Offspring Magazine - The Podcast (Max Planck PhDNet)

#3-03 - How to Start a Company After Your PhD - ft. Dr. Lukas Nattmann

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Episode notes

In this episode, Bea talks to Dr. Lukas Nattmann, who did his PhD at the Max-Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung. They talk about the topic that occupies the thoughts of every Doctoral Researcher: what do you do after your PhD?

Lukas talks about the process of getting a patent while still doing your PhD, players involved, the role of Max Planck Innovations, and about what to expect once you have the patent on your hands.

The two talk in detail about founding a company fresh out of PhD. Lukas tells the story of how Loc Check came to be, the idea behind it, what co-founding a company means, how to address the question of funding, and what working for your own company is like, with all the positives of being your own boss and difficulties of starting and growing the company in the times of COVID-19. Lukas provides some advice for people who might consider a similar career path after their PhD and talks in detail about what you can expect from such a job on a daily basis.

Lukas also tells the story of his illustrious swimming career, what it was like training for nationals and the Olympic Games, why he left, and how the mindset he acquired from rigorous training and competitions helped him with his work now.

Connect with Lukas on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-lukas-nattmann-aa7047125

And find out more about his company here: https://loc-check.com/

Episode Art: Photo by Alesia Kazantseva (https://unsplash.com/@alesiaskaz) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/)

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Intro - Outro music composed by Srinath Ramkumar: https://twitter.com/srinathramkumar

Pre-Intro jingle composed by Gustavo Carrizo: https://www.instagram.com/carrizo.gus

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