Breakfast Panel: Getting Product to Market

Key comments by panel members: Don Corcoran - Methylegene Inc.; Greg Hines - TM Bioscience Inc.; Tom Little - VisualSonics Inc.; Moderator - Cameron Groome - Blackmount Capital Inc.

There is good science and management in Canada.

I came to my company because it had a strong value proposition.

We are in an industry that is not well understood. It can be a difficult story to explain.

Move into the US market early to build your reputation.

IP is the core of the business. Scrub IP thoroughly – make sure it is protected.

Our chief scientists come up with the nuggets. We pull together an advisory  panel to develop and nurture the ideas.

We worked to get a commercial footprint as soon as possible to attract investment.

We spend time getting "the customer speak". We try to get a general consensus though we do not over-focus on individual needs that may be too specific.

To attract new people, we go to the universities and colleges where there is a great new pool of scientists and technologists.

Toronto is becoming a truly international city. We do not have trouble attracting talent up here as consultants or full time employees.

See Michael May's MaRS presentation on this blog for more ideas on managing a biotechnology company