Wouter Bruins, Biology student and future entrepreneur
“Having a scientific background and understanding business creates unique possibilities few people have. SBB offered me the set of skills needed for combining these two.”
Biology research will create large opportunities
“I am fascinated by the field of Biology, especially processes of life on a molecular level intrigue me, a side of Biology where much remains to be found out. I feel that by researching this part of science large opportunities will arise, which will allow us to make a big positive impact on our own life’s. By creating new knowledge we can built technology that could have a strong effect on society.”
Entrepreneurship is not a way out of science
“I think my place in this knowledge-chain should be bringing technology created in University to the market, basically by starting my own high-tech company. A risky business, but I think it will allow me to keep in contact with the field I love, to work in a very dynamic environment and make a big difference.
Choosing entrepreneurship for me is not a way out of science, it’s an exciting different way of incorporating the search for knowledge into my life. SBB handed me the tools to enter into this entrepreneurial mindset.”
SBB gave me a solid set of skills
“If you want to talk to both scientists and business people, a certain set of skills comes in handy. From my Bachelor in Biology I already learned a lot on the science part, but the business part was somewhat unknown.
By following the SBB Fundamentals course during my Master in Biology I got trained in law, finance and marketing, by using the Harvard case method, workshops and lectures.
The Oot course (RBB per Sep 2010 red.) got me working on an exciting patent from Leiden University and by writing a business-plan I got to apply my new skills right away. The guest speakers at this course really got me hooked on entrepreneurship, seeing these examples made me confident I will also be capable of building a successful start-up.
In June 2010 together with master students from Rotterdam, Delft and Leiden we went on an entrepreneurial study trip to Boston USA, a trip I will not forget easily. I was introduced in the Boston entrepreneurial mindset, which fired up my plans of building a start-up, for which I am sure the SBB courses gave me a solid set of skills.”
By Wouter Bruins, participated in the Orientation on Technopreneurship courses Entrepreneurial Management and Busines Planning, now renamed resp. Research Based Business Ventures and Research Based Business Planning.