Accelerated Startup License
The Office of Commercialization created the Accelerated Startup License (ASL) to facilitate discussions with WSU spinoffs. This agreement demystifies the licensing of intellectual property from WSU and streamlines the process.
Eligibility Requirements
- Available to researchers/founders who want to spin out their university technology.
- The invention must have been disclosed to the Office of Commercialization through the online Inventor Portal.
- There must be consensus among inventors/authors to use the Accelerated Startup License template when a company is founded or co-founded by inventor/s.
- The invention’s rights are available for licensing, the university is not precluded from granting such rights, and WSU is not engaged in active negotiations with a third party for an option or license for that intellectual property.
- An individual with relevant business experience that has joined the startup’s executive leadership or advisory board may also initiate this process on behalf of the startup.
Key attributes
- Gives a 6-month research option.
- Provides standard commercial license terms.
- Rapidly moves innovations to startups in a fair and equitable manner.
- Aligns the goals of startup and university using fair, benchmarked terms.
- Open, transparent, and understandable process.
- Shortens the negotiation timeline.
- Minimizes negotiation costs.
Licensing Terms
- Performance Milestones will be established depending on the technology and stage of development.
- Where an innovation has multiple applications or fields of use (e.g., a platform technology), WSU and the startup will discuss the most appropriate field(s) to include in the license.
ASL Licensing Options
| Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 | |
| Issue Fee1 | $1,000 | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Equity2,3 | 0% | 3% | 5% |
| Sales Royalty | 5% | 2% | 1% |
| Annual Fee4 | $15,000 | $8,000 | $5,000 |
| Intellectual Property Cost | Licensee pays past and future cost | Licensee pays past and future cost | Licensee pays past and future cost |
- Only applicable to exclusive licenses
- Antidilution Protection: Amount of investment capital raised by startup through which equity percentage does not dilute ($3 million).
- Startup will pay WSU an amount of all acquisition consideration received equal to the equity percentage in the event there is not an IPO.
- Begins year three (3) from license execution as an annual maintenance fee in case the first commercial sale has not occurred by the end of the second anniversary of the License. Will convert to a minimum royalty after first commercial sale.
- Payment schedule for intellectual property costs can be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.