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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Iowa Economic Development Authority and VentureNet Iowa have partnered with Larta Institute to help to accelerate the commercialization of technologies and innovations fostered by the state of Iowa.

  2. The Iowa Commercialization Accelerator Program (Iowa CAP) is an 8-month mentoring and assistance program for both early-stage and seasoned companies. Selected participants will work with an expert advisor to enhance their commercial profile and increase their appeal to partners and collaborators.

  1. The commitment of time and resources with management support is vital. Company CEO or project PI participation is highly encouraged and expected in this program. Successful applicants will be those where top management – founder, CEO, PI, or other top key management member leading the commercialization efforts at the company - are directly involved in the Iowa program.

  2. To fully realize the potential of the CAP, a participant should expect to contribute a minimum of 10 hours per month toward the program. Most of the assistance and interactions are conducted remotely.

  3. CAP participation is free of charge for the selected participants; however, participants are responsible for travel and lodging expenses associated with attending the mandatory workshop(s).

  4. All Larta staff and Principal Advisors have signed confidentiality agreements before the commencement of the program, which prohibit them from disclosing the information gained from the Iowa CAP to outside sources, except to the extent that you specifically authorize such disclosure. You are reminded about this and are advised about the issue of disclosure of confidential information repeatedly through the program. The content you provide online is only accessible by you, your Principal Advisor, and Larta and Iowa CAP personnel involved in Iowa CAP.

  1. Larta's Principal Advisors are experienced consultants and business executives with proven abilities in helping the growth of innovative enterprises in the life sciences. All of them have served in the industry and have executive-level experience. Many of them have also served as consultants and advisors to large and small companies in the life sciences. The biographies of all Principal Advisors are available on the Iowa CAP website at http://www.larta.org/mentors?filter=life%20sciences

  2. No. All participating companies are expected to work on and complete their own set of objectives and deliverables, such as writing a strategic plan, creating an investor pitch etc. In other words, your Principal Advisor and the CAP will not do the work for you, but will provide you the expert input and feedback and guidance to successfully complete such deliverables.

  3. Expert resources are either directly from, or through referrals from Larta's network. They have extensive domain knowledge and proven track records in fields such as regulatory design and management, reimbursement planning and implementation, organization development and re-organization, IP strategy, development and prosecution, corporate law, venture capital, angel capital, capitalization and recapitalization and marketing and public relations. Many also possess functional expertise, including term sheets, valuations, accounting systems and methods, partnership negotiation etc.