Chapel Hill, NC – July 5, 2023

Clinical Tools, Inc., makers of interactive digital media for education and training, announces the successful completion and evaluation of BioStartupAdvice.com. The website features simulations and online information to inspire and support entrepreneurial interest and intention in women life scientists.

Despite comprising nearly half (48%) of US life science graduate students (Fry et al., 2021), only around 16% of North American life science businesses are started by women (Stefanuto, 2023). The aim of the website and its simulations is to increase the proportion of life science startups founded by women through increasing their. . .

·  awareness of entrepreneurship as a potentially rewarding career option,

·  understanding of what is involved in starting a business,

·  business-related self-confidence, and

·  intention to start a business.

Evaluation Results Highlights

After using the online simulation about entrepreneurship, around a quarter of a diverse group of women life scientists said they were more likely to start a business someday (27.3% of 28 participants). The simulation also succeeded in increasing most of the scientists' intention to engage in activities that would help them as entrepreneurs as well as in any life science career, including. . .

·  networking to advance their career (96.4%),

·  seeking mentors (92.8%), and

·  participating in life science organizations for women (85.7%).

"I really liked the wealth of information available both on the website and through the simulations. There was no shortage of readings, articles, case studies, and opportunities to hear answers to a variety of questions." — Evaluation Participant

Program Description

BioStartupAdvice.com presents an introductory, experiential overview of entrepreneurship via the simulations and provides links to brief articles on topics such as the early steps in starting a business, communication skills that enhance chances of career success, and advice on networking and obtaining effective mentoring. The program was based on needs for addressing women's obstacles to entrepreneurship identified via literature review, surveys, and focus groups. These include the need for strong networks of support and mentoring and increasing the scientists' basic understanding of business, finance, and available resources.

Anyone interested can move through the simulations—Steps to a Startup (stories and cases to encourage, teach, and inspire) and A Day in a Life (the story of a lab scientist taking her first steps in learning about startups)—or read the website's content about communication, networking, and overcoming barriers. The content is written primarily for early-career scientists. A majority of participants in the evaluation (78.1%) agreed that the simulations plus links to supplemental readings were an effective way of conveying the subject matter.

About

Development by Clinical Tools, Inc. was led by Mary Metcalf, PhD, MPH, and Karen Rossie, DDS, PhD, with Nora Nelson acting as lead developer and Brad Tanner, MD, MBA, providing business expertise.

Clinical Tools, Inc., based in Chapel Hill, NC, has won over 40 SBIR grants and several awards for use of interactive digital media in education and training, including Digital Health Awards, an International Serious Play Award, recognition by SAMHSA, and the prestigious SBIR Tibbetts Award. The program was developed and evaluated with funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (award #R43GM131458).

View the full evaluation summary of the Bio Startup Advice simulation (preliminary results).

Contact
Mary Metcalf, metcalf@clinicaltools.com
101 Market Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

References

Fry R, Kennedy B, Funk C. STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity. Pew Research Center Science & Society. April 1, 2021.

Stefanuto L. Only 15% of Tech Startup Founders Are Female. Startup Genome. March 27, 2023.

Disclaimer: This press release content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.