From the First World War to the International Space Station: GeCKo Materials created a sticky material

To successfully launch deep technology, laboratory progress is only the first step. In order to turn technology into a risky business, a startup has to go through complex legal processes.

This week on Build Mode, Isabelle Johannessen talks to Capella Kerst, founder and CEO of geCKo Materials. Kerst was a PhD student at Stanford, working on bio-inspired adhesives – materials based on tiny hairs that allow lizards to stick to walls. He wasn’t looking to be an inventor but when he had breakthroughs that made it possible to make things faster and more reliably, he knew it was something that could be done.

But translating a lab discovery into a breakthrough is not only about the “eureka” moment but also about everything that comes after.

“I was brave enough to talk to my mentor if we needed to have a serious discussion about me taking this company out and starting it,” Capella said. And that conversation was the beginning of a long process of creating geCKo tools.

Here is a road map for those who started spinning something from education.

• Reach out to previous contributors. Communicating with all the people who are working will lead to greater success. Kerst offered these donors the opportunity to join the company, become consultants, or receive compensation.
• Make sure you meet the requirements for creating a license. Kerst started interacting with Stanford’s technology licensing office early and learned how to change it, she had to complete her PhD. This initial discussion also helped him prepare for the path ahead.
• Create a company with a lawyer. In this case, Stanford provided a list of lawyers Kerst had to use. “I spent some time interviewing lawyers and finding out about education, what other people have, what you pushed, what didn’t work, what backfired. And I just learned a ton, picked my own lawyer, and then we went to Stanford.” Kerst said, “I was like, I want good money, because I want this to be a great company, and I think it’s going to benefit everybody.”
• A complete change to the activation phase. Once the licensing deal is complete, it’s time to transition from PhD to CEO.

Five years later, GeCKo Materials continues to develop and develop new ways to use its adhesive technology that is being tested in applications from robotics and manufacturing to automobiles and even space. The company is already using it on the International Space Station, and Kerst says the long-term vision includes replacing traditional attachment methods like Velcro or suction systems.

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TechCrunch’s breakdown: If you are thinking of applying to Startup Battlefield, then October 13 to 15 in San Francisco, we are back at TechCrunch Disrupt, where Startup Battlefield 200 starts. So if you want to impress them, or just connect with 1000’s of founders, VCs, and tech enthusiasts, then get your tickets. Isabelle Johannessen is our host. Build Mode created and edited by Maggie Nye. Audience Development is led by Morgan Little. And special thanks to the Foundry and Cheddar video teams.