Fernando Gómez-Baquero leads Runway, the Startup Postdoc Program at the Jacobs Technion – Cornell Institute at Cornell tech.  The program is part business school, part research institution, and part startup incubator. It's led to the creation of numerous deep tech startups led by post-docs from all over the world. Fernando holds a Ph.D. in Nanoscale Science and Engineering from the University at Albany SUNY, and has been a co—founder and early technology lead at companies such as Besstech, NanoColombia, Innovate Prefabricate, Dendron Nanomed, Midstate, Revela Medical, and FlashCharge Batteries.

Check out this video about the program and click here to apply by February 15th for the next cohort. 

In this episode we talk his experience forming Besstech, the value of customer development, patenting tips, how to be Bob Langer, what advice they give post-docs at Runway, and much more. 

More about Fernando

Fernando's research has focused on advanced nanomaterials for energy storage applications, on the economic impact of pervasive nanotechnologies, and on tech entrepreneurship. He has more than 15 years of experience in the nanotechnology industry, starting with production and characterization of carbon nanotubes and developing of polymer/nanotube composite materials. He is a leader in the fabrication of nanoengineered electrodes for lithium-ion batteries using semiconductor processes and using nanotechnology to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Dr. Gómez-Baquero has several publications in nanomaterials research and on the economic impact of nanotechnologies and number of patent applications in diverse applications of nanomaterials. Check out his Google Scholar profile.

Fernando is also a leading voice of the Day One Project, an initiative dedicated to democratizing the government policymaking process by working with new and expert voices across the science and technology community. The letter he authored advocating for the creation of a national fellowship for entrepreneurial scientists and engineers can be found here. 

Fernando is also a core instructor for The National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™), a program that uses experiential education to help researchers gain valuable insight into entrepreneurship, starting a business or industry requirements and challenges. 

Find Fernando on Twitter at @FerGomezBaquero

More about Runway

Based at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute, Runway ushers recent PhDs in digital technology fields through a paradigm shift — from an academic mindset to an entrepreneurial outlook. Startup Postdocs arrive with ideas for unproven products and markets that require time and specialized guidance to develop. These startups demand more than a few months to launch. They need a bit of a “runway.” That’s why our program lasts 12–24 and incorporates academic and business mentorship. The Runway Startup Postdoc Program provides an impressive package valued at $277,000 that includes a salary, research budget, housing allowance, space and more in the first year. In addition, the Startup Postdoc receives significant benefits and perks and corporate support valued at $300,000.