A business team and capital, not just a cheque
For each technology, Nodus acts as the commercial co-founder the project is missing, and does the work alongside the inventor.
A Nodus team member works on the technology from day one, with the inventor and the TTO.
We find the most valuable end market and the companies that would buy, from the first screen.
Value proposition, pricing, business case, and the patent position buyers will check.
We plan and run prototypes, demonstrators and field trials with specialist engineering firms.
Capital held at Nodus level and released by phase. No fundraising round per milestone.
Buyer outreach, negotiation and closing, through to the sale.
Built around research institutions' goal: technologies that find the home they deserve
Alignment
We earn a return only when the technology finds a new home.
Speed
A technology sale is usually a faster route to value than building a company.
Inventor freedom
No need to become a start-up CEO or leave your job; inventors stay in the technical work.
A second chance
If we stop, the technology comes back to you on terms agreed at the start.
A good fit, at a glance
Not sure? Send it anyway. A first look costs you a short summary.
Focus areas and exclusions →- Proof of concept in the lab (around TRL 3–4)
- Rights that can be secured: patent filed or fileable
- In one of our three industrial verticals
- Can be integrated into existing value chains
- An inventor willing to stay involved
From first summary to agreement
Send a summary
A non-confidential description through the contact form.
First screen
We assess fit and reply within two weeks.
Deeper review
Under NDA, with the TTO and inventor: technology, rights, first buyer soundings.
Agreement
Rights and a financed maturation plan, agreed with the owner.
Frequently asked
Do we lose control of the technology?
Nodus takes an exclusive option on the technology for a fixed, agreed period: long enough to run the maturation plan and bring it to a buyer. The option comes with a committed, financed maturation plan, and the inventor's continued involvement is a condition of the deal. Nodus leads the maturation; the owner keeps a say.
Is Nodus competing with our TTO?
No. We take on technologies that cannot yet be licensed or spun out, and we only earn when they find a buyer. Your TTO keeps its role and gains a funded route to market for technologies that would otherwise stay on the shelf.
How is the value shared?
We agree a share of the eventual sale proceeds with the technology owner at the start, instead of putting a price on the technology today. Nobody knows what an early-stage technology is worth. Sharing what it finally sells for replaces a negotiation about price, and protects the institution against any claim that it sold too cheaply. Exact terms are agreed case by case.
What happens if Nodus stops?
If we stop, it is because the work revealed something important, such as no buyer interest or a technical limit, and that is better known early than late. The technology comes back to you on terms agreed at the start, more mature than when we took it on and with everything we learned along the way.
Could our technology sit on a shelf behind other projects?
No. Every agreement comes with a committed plan and budget, reviewed at each phase, and our option runs for a fixed period. We keep our portfolio deliberately small, and we only earn when a technology is sold. Holding one back costs us as much as it costs you.
Does the inventor have to leave the lab?
No. Inventors keep their position and stay involved in the technical work; their involvement is usually part of the agreement. Nodus provides the business lead, engineering management and buyer outreach, so no one needs to become a start-up CEO. The time commitment is agreed in the maturation plan and fits alongside research duties.
Ready to share a technology?
A short, non-confidential summary is enough to start.