Innovus TTO works with and supports SU staff and students to identify, protect, manage and commercialise their inventions and intellectual property for the benefit of society.

We work closely with faculty to identify novel intellectual property that can be used in industry or society. We then determine the best strategy to protect the intellectual property so that the commercial opportunities can be effectively developed.

Innovus TTO enables the commercialisation of SU’s IP which normally takes place through licensing the IP to a commercial entity or creation of a spin-out company in which both the inventors and SU have shareholding (through its wholly-owned company that was established for this purpose). Our team implement various programs to encourage a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at SU and we ensure compliance with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (51 of 2008) its Regulations and the SU policies relating to IP.

Copyright Office: helps protect, risk-manage and administer copyright aspects at SU and provides advice, copyright clearance services and assistance to SU staff and students. This office is also responsible for the management and implementation of SU’s DALRO Blanket Licence Agreement.
Trade Mark Office: identifies, protects, manages and commercialises SU trade marks in alignment with the provisions in the Policy on the Use and Licensing of Stellenbosch University’s Trade Marks. For commercial purposes, the Trade Mark Office is responsible for granting approval for all uses of SU trade marks, and all variations in the application thereof.
Short Courses Division: provides SU with specific operational and administrative services to enable staff to present short courses and fulfils its responsibility as custodian of the Policy in Respect of the Presentation of Short Courses at Stellenbosch University co-ordinating, standardising and supporting the short course processes on behalf of the institution. It co-ordinates, standardises and supports the short course processes on behalf of the institution.

SU LaunchLab works closely with the TTO Office team to provide a seamless service to Stellenbosch University (SU) Entrepreneurs.

Provides the following services to the SU Entrepreneurial community:

• Student entrepreneurship
• New Company Creation and Onboarding
• Portfolio Company Support
• USE Portfolio reporting and Fund Management

Provides entrepreneurial mindset workshops to make student entrepreneurship more accessible, Faculty specific bootcamps to give students the tools to become entrepreneurs in their field of study, SU Hackathon to address real industry opportunities, EDHE Intervarsity to give SU student entrepreneurs (MatiePreneurs) a national platform to showcase their businesses, and ResNova which is an incubation programme designed with MatiePreneurs in mind.

For new company creation and Onboarding, the Instant Startup platform, which offers interactive, guided entrepreneurship education to teams is an essential tool. The Onboarding team are responsible for setting up new spin-out companies. They ensure good corporate governance and practices within the SU group of companies by creating compliance-based mindsets and practices. They upskill our directors and CEOs by training them how to be a responsible director. They also facilitate the drafting of the Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) and Shareholders Agreement (SHA) that keeps the unique spin-out situation in mind.

Also provides ongoing portfolio company support by managing relationships with vetted external partners and suppliers to SU and provides company secretarial services with limited administrative support. Negotiate discounts with several relevant service providers on behalf of the SU group of companies. Additionally, for spin-out companies, the Spin-out Concierge desk provides ongoing services to new and pre-spin-out companies. Some of these services included setting up accounting software, opening of bank accounts, accounting processing, and payroll management. The Concierge can assist the spin-out companies with branding, website, and logo design and many other relevant services.

Incubation programmes using Instant Startup is a key service to help commercial projects go through the process of being approved to spin-out, raise initial pre-seed or angel funding, and compile a dataroom that will help them raise their first Series Seed funding.

Portfolio companies also receive precision incubation services, access to an impressive network of mentors, as well as engagements with dozens of industry partners that frequently approach SU LaunchLab for new innovative companies.

SU LaunchLab supports the USE team in reporting on the USE portfolio of companies as well as the various funds that SU has at its disposal to support our current and future portfolio of companies.