High stakes: university startups push for more ownership

Zincovery founder Jonathan Ring says the traditional university model doesn't work. (Image: Zincovery/NZME)

Wed, 08 May 2024

When postgraduate researcher Jonathan Ring went to spin out Zincovery from intellectual property he’d developed with professor Aaron Marshall, the University of Canterbury wanted two-thirds equity. This followed a traditional university model that divided proceeds of commercialised intellectual property (IP) by thirds between itself, the relevant department, and the researchers/founders. This, says Ring, would have made the company uninvestable for future capital raises. So, instead, he and Marshall licensed the IP from the univ...

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