reunited to focus on the nuts and bolts of presentation strategies. Yankun Guo, a corporate and transactional attorney specializing in venture capital financing and corporate compliance, spoke about startup journeys out of universities and the basics of pitch decks. Anne Libera, adjunct lecturer at the Farley Center and artistic consultant at The Second City, then shared skills to help participants communicate their visions with confidence.
The bootcamp also highlighted the wealth of resources available at Northwestern, with Arjan Quist of the Innovation and New Ventures Office, Mike Raab of The Garage, and Sonia Kim, executive director of the Querrey InQbation Lab, providing valuable insights into the support systems in place for budding entrepreneurs.
"The bootcamp is a unique offering for Northwestern research scientists who want to explore the concepts and best practices related to entrepreneurship as well as guiding principles behind commercialization in a concentrated format," said Kim. “All participants received great exposure to topics specific to therapeutics, medical devices, and healthtech but also had an opportunity to learn about the resources available to Northwestern innovators and to network with Kellogg students, professors, and local entrepreneurs and investors.”
To facilitate interactions between Northwestern scientists and business-minded individuals, the bootcamp held a networking social where bootcamp attendees were joined by Kellogg MBA students and special guests. This provided a relaxed environment for attendees to connect, share ideas, and build relationships that could foster future collaborations. The InQbation Lab and Farley Center aim to host similar events biannually, with future bootcamps focusing on various technology verticals.
"These bootcamps represent a critical bridge between Northwestern's world-class research and the entrepreneurial mindset needed to bring discoveries to market," said Hayes Ferguson, director of the Farley Center. “The enthusiasm and engagement we witnessed over these two days speaks to a real appetite for this kind of cross-disciplinary training.”