PhD to Entrepreneur
Create your company while doing your Ph.D.
A low-risk, step-by-step framework designed specifically for academic researchers and Ph.D. students who want to turn their thesis into real-world impact.
Start now — chat free with my AI coaching clone, trained on my 20+ years of deep tech commercialization experience.
🎯 Why Start Your Company During Your Ph.D.?
1. You have the ultimate resource: Time
Deep Tech business creation is a long journey. Right now, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lay the groundwork, de-risk your technology, and build your business foundations while completing your doctorate.
2. It's the ultimate alternative to academic or corporate bureaucracy
If you want to fully master your destiny, steer your own career, and bypass the rigid hierarchies of corporate offices or academic bureaucracy, entrepreneurship is your third option.
3. You will build skills that last forever
Whether your business takes off or you transition later, the skills you develop now—selling, pitching to investors, intellectual property negotiation, marketing, and product development—will make you a highly valuable leader for the rest of your career.
🤝 Meet Your Coach: Marc Perron, ing. Ph.D.
"Most deep tech founders are former Ph.D. students—brilliant, driven individuals who are uniquely positioned to solve humanity's toughest challenges. My mission is to help you bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact."
I am Dr. Marc Perron, a Deep Tech business coach with over 20 years of experience coaching 100+ deep tech startups, primarily in Canada — projects that have collectively generated over $200M in investments.
With a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, I combine deep technical expertise with a lifelong commercialization DNA—the drive to turn complex technology into successful products and businesses. My engineering background enables me to deeply understand the realities of product development and hard tech commercialization. I specialize in deep tech entrepreneurship outside of life sciences, focusing on engineering, advanced physical sciences, and advanced technologies.
I deeply understand the challenges you face when trying to build a business while pursuing your doctorate. You are constantly juggling research deadlines, teaching duties, and academic pressure. Having worked with dozens of academic founders, I know how to guide you through technology de-risking, business strategy, finance, and IP negotiations, while supporting your personal growth as a leader.
To make my coaching accessible 100% digitally to researchers worldwide, I created my Delphi AI Clone—an interactive digital twin trained on my entire methodology. You can chat with my clone for free to explore your ideas, or join the waitlist for my upcoming 6-video suite.
🎙️ As Featured In
IEEE.tv — Scientific Entrepreneurship: Taking Lab Results to Market
Marc presents on turning research into market-ready technology, covering technology readiness levels, market assessment, and university-based funding for scientific entrepreneurship.
The Scenarionist — Deep Tech Catalyst
Marc discusses bridging the gap between academic research and market-ready deep tech ventures.
These interviews cover the big-picture thinking. The 6-Video Course goes further — a step-by-step system built specifically for executing this while you're still in your Ph.D.
🌟 Proof of Concept: Real Success in Deep Tech
"Marc is a highly skilled business advisor that helped us build our company from Day 1. Being an entrepreneur himself and having accompanied several successful startups in Quebec City, Marc has developed an important skillset from sales & marketing to product development & intellectual property. Marc not only helped us improve our business model, he understood our reality and kept us motivated along the way by being the most positive advisor we ever had."— Simon Duval, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CTO of Femtum
"It is with great pleasure that I recommend the services of Marc as a business mentor and commercialization adviser in high technology. From the very beginning of Brilliant Matter, he accompanied our company and help us to build our business model from zero. Today, Brilliant Matter is a world leader in its respective field and a part of our success is greatly linked to the support that Marc gave us."— Philippe Berrouard, Ph.D., Co-Founder & CTO of Brilliant Matters Organic Electronics Inc.
"Marc was very helpful in the initial steps at Oxynov, spinoff from Laval University, for the preliminary analysis and project planning and finally during the development of the first business plan. It was a pleasure working with Marc and get his valuable entrepreneurship experience!"— François Lellouche, MD, PhD, Founder of Oxynov
🎬 Watch a Free Preview
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Get a taste of the full 6-Video Course before you commit. This short preview walks you through one real example of finding the "commercializable core" of a Ph.D. research project.
🚀 Ways to work together
💬 Chat with my AI Clone | 🍿 6-Video Course | 💥 Book a Strategic 1-on-1 |
✅ Available now | ⭐ Coming Soon | ✅ Available now |
$0 (Free) | $100 | $250 / 60-Min Call |
Get instant, 24/7 coaching on research commercialization based on my 20+ years of experience. | Master the 6 essential modules to validate your idea, negotiate IP, and launch without breaking the bank. | Book a private session with the real Marc to deep dive into your university policies and business strategy. |
Funding tip: Many universities have entrepreneurship or tech-transfer funds that can cover the $250 call. Ask your entrepreneurship office — it's often an easy yes.
📩 Stay in the Loop
Not ready to jump in yet? Leave your email and be the first to know when the 6-Video Course launches.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
I study highly theoretical science (e.g., quantum physics or string theory). Can I still build a business?
Yes. Deep Tech is built on complex, advanced sciences. Even if your thesis is highly theoretical, we focus on identifying the "commercializable core" of your skills or technology. Many successful companies are launched by scientists who pivoted their analytical approach to solve adjacent real-world industry problems.
Does my university allow me to "work on the side" while doing my Ph.D.?
In most cases, yes, but it depends on your university's policies and your contract (especially if you have a research assistantship or scholarship). We will guide you through the process of reviewing university guidelines and defining what you can legally do in the "grey zone" without violating your academic agreements.
How do I discuss this with my Ph.D. advisor?
This is one of the biggest fears for academic founders. Ph.D. advisors can sometimes get frustrated if they feel you are too distracted from your research. We will teach you how to frame your startup as a major asset that brings prestige, funding, and real-world validation to the lab, turning your advisor into an ally rather than an obstacle.
How would this affect my study visa?
If you are an international student, your study visa has strict limitations regarding employment and business registration. We help you understand these boundaries, including how to legally structure your early-stage "paper product" or business planning phases without violating your visa status.
I can't afford to start a business while pursuing my Ph.D. How can I finance it?
You don't need millions to start. We will show you how to leverage "non-dilutive" funding (university grants, pitch competitions, and government R&D subsidies) and how to bootstrap your startup's early stages without breaking your personal bank account.
Can my university pay for the $250 call instead of me?
Often, yes. Many universities have entrepreneurship offices, tech transfer offices, or innovation funds that can cover a coaching session like this — many are actively looking for ways to support founders like you. The key is reaching the right person: the director of your entrepreneurship or tech transfer office is usually the one with the authority (and budget) to say yes. And honestly, there's nothing to lose by simply asking: reaching out to them is itself a great first step toward your project, no matter what they say back.
How can I make sure I don't spend too much time on my startup and fail my Ph.D.?
We treat entrepreneurship like sailing: you set the sails to let the wind do the work, moving forward with smart, leveraged actions instead of ramer (rowing) until burnout. The 6-video suite and our frameworks are specifically designed to help you make progress in just 2 to 4 hours a week.
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