In my last post, I wrote about a number that stopped me cold: 18 months. That’s how long it takes, on average, to transfer university IP into a startup in Germany — just to sign the contract, before anything real can begin. The response was overwhelming. So today I want to share what we actually did about it.
At LMU Munich, we now transfer university IP into a spin-off in 3 months. Not by pushing founders harder. By changing the system.
The old system was the problem
Before, a founder at LMU had to navigate five decision levels: Spin-Off Service Team → IP Management → Legal Department → Finance Department → University Executive Board.
Every handover caused delay. Every department had other priorities. Nobody owned the outcome. The result: unclear responsibility, slow decisions, and founders waiting 18 months before the real work could even start.
A scientist shouldn’t have to knock on 10 doors. An investor shouldn’t hear: “Maybe next year.”
What the new process actually looks like
We built a One-Stop-Shop for Entrepreneurship. One decision level. One empowered, cross-functional team, with all key competencies in one place: IP & Legal, Finance, Incubation, Spin-Off Service, Community & Network. One clear path for founders. Guided. Transparent. Founder-focused.
I think of it like a catalyst in chemistry. A catalyst doesn’t create the reaction — it lowers the energy needed for it to happen. That’s exactly what we built. Not magic. Structure. And yes, structure sounds boring. Until it saves 15 months.
The unglamorous work inside the machine room
I’m proud of what our LMU team delivered. Not because it made headlines — but because it didn’t. This is the quiet work. Nobody sees it until a founder says: “That was the fastest I’ve ever moved from lab to company.”
Europe doesn’t lack ideas. Europe loses time. At LMU, we are taking that time back. If you lead a university, a tech-transfer office, or a research institution — the playbook exists. The results are real.
What’s stopping you?