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Home > Resources > Students > 2005 Interns

2005 Interns

Please review current and previous internship projects and look at what past interns have to say about their experience:

Trushar Naik, MBA

The TechStart program offers an opportunity to lead the business development of cutting edge University-founded technologies. During this summer, the program offered a wide range of entrepreneurial opportunities, from searching for potential markets and providing product development assistance for concept technologies, to seeking partnership, funding, and market entry positioning for developed technologies. From a medical perspective, I was also excited by the fact that many of the technologies had a life science application, and had potential to provide real patient benefits.

Entering the summer, I worked on several projects, however I had two to focus on. One project involved a cross-disciplinary effort from the schools of medicine, dentistry, and engineering to create a novel spinal implant. The goals of the project were twofold: to bring individual researchers together and to provide the business support to assist inventors in making decisions on market entry, product development, and trial design. For this project, our team examined the market potential and competitive products, determined critical regulatory (FDA) requirements and funding sources for market entry, and provided a product development plan. At the end of the summer we hosted a presentation, bringing together six of the top clinicians and researchers at the university. With our input, the researchers agreed to begin detailed product specification and animal trial design, and the group took steps toward company formation.

The other project involved a revolutionary ophthalmoscope that can measure the health of the eye via monitoring of retinal cell metabolism. The technology was exciting because it shifts the paradigm from measuring structural and symptomatic changes in the eye (longer-term), to metabolic ones (short-term). The technology has a tremendous value proposition to pharmaceutical companies for its potential to accelerate the process of drug discovery and development, as well as for its diagnostic capabilities. For this project, our team examined the markets for the product, recommended specific segments in the drug development process for entry, helped formulate the business plan, and identified sources of funding/potential pharmaceutical partners. Throughout the summer, the company had on-going talks with several pharmaceutical companies for potential partnership.

The summer experience provides an opportunity to learn what it takes to bring a product to market. The experience highlighted the difficulty of bringing diverse individual interests together for a common goal. It also made the point that commercial value and academic value can be very different. Lastly, it gave us an opportunity to participate in project management of the early steps that a company must take as it progresses from the concept stage to production. In all, it provides an interesting opportunity for those seeking a future in entrepreneurship and business development.

Linda Sanchez, MS Student, Biomedical Engineering

After completing by undergraduate B.S. E. degree at the University of Michigan, I have spent the majority of my career to date in California working in the semiconductor industry as a Computer Architect. I recently moved back to Ann Arbor, Michigan, primarily to be closer to my extended family. With much time to think and ponder, my career goals changed - to develop medical devices and start my own company someday in the long, long term future. And so, I applied and was accepted to the University of Michigan for the master?s program in Biomedical Engineering.

In the few months since returning to Ann Arbor, I became aware of a burgeoning entrepreneurial climate developing in Ann Arbor. I was not sure on how I could become involved in these local biotech startup companies, given my lack of local connections and extremely limited experience working with startups. I found examples of local startup companies established from University of Michigan-originated technologies. From the Office of Technology Transfer's website, I came to learn about the TechStart summer internship program. I applied for a position and began a twelve-week summer internship with the program in May, 2005. The TechStart program was a great way to gain exposure to the entrepreneurial climate of Ann Arbor, as well as get practical hands on experience commercialization of technology.

In terms of structure, all of the internship projects were very open-ended. The Techstart interns and the inventors (professors and researchers who developed the technology) came together at the beginning of the summer to establish a simple set of goals and milestones for the summer projects. Each project was staffed by a team of three to four TechStart student interns, with one intern serving as project lead. Regular meetings with the inventors were useful in discussing ideas and providing general input and direction to the projects.

I had three internship projects assigned to me for the summer: (1) finding potential applications for a University of Michigan developed technology to assist semiconductor manufacturing and testing, (2) creating a startup business investigation for healthcare software developed at the University, and (3) establishing a market entry plan for a company based on some key research done at the Departments of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. All of the projects that I worked on initially required a basic market analysis component that involved (1) performing market research, (2) understanding the competitive environment and (3) conducting market interviews to validate the product features and benefits and market needs. This portion took approximately four to six weeks. The second portion of the internship involved putting together a next level plan for the project, and this would be dependent on the end goals of the summer project - whether to do a business opportunity analysis, refine the market analysis, define a detailed feature list, etc. All of this had to be accomplished in the course of twelve weeks.

I learned a lot of beneficial, practical skills in the course of my summer in the TechStart program. Through my experience I came to appreciate the importance of market interviews to help provide user and industry perspective on a given technology. Getting info directly from end customers and experts was very helpful in helping us to prioritize the key features and benefits for the market analysis. In addition I found that the most helpful interviewees may be potential partners and customers in the future. Another key learning that we gained from the summer was the importance of crisp communications. Being able to deliver the “elevator pitch” - a 30-60 second description of the technology and target customer needs - was critical in efficiently communicating in our interviews our vision of our prospective product and company. The peer level discussions and team environment was very productive in helping to provide a sounding board for our ideas and refine our deliverables.

The TechStart program helped me in many areas: gaining contacts in the local Ann Arbor entrepreneurial scene, learning more about the University's biomedical research areas and becoming involved in the process of creating early stage venture companies. The only downside that I can say about the summer is that it was too short - twelve weeks went by very quickly and there were a lot more things that I would have liked to do to take these projects further. I learned a lot of things that I have not been exposed to in my experiences with larger companies: working with smaller companies and getting involved from the ground up on startup ideas. I would highly recommend this program to people who are curious about developing their own startup and being engaged in the entrepreneurial community.

Roy Esaki, UM Med School

I am interested in using my medical and engineering backgrounds to develop biomedical devices; having experienced the process of technology development from the academic perspective, I wanted to learn about the subsequent steps of research development and commercialization, and appreciate what is needed to make academic research tangibly useful to society. My experiences and exposure to a wide range of startups through the TechStart program has greatly enriched my understanding of the technology transfer process, and will be invaluable in guiding me through either an academic or entrepreneurial career.

One of my main projects was for Incept, which is a startup created by a former Techstart intern based on the previous summer's work. The company's core technology platform is a unique microfluidic pumping and valving system; the platform is currently being applied to human in-vitro fertilization (IVF) applications, but the main objective for this summer's Incept team was to investigate other potential applications to make the technology and the company more attractive to investors. We first looked into the animal reproduction market, to see if animal breeders would have a need for technologies that would improve bovine or equine IVF procedures. In addition, based on research findings that the chip could generate shear stresses ideal for the culturing of endothelial cells, we looked into other potential uses of the chip by pharmaceutical companies for the development of endothelium-related drugs, such as anti-coagulants and anti-angiogenic compounds. Based on extensive field interviews, supplemental scientific and market research, and a rigorous technology impact assessment, we were able to make specific recommendations on the suitability of these application areas for future development.

I also worked on a large and challenging project as part of the Tissue Regeneration Systems team. The ongoing goal of the project was to integrate and focus many different technologies and research expertise into a single product development plan. Specifically, proprietary design and manufacturing technologies developed by the engineering school are be used to microfabricate complex scaffolding structures, which could then be implanted and tested by research clinicians at the dental and medical school. Our team's work investigated the potential for the scaffolds to be first used as bioactive and bioresorbable spinal fusion cages; we assessed the technical requirements for a fusion cage, performed an extensive competitive analysis of existing technologies and alternate devices. My contribution focused on issues pertaining to clinical outcomes and assessment metrics of current technologies, manufacturing and design constraints, and study design as guided by the FDA regulatory process. The project called upon all of the medical, engineering, business, and legal experiences of the team, and demonstrated the challenges and rewards of working with a complex, multi-disciplinary team.

Finally, I also helped a professor of chemical engineering to determine the most promising applications of a novel nanofabrication platform that can manufacture biphasic fibers or particles. We looked into how well-suited the biphasic particles would be for application areas such as drug targeting, magneto- and electro-rheological fluidics, and photovoltaics; in the process, we researched the market needs and competitive technologies, and determined if the biphasic particles would be uniquely able to address current pain points. The information we provided helped to guide the current research into directions that will be useful and productive.

I would highly recommend this program to those who want to enrich and broaden their horizons, both by interactions with talented co-workers with a variety of business and professional backgrounds, and by involvement with cutting-edge research and startup efforts at a variety of stages. The program would be particularly useful for those who are flexible, eager to collaboratively learn about new fields, and have a good understanding of what they would like to get out of this program.

Wenyun Sun (Sunny), Masters of Financial Engineering / Masters of Information

As a student pursuing dual master degrees, Master of Financial Engineering and Master of Information, in TechStart Internship program, I was mainly involved with two inventions such as Biphasic nano-particles and three dimensional sub-micron laser machining. In addition, I also had some exposure to the innovations such as a Braille micro-fluidic pump and valve platform, a system that mimics physiological environments, allowing researchers to culture tissues and enable testing and diagnostics on a single chip, and a software program that allows clinician to track the evolution of care for a given patient and enables clinician to establish course of care based on a set of rules.

I had a wonderful experience in the summer in TechStart. I enjoyed working with the multidisciplinary and dynamic team structure, dealing with different technological innovations within different research and development phases, fulfilling the different business requirements of different clients with different expectations.

The major approach of the TechStart projects are actually the methodology that is very similar to consulting work, which is also quite similar to the process of academic research and writing. Once a project is identified, we write a letter of engagement (LOE) describing the topic or “problem” and setting forth the research and analysis steps. The process during fieldwork (6 - 8 weeks or more, depending on workload of the project) usually entails conference phone interviews and face-to-face interviews, internet research, reading through prior reports or studies, data mining and analysis, frequent meetings with teammates to ensure that the project is proceeding smoothly and that everyone agrees on its direction, and training on new technology or reading up on an area that I don't yet know much about. Personal network is very important since it is very often that people you want to interview are not willing to accept a cold call. The final step is to write up a report detailing results and recommendations, or to make a live presentation to the client. Most projects involve a week of planning, three to four weeks of fieldwork and another week or so to write the report.

No two days have been the same over the past 12 weeks, but I have really enjoyed the steep learning curve and challenge of consulting. I work with very smart people who have a lot to teach me - and in turn, they seem to appreciate people who ask questions, who want constructive criticism and who have a generally sociable and communicative personality. I should also add that I've had a lot of fun working with them.

After a successful TechStart experience, one will be armed with skills in good time management, critical thinking and problem-solving, and strong communication, with ability to process large amounts of new information quickly, with ability to work with minimal direction or supervision, and with strong motivation and willingness to work.

Jay Ng, Business School MBA

I am a first year MBA student at the Ross School of Business and I took the Techstart internship because I have an interest in working with early stage technologies. My long term goal is to get into venture capital and I so wanted to understand how a technology gets from a lab out to the market so that I can one day evaluate the attractiveness of technologies.

I enjoyed my Techstart experience because it was a stark contrast to my previous life in private equity where I worked with companies in mature markets. In these markets, the driver of innovation was not to create a paradigm shift in the market but to make things cheaper and faster.

I worked on 4 projects this summer each with a technology at a different stage of development. The most mature project involved a group who had developed clinical software specializing in chronic disease management. The next project involved a laser technology specializing in nanomachining of microfluidic devices. The third project involved working with researchers who had created a novel process to observe the metabolic state of certain cells of the retina in order to diagnose chronic eye diseases. Finally on the fourth project I worked with a researcher who had developed a unique building block nanoparticle technology that had a wide variety of applications ranging from drug delivery to photovoltaic cells.

My biggest take away of the summer is the following; to successfully market a technology, regardless of its stage of development, one must start with an understanding of its value proposition. Because much of the researchers' focus had been on inventing the technology, many times we were trying to find a problem that the technology could solve. We had to figure out the advantages of a technology and whether or not the market would care about it. Would it address a problem in the market? Would it do so at an order of magnitude significantly better than the competition?

I recommend the Techstart program to anyone interested in entrepreneurship, venture capital or in technology. The program is set up to be very free form and the direction and the outcomes are highly dependent on the interns, a structure which can be frustrating at times but very gratifying in the end.

Sylvie Khajuria, Masters of Information, School of Information

I first encountered the mention of Tech Transfer in the summer of 2004, when I was applying to graduate schools. Given my undergraduate degree in business and my exposure to startups in the Bay Area, I thought the Tech Start summer internship would be a good experience. So, I printed out the information and put it in my “things to do when I get to Ann Arbor” folder.

I am pleased to say the internship was above and beyond my expectations. I worked on three different projects with students from different areas: medicine, law, business, financial engineering and biomedical engineering. The projects themselves were all over the place: the first one dealt with a device that assisted in the IVF market. This project had started a year ago in the same internship program and was now in the process of gathering money from VCs and other venues. Our group was assigned the task of analyzing whether there was a secondary market for the product or not. A lot of what I did was market research, calls to people in the industry and what I would call learning on my feet.

The second project involved software developed by the Family Medicine group on campus. The research had been going on for over a year and the software was being used at some test sites. Our job, in this case, was to analyze the market and suggest a business plan. We interviewed companies in the competitive space and did a lot of market study in order to understand where this product might fit in and what the business model should be.

The last project I was involved with was very early stage. In fact, the idea only existed on paper; there was not even a prototype. We started with 14 possible markets, and narrowed them down to 3. I think this was the most challenging project because almost all of it was theoretical. We could take the product to any market and make a possible case. In the end however, we had to depend on market size, needs, pain points, and ease of entry to decide on what markets the inventor should focus on.

I would definitely suggest this to any SI students because this really taught me how to gather, understand and sift through huge amounts of information. It also taught me how to work with a very diverse group of people, all of whom were very intelligent, focused and hard working. Important things to remember going in are learn to listen carefully, take good notes and keep an open mind.

Craig Komanecki, Law School

As a future attorney with a biology background, I plan on serving life sciences and other technology companies. The TechStart program was an excellent compliment to my career plans as I was able to gain valuable experience assisting these types of companies in the obstacles that many of them face. During the course of the summer, I worked on three projects. One involved a laser machining technology that may be useful in microfluidic chip manufacturing; another involved a suite of technologies useful for an orthopedic implant, and the third involved a novel ophthalmoscope that may be useful in ophthalmic drug discovery and development.

For these projects, I conducted market research and competitive analysis in order to evaluate how the technology might solve drawbacks with current products on the market. Additionally, for one of my projects I performed an intellectual property portfolio review and a freedom to operate analysis. On another project, I investigated the FDA requirements for a new medical device and the obstacles in validating that device for use in preclinical and clinical trials.

Another aspect of the program is the opportunity to work with extremely talented individuals with diverse backgrounds from other graduate programs here at Michigan. We were also able to gain exposure to the entrepreneurial environment in Ann Arbor. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who is interested in working with high-tech companies.