What Every Engineer Should Know About Starting a High-Tech Business Venture

by Eric Koester

Written by an experienced business lawyer in the scientific and engineering community, this publication provides useful tools for engineers who have a novel high-tech idea or concept but are not sure how to successfully capitalize on and move their ideas forward. It offers key analysis on how to: leave a current employer; gain access to technologies and other potential management talent; consider other issues that can reduce problems down the road; and even includes a step-by-step guide for accessing and protecting intellectual property at the earliest stages.

To assist in the fundraising process, this resource examines all the available options to capitalize a business—from bootstrapping, to angel investors, to venture capital to small business administration grants, to bank loans. It also looks at the best ways to form a company so as to take advantage of various tax and business strategies, compensation of employees with stock options or restricted stock plans, how an emerging company can expand internationally, some key exit strategies such as an IPO or a merger/acquisition, and general issues that will face new technology businesses including hiring, firing, contracts, leases, loans, and product warranties.

All in all, this book provides engineers with helpful tools and advice as they consider whether to start a high-tech business; key steps to understand when in the planning stages of a new business venture; issues to understand in the early stages of a company's life cycle; funding a new business venture; and general business, financial, and legal considerations for entrepreneurs, especially those without a strong background in starting and running start-up andemerging companies.

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I'm an author who decided to turn a bedtime story with my kids into a novel, following in the footsteps of JRR Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) and Rick Riorden (Percy Jackson). Truly the most fun writing project I've ever had.

Our pandemic bedtime story -- The Pennymores & the Curse of the Invisible Quill -- has become a book series reviewed by New York Weekly, Los Angeles Weekly, Latin Post, and more with the first title out in April 2022 (and hopefully more in the series to follow).

You'll find me writing nonfiction books (fourth out in Summer 2022), teaching writing at Georgetown and in a writing community, and trying to keep up with a houseful of three daughters.