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COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS dawnbreaker.com phase3editor@dawnbreaker.com
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EXECUTIVE EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR
DESIGNER
Jenny Servo, Ph.D.
Julie S. Krull
Danielle Palumbo
@Dawnbreaker
This mini-mag is a companion to the Phase III magazine that Dawnbreaker has produced since 2008. Dawnbreaker feels that another publication which shares information regarding the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program will help those who aspire to reach Phase III commercialization success. As commercialization is also a metric of success for organizations involved with technology transfer, topics of interest to universities and federal labs are also included. FEATURES
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Commercialization: Building an Infrastructure
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Success Story: Aerodyne Research, Inc.
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Marketing: Why You Need a Value Proposition
Brand Journalism: Leveraging for Maximum Exposure
CURRENT/FUTURE SOLICITATIONS
NASA
DOT
NIST
ED
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Selection Announcements
Department of Transportation
National Institute of Standards and Technology 2019 Phase I SBIR Program Grant/Solicitation
Department of Education 2019 Phase I SBIR Program
2019 SBIR Solicitation
DAWNBREAKER®
C O M M E RCI A L I ZATI ON
Building an Infrastructure for Commercialization WHO’S GOING TO DO IT? BY JENNY C. SERVO, Ph.D.
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ou developed a commercialization plan to submit with your Phase II SBIR/ STTR proposal. Now every couple of months you take it out, dust it off and wonder why nothing’s happening. You don’t have a partner yet…you still have the same old website…you haven’t brought in any new funding. Why? After all, you put so much effort into developing the commercialization plan—
WHY DON’T YOU HAVE ANY RESULTS?
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Well, when you put together that carefully crafted plan, you didn’t clarify who would be responsible for executing the plan, nor analyze how much time each step would take. Simply put - your problem is failure to implement! As a small business, it’s not as if you could rush out and hire someone else to execute the plan. Somehow commercialization needed to be added to the ongoing responsibilities of your small business. But when there’s not enough staff to begin with, the responsibility for commercialization remains with you, the small business owner. The only way to add commercialization to an already over-extended schedule is to rearrange your priorities. Move commercialization to the top of your To-Do list and engage the assistance of other team members who may have some time and complementary skills / interest in learning about commercialization.
SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? (1) Make commercialization a new habit! Every week make time for two or three meetings with a colleague or team member to focus on a particular commercialization activity. It could be intellectual property protection, website design, seeking a partner, pursuing a Phase IIB to conduct test and evaluation. No matter what the item is – make that item the focus of your commercialization activities for a designated period of time. (2) Determining how much time is required If you’re not sure how much time a certain goal will take to accomplish – Google it! For example, if you want to file a patent application and you know nothing about the process – you might start by typing in the search bar – The inventor’s role in working with a patent attorney. One article that came up was organized around a number of themes: (1) How to Prepare; (2) Pay for Patent Attorney Services; (3) Shopping Around; and (4) Be Informed and Realistic. Based on reading this and other articles you might conclude that given your level of responsibilities this will probably take 12-16 weeks. Some of the things that you will need to prepare include a written summary of the invention, drawings and/or sketches, results of preliminary patent searching. Using this as a starting point, you map out the steps as best you can and engage the support of other team members with whom you meet regularly, two or three times a week – by so doing – you make the task manageable and make a commitment of time. (3) Keep records. Develop a method to track the efforts taken to address your commercialization goal. Put the goals and associated action items in a notebook, in Google Docs or folders. Keep records in whatever format is the most useful for you. It’s important to keep records of what you have tried and who’s responsible for implementation. For example, if your goal is to develop relationships with local business angels, keep track on a weekly basis of what actions you are going to take and review them with the team in those regularly scheduled meetings. (4) Develop methods for success. It’s import-
ant to know if the efforts that you are taking are effective – so if the plan is not working, you can change your approach. Let’s assume that your goal is to increase the number of white papers requested regarding a new medical application of your technology you wish to publicize. You have developed a plan, have started implementation and decided that your metric for success is 10 requests per week. You have sent out emails announcing that a new white paper is available. Now you need to assess if your email campaign was successful. If you only receive one request a week for a month, you need to change your approach – as it is not going to achieve your goal. Perhaps the email is being blocked and ending up in trash. Maybe email is not the best way to promote this – perhaps you should try Google Ads or add the ability to download the white paper directly from your website. Developing a metric for success and being willing to change direction when something isn’t working are both important. (5) Share results. Sharing the results of your commercialization efforts can help change the culture in your company as it lets others know that commercialization is important to you. Assume that your goal is to increase inbound marketing – in other words, you want to increase the number of people that contact your firm, based on various promotional efforts you have implemented. Your metric for success is the increase in the number of people that call your firm. After conducting a baseline, you decide to invest time in writing a blog and posting videos on your website as a means of increasing inbound marketing. You select a metric for success and graph the changes by week. Posting those changes in a visible area can be reinforcing and give you cause to celebrate your success. For small advanced technology firms, it is appropriate to assume that it will take a while before you can afford to add staff to focus on the wide variety of tasks involved with commercialization – but in the meantime, if you make commercialization a new habit, you will make progress with implementing your commercialization plan. MINI-MAG
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SU C C E SS STORY
| Vantage Point |
How AERODYNE RESEARCH, INC. is Helping to Shape International Aviation Emissions Standards BY JULIE S. KRULL
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ach day, over 87,000 flights make their way around U.S. skies. With that figure continuing to rise each year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is interested in answering the question — What kind of impact is aviation having on the environment? To tackle this query, Aerodyne Research is providing best-in-class particle measurement (PM) devices to NASA and the findings are helping to redefine the standards for aircraft emissions.
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“Aviation is unique in that it is the sole source of manmade emissions that are produced at that altitude,” explains Dr. Charles E. Kolb, President of Aerodyne Research. “The goal is to perform research to understand the science behind these emissions, so we can develop the regulations needed.” That’s exactly what Kolb and his Massachusetts-based small business set out to do. Aerodyne Research has partnered with NASA on a variety of initiatives to quantify the effects of gaseous and particle emissions from aviation. With seven Phase II awards from NASA in the last seven years, Aerodyne has performed R&D related to atmospheric science and on the impact of both gaseous and particle emissions from aviation. In the process, they also have developed instrumentation to analyze both gas phase and particle emissions.
Miake-Lye, Director of Aerodyne’s Center for Aero-Thermodynamics. “The new regulations will have a direct impact on how future jet engines are built. The research tools that have been developed to do that work have been refined and further developed for use by engine manufacturers to improve gas turbine engines for better emissions performance.”
Today, Aerodyne is a ~$25M a year company, where ~75% of its revenue comes from the sale of these instruments. The company’s products can be found on all seven continents, in severRecently, Aerodyne Research has participated al of the NASA centers including NASA Langin the ND-MAX campaign led by NASA and ley Research Center, and in many federal labs. DLR (the German Aerospace Center), with sup- The comprehensive applicability of their instruport from FAA and NRC Canada, as well. The ments that measure airborne particles, volatile goal of this project is to gather aircraft emis- organic compounds, greenhouse gases and sions data to help understand the effects of other airborne pollutants, has attracted othengine performance, ambient conditions, and er government agencies and organizations. fuel types on contrail formation. The project Aerodyne works with the U.S. Department of is the latest in a series of research campaigns Defense, FAA and EPA using a variety of PM that uses different aircraft, ambient conditions and gaseous emissions instrumentation, as and sampling techniques to build a knowl- well as the Department of Energy to measure edge base on alternative jet fuels. Instruments nitrous oxide and methane in our soil, in addilike Aerodyne’s CAPS PMssa Monitor were tion to other atmospheric science applications. used to detect and measure aircraft particulate emissions in the ND-MAX campaign, On the ground, Aerodyne is part of the East but CAPS Monitors are also used for mea- Boston Air Quality Project. Aerodyne and Olin surements such as direct ambient PM, other College have teamed up to build a proof-oftypes of engine exhaust, air quality and more. concept, low-cost air quality sensor network in East Boston and Winthrop, two communiAerodyne is proud to have contributed to the ties in MA adjacent to Logan International Airresearch that fueled the changes in regulations port which are susceptible to pollution from coming from the International Civil Aviation aircraft. The project will feature a scalable, Organization (ICAO). ICAO is a specialized or- end-to-end database architecture to support ganization within the United Nations that sets distributed measurements of local air polluthe aviation standards for agencies around the tion. The team hopes to provide a real-time air world, including the Federal Aviation Adminis- quality map to enable community members tration (FAA). Using non-volatile PM emissions to make more informed data-driven decisions data, in 2016 ICAO established new CO2 and about how to avoid poor air quality in the area. non-volatile PM (nvPM) emissions standards for aircraft, which will reduce the impact of aviation “At Aerodyne, we are all scientists and enemissions on the global climate. In addition in gineers,” says Kolb. “We were very inter2019, ICAO added more comprehensive nvPM ested in fundamental R&D and the need emissions standards for nvPM mass and number for better analysis. That’s why we invented during the aircraft landing and take-off cycle. these instruments; to allow us to do better research. But researchers around the “The ICAO standards are a result of nvPM re- world ended up wanting what we invented.” search over the last 20 years,” says Richard C. MINI-MAG
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M A R K E T I NG
Why You
Need
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a Value
Proposition
You believe in your product. In fact, you think it is better than anything else that’s out there – but when you start to discuss it with potential customers, their eyes glaze over. They nod a lot and tell you it “sounds great” – but they don’t get excited about it. You know that your product addresses a real need – because you were very diligent at the “customer discovery” stage – so what are you doing wrong, now that you are ready to introduce the product?
BY JENNY C. SERVO, Ph.D. MINI-MAG
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Most likely, you are not talking about the product in a way that is meaningful to the customer. Decision makers are usually not interested in the technology per se, but in what the solution can do for them. So, if you spend a lot of time talking about all the cool, technical features that your technology possesses, rather than talking about the benefits that will accrue to your customers, you will lose them. You ultimately need to develop a “value proposition” − a statement that
clarifies the benefit of your product to the customer, in terms that are meaningful to them. So how do you do that? A starting point is to develop a FAB table which contrasts the features (F) advantages (A) benefits (B) of your product. • A feature is a physical characteristic of a product or service • An advantage is what that feature can do for the customer in terms of improved functionality
• A benefit describes what the advantage that accrues to the customer Developing a FAB table for your product will facilitate making the shift from thinking about your product only from a technical perspective to highlighting the benefits for your customer. FAB tables often begin as collections of qualitative statements. However, as a product becomes more refined, it is easier to replace qualitative statements with quantitative statements.
Wearable Wristwatch Blood Glucose Monitor
Feature
Advantage
Benefit
Infrared laser-based glucose spectrometer
Reads glucose levels through the skin, noninvasively
No finger sticking required. Blood glucose can be measured 24/7 in real time
Confidential cloud connectivity
Gathered data is automatically collected and stored in the cloud in a HIPAA-compliant manner
Instant physician access with instant analysis with real-time reporting
The next step, is to thoroughly understand the solutions your competitors provide. Now please don’t say “We have no competition.” If there’s a verified need – then there are competitors who are either currently addressing the need or planning to address it. You may know your competitors by name – but if you are a small company with 10-20 employees, it is unlikely that you have been diligent in gathering competitive intelligence that will enable you to develop a table which contrasts competitive product features and the benefits they promote. Here’s an example of the type of summary table you should be able to develop which contrasts your product with that of your competitors. You Product Name Price Dimensions Feature A Feature B Benefits Highlighted IP Protection Installed Base When Introduced
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Company A
Company B
Company C
Company D
In this table you are summarizing a wide variety of information drawn from different sources: product spec sheets; potential calls to the company’s sales line to gather pricing info; a look at their intellectual property; market research to determine their sales to date and benefits that they highlight. When considering competitors, another trap to avoid is thinking that your competitors are only those firms that address the need using a similar approach or technology platform. However, from a customer perspective it is often unimportant which technology is used to solve a problem, as long as it is done in an efficient and cost-effective way. Once you have developed a FAB table on your own product and also contrasted competitor solutions, you will be ready to start developing a value proposition. The value proposition summarizes the benefits your product or service offers, to whom and at what relative price. Having looked at your competitors and how they position themselves, you will be in a better position to call out the unique features and benefits that you offer. In prepping to draft your value proposition, revisit who the customer is and take a stab at pricing. At this point in the process you may not
have settled upon the ultimate price. However, you should be able to generate an approximation. The value proposition will be a summary statement such as the one suggested below. As you begin to put more effort into marketing, the value proposition will take on a different form, often using imagery and bylines to emphasize the unique features of your product that make it compelling and which differentiate it from competitor solutions. That’s your final destination – the ability to highlight the unique benefits that your product offers your customers. When you can do that, your customers will be as excited about your product, as you are.
“The value proposition for instrument manufacturers looking to better serve the needs of the counter-terrorism market is that this new THz generation method will provide higher resolution and fewer false alarms, at a price that is comparable to that of existing x-ray methods.” MINI-MAG
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M A R K E T I NG
Straight From The Source: How Small Businesses Can Leverage Brand Journalism For Maximum Exposure BY JULIE S. KRULL
In a not-so-distant past, journalists were the only ones who could deliver the news. Who muck and bring the American public the truth but the individuals who were trained to member waiting all day for Edward R. Murrow to deliver the day’s top stories back in the cial media and the need for instant gratification have created an entirely new landscape. N this, obviously comes more personal responsibility to filter the real from the fabricated. Bu how Americans prefer to get their facts — straight from the source. It also presents an ex 10
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else had the means to sort through the do so? Our grandparents probably re50s. In today’s world, online news, soNo longer is a middleman needed. With ut it also illustrates the current state of xciting opportunity for small businesses.
Brand journalism is the overall idea that media and marketing are merging; that any business, anywhere, can create and publish newsworthy content. Blogs and content management systems made journalists out of us all; and as a marketing tool, nothing could be more powerful. For small businesses, this ability to self-produce content is hugely advantageous. I invite you to ask yourself this question – am I consistently producing newsworthy content in which my audience might take an interest? If the answer is no, then what are you waiting for? In the last five years, I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing dozens of small businesses who have taken federal funding and leveraged it into commercial success. These businesses have gone beyond solving a government problem and have created solutions that span industries and help the general public. Many of these companies – you’ve never heard of. I will generally conduct a half hour interview, write a short piece and distribute it online. For maximum effect, I try to help the companies cross-promote. Let’s say you have your developer post your article on your website, or you do it yourself via your content management system. That’s the first step in promoting your article. Now, let’s start branching out. You then post a link to your article on Twitter. In your short social media blurb, you tag the federal Agencies which provided the funding. Or, if a partnering organization was mentioned in the article, you loop them in as well. Maybe that same organization can repost from their end and suddenly, your audience size just tripled. Taking a look at the following graphic, we begin to see how all of this is intertwined. Incoming traffic to your website and inbound links not only are driving factors behind Search Engine Optimization (SEO), they help to achieve the ultimate goal of more eyes on your product/service.
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Promoting Post article on your website
Cross – Promoting (for maximum impact)
Post article on your website
Post link to article on LinkedIn
Post link to article on Twitter Tag Agencies and/or partners
WEBSITE TRAFFIC
Agencies post article on social media
Agencies post article on social media
Post on other websites/outlets
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Tag Agencies and/or partners
Usually, at the end of our work together, companies are thankful that I helped to showcase their efforts and ramp up their online presence. But here’s the big secret: They didn’t actually need me. By trade, I’m a writer and I do my best to articulate the technologies with which I come in contact. But nobody knows your product better than you. I certainly don’t. I merely aim to take those technical concepts and break them down for the layman. If you are trying to put together a success story for your product, keep in mind there are three things everybody wants to know: 1) What problem is your technology solving? 2) What’s cool about it? 3) Why should people care? If you can answer those three questions, you’ve got your angle. You can write your story and utilize the appropriate channels for distribution, without waiting for a journalist. If composing an article seems too daunting to begin, or you need a little something to get your feet wet, a press release is a great way to begin content production. Press releases are generally about one page in length and provide a brief update to the public on anything new and exciting in your business. Since the goal of a press release is to broadly disseminate, I recommend using a press release distribution service. My personal favorite is ereleases.com, but there are dozens to choose from. For under $200, your press release will appear on industry websites, search engines and news outlets around the web. Be sure to include a link to your website to learn more (good SEO practice) and your contact information. If email marketing is something you’d like to utilize, services like MailChimp or Constant Contact are a great way to consistently send your base your updated messages. You can take that same press release you distributed on the web and use email marketing software to keep a dialogue going with your audience. A quick note on social media. A question I often get asked is – which social media platforms are best for me? Many small businesses make the classic mistake of wanting quantity over quality. If you’re on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter and are spread so thin that you sporadically post an update on one of those sites every few weeks, that’s not good practice. Instead, focus on one or two and aim for high quality content. Most importantly, figure out which sites your target audience is using. Facebook doesn’t work for ev-
erybody. Similarly, if you’re a company that produces video content, focus on building your audience through a YouTube channel. Engaging content shouldn’t be reserved for standalone pieces. I always invite my companies to take a look at their website and the overall message their content is communicating. Does your website contain a long list of products with corresponding tech briefs? If so, that’s fine to start. But how impactful could a success story or a case study be from a real end user who was able to solve a problem with your product? Can you reach out and garner some real testimonials from happy customers? Anything you can do to open up new doors of communication will serve you well on your journey to becoming your own journalist. It might be refreshing for a small business to know they don’t need to hire an entire marketing team or content creators to get the ball rolling in expanding their online presence. Alternately, it might seem overwhelming to think one can actually wear multiple hats and take the reins when it comes to writing relevant content. Scientists and engineers sometimes are so close to their own technology, it’s a challenge to take a step back and try to objectively explain their own innovations. But with time, it will become second nature. Learning to connect and communicate with your audience is a valuable tool not everybody possesses. Use it to your advantage! MINI-MAG
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