Commercialization
Academy
Move your life sciences innovation from the lab toward the marketplace.
Life Sciences Innovation Commercialization Journey
Discovery
Explore the opportunity
IP &
Licensing
Protect and enable
Company
Formation
Build your foundation
Validation
Prove the need and solution
Clinical &
Regulatory
Generate data and ensure compliance
Commercial
Strategy
Define market, value and go-to-market
Funding &
Partnerships
Secure capital and relationships
Regulatory
Approval
Achieve clearance or approval
Market
Entry
Launch and reach customers
Growth &
Impact
Improve lives at scale
Commercialization Academy
Why the Commercialization Academy?
Invention is only the beginning. Inventing a breakthrough technology isn’t the same as commercializing it.
Most promising discoveries never make it to market—not because the science isn’t good, but because commercialization requires different skills, decisions, relationships, and strategies.
The Commercialization Academy is designed to help researchers and practitioners make the transition from inventor to entrepreneur.
What You’ll Gain
Three outcomes designed to help you move from invention toward commercialization.
The Commercialization Academy gives participants greater direction, confidence, and a personalized path forward.
01
Personalized Commercialization Plan
Leave with a customized commercialization plan tailored to your technology, stage of development, and goals.
02
Clarity & Confidence
Gain a clearer understanding of the commercialization process and greater confidence in taking your next step.
03
Innovation Studio Eligibility
Academy graduates become eligible to apply for six months of Innovation Studio commercialization support and mentorship.
Meet Your Instructor
Bill Walker
Inventor · Serial Entrepreneur · Educator
Learn from someone who has built and exited multiple life sciences companies and spent decades helping researchers and innovators translate ideas into impact.
Bill Walker is an inventor, serial entrepreneur, and educator. He has repeatedly invented solutions to unmet clinical needs and built companies to deliver those solutions. PocketSonics, acquired in 2014, developed the Sonic WindowTM, a compact, low-cost imaging platform to guide peripheral vascular access. HemoSonics, acquired in 2017, developed a comprehensive point of care in vitro diagnostic to determine the cause of critical bleeding and enable rapid, directed treatment. Over a 12-year period as a professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, he built a world-class ultrasound research lab and co-created UVA’s undergraduate major in Biomedical Engineering. From 2016 to 2025 he served as the inaugural Mattson Family Director of Entrepreneurship at Duke Engineering. In this role he coached innovators and entrepreneurs, led two major research projects, directed the A. James Clark Scholars Program, and actively built new programs in education and entrepreneurship. Today he focuses his effort on developing life-saving treatments for lung failure at Boundless Science, which he cofounded in 2020. He recently founded Impact Readiness Ltd. to provide structured assessment and support to startups in every sector. Dr. Walker serves as a Director of Cerulean Scientific, CoapTech, and Boundless Science. Dr. Walker holds BSE and PhD degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.
What Comes Next
Build What’s Next with Innovation Studio
The Commercialization Academy is one part of Innovation Studio’s commercialization pathway. Eligible graduates can apply to continue working with Innovation Studio through six months of specialized commercialization support at RoVa Labs.
Bench & Incubator Support
Six months of access to workspace, equipment, and startup support at RoVa Labs to help keep your commercialization journey moving.
$9K value
1:1 Coaching & Mentorship
Personalized guidance from experienced life sciences commercialization experts to help you navigate decisions, milestones, and next steps.
$5K value
Additional free Innovation Studio support includes: