Deep Tech
Researchers at the Duke ISP Lab study how science-based startups transform early-stage discoveries into viable technologies and how market structure shapes their growth and exit decisions. Our work examines how long development cycles, high uncertainty, and the need for specialized assets influence when entrepreneurs choose to continue independent development versus selling to established firms. Drawing on research about the timing of entrepreneurial exit, we highlight how the evolving value of a startup’s technology, the incentives of potential acquirers, and the dynamics of markets for technology jointly determine innovation pathways in deep science and engineering domains.