From Scientist to CEO in 8 Weeks: Reviewing the Spring 2025 Blueprint Showcase

The U.S. graduates over 45,000 new science and engineering Ph.D. students and invests nearly $90 billion in R&D each year. Yet too often, promising technologies — and the brilliant minds behind them — never make it out of the lab to have an impact in the real world.

Too often, the path to commercialization is unclear, and too often, researchers lack the business skills and mentorship that could help them make the transition from scientist to founder. Blueprint by The Engine™ is changing that.

The bi-annual program is designed to help grad students, postdocs and researchers discover the commercial potential of their science and engineering breakthroughs. Through a combination of sessions led by expert mentors, hands-on workshops, and peer-to-peer learning, participants gain a holistic understanding of the entrepreneurial experience and develop the confidence to pursue their startup ambitions.

The program is designed for scientists and engineers with brilliant technical skills, but little to no business experience. For many, Blueprint is their first exposure to the entrepreneurial journey and the challenges involved. The eight week course transforms them from scientists and engineers into capable founders and business leaders, with many going on to form their own startups after completing the program.

The Spring 2025 Blueprint Showcase

On May 21st, the program’s 10th cohort culminated in the Blueprint Showcase, in which proto-founders from 62 Tough Tech teams presented their tech to panels of judges that included venture capitalists and former founders for live feedback. Many of these judges also doubled as mentors throughout the program, providing guidance on critical skills like protecting IP, attracting investment, and building a product roadmap

“The most valuable thing we gained from Blueprint was personalized, honest feedback from experienced mentors who deeply understood Tough Tech commercialization,” said one participant. “Their guidance helped us critically assess our go-to-market strategy, articulate our value proposition more clearly, and set realistic, investor-aligned milestones.”

After the participant presentations, every team had the opportunity to share their work with attendees during a poster session, with a select three teams presenting their work to a larger audience. During this time, participants had the opportunity to network with over 100 investors, accelerators and incubators, service providers, Blueprint alumni, and veteran Tough Tech founders.

“Blueprint gives investors a rare chance to build real, early relationships with technical founders, beyond the pitches,” said Beshoy Sidrak, an angel investor and repeat Blueprint mentor. “These encounters help shape my thinking from the ground up, and that grassroots perspective is critical to a strong, dynamic investment thesis.”

Participants presented promising technologies with implications across a wide range of industries. Sylvarum, for example, is developing hardware to electrically stimulate germination in plant seeds. Quantum Formatics, on the other hand, are using AI and quantum simulation to discover new superconductors in days, not decades. Another team, Thermal Energy Harvester, is pioneering a small device that converts untapped heat sources in society into clean energy.

As a testament to the program’s success, the event also featured presentations from three Blueprint alumni that have gone on to form growing Tough Tech startups in residence at The Engine spanning biotech and climate tech: Ashley Beckwith, PhD, founder and CEO of Foray Bioscience, Jan-Georg Rosenboom, co-founder and CTO of Macrocycle Technologies, and Julie Zhang, co-founder and CEO at a biotech startup that is currently in stealth.

A Revamped Program for 2025

Ahead of the Spring 2025 cohort, the Blueprint program updated its curriculum based on feedback from past participants. “The new curriculum better meets participants where they are in their journey,” said Ian Johnston, VP of Tech Translation and Ecosystem Development at The Engine. “It’s now a more holistic experience for participants without a business background, providing the foundation they need to determine if a startup is the right path for their research, and equipping them with the skills to navigate and de-risk the journey of spinning out and raising their first capital.”

Through weekly sessions and workshops, the updated curriculum covers the nine critical skillsets included in The Engine’s Tough Tech Learning Model:

1. Intellectual property: Protecting ideas and creating a legal moat for current and future work.

2. Leadership: Understanding the role of CEO, self-awareness of participants’ own leadership style, and learning strategies and tactics for leading others through the different stages of startup growth.

3. Technology development and product roadmap: Building technology strategically with a milestone-driven approach working backwards from the ultimate product vision.

4. Communications: Conveying ideas through writing, speaking, and visual design to a range of stakeholders and audiences.

5. Team: Building a thriving human-first team; developing internal systems and structures for scaling.

6. Board: Effectively leveraging the board for strategy, governance, and oversight.

7. Business: Developing financing and business strategy that aligns with technology and human capital development.

8. Government: Working with government agencies to gain appropriate approvals and non-dilutive grant funding for technology deployment.

9. Network: Meaningfully connecting and engaging with a range of stakeholders internally and externally to help teams build.

The curriculum was reoriented to include more real-world, field-specific examples from previous Tough Tech founders and Blueprint participants, with an eye for translating theory into practice. Participants also gained access to a larger pool of mentors, peers, and investors that could provide valuable feedback to teams as they developed their business strategy.

As part of this initiative, one of the most significant changes to the Blueprint program was the launch of a new resource portal for participants. The multimedia content repository featured hours of video from Blueprint alumni and resident founders, data and pitch decks from 15 Tough Tech startups, books and articles relevant to new founders, and invitations to events across the Tough Tech ecosystem.

The new curriculum resulted in the highest satisfaction ever reported in the post-program survey. “Blueprint exceeded my expectations in every way,” said one participant. “The program created a safe, founder-first environment where I felt supported, challenged, and understood. The quality of feedback, peer connections, and overall structure was incredibly helpful.”

“Blueprint is where the journey begins for many of the world’s most promising Tough Tech teams,” said Emily Knight, CEO of The Engine. “It’s where scientists start to see themselves as company builders, where bold ideas begin to take commercial shape, and where a supportive community of mentors and peers helps accelerate that transformation. Solving the world’s hardest problems requires more than breakthrough science—it requires founders who are prepared to lead. Blueprint exists to empower them with the knowledge, confidence, and connections to do just that.”