Consulting & Advice

Below is a compilation of free or inexpensive starting points for cash-strapped entrepreneurs seeking advice for their life science startups.

Business

The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) offers a Pro Bono Consulting Service to member life sciences companies.
The UW Center for Commercialization is a program designed to catalyze the creation of new ventures based on promising University of Washington innovations.
The Arthur W. Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Washington Foster School of Business has collected a variety of resources and learning tools on business plan writing, finance, marketing, venture capital and presenting to be used by students, faculty and the entrepreneurial community.

The University of Washington Entrepreneurial Law Clinic is an innovative clinic serving entrepreneurs throughout the Pacific Northwest. They team law and business students with pro bono attorneys and business advisors to provide critical early stage legal and business counseling to entrepreneurs.
Many top law firms with offices in Washington State will provide some level of pro bono advice and support in the early stages of company formation.
StartupCompanyLawyer.com is a comprehensive online resource for legal matters concerning technology based companies.

The Organization of Regulatory and Clinical Associates (ORCA) provides a regional forum to provide education and to facilitate communication, networking and support in the professional and technical aspects of regulatory, quality and clinical functions.

The NIAID staff at the NIH have put together advice presentations and tutorials to help small businesses apply for SBIR and STTR grants. They offer general advice and information on applying, as well as a visual step-by-step overview for small business applicants. The advice comes from the knowledge and experience of NIAID staff, including former NIH grantees.

FreeMind Consultants is the largest consultancy firm that specializes in raising funds from non-dilutive sources such as government agencies and private foundations. Members of WBBA receive discounts on grant writing services provided by FreeMind.

"How do I get My Compound into Phase I?" written by MPI Research, provides advice for companies trying to get their compound(s) into Phase I clinical trials. From the preface, "Our goal is to improve the odds for [companies] to select the right lead candidates, and to conduct the right studies in the right way, taking into consideration all factors to ensure their IND submission is successful."