Academic entrepreneurs need to derisk their inventions, which is easier said than done, particularly with constrained budgets and limited know-how—especially in non-biotech hub areas. Non-biotech hub universities, lacking the concentrated expertise found in a biotech hub, must organize, and integrate industry-standard resources. This is essential to derisk high-priority projects for professional investment and commercial translation. This session, consisting of a select group of professionals actively involved in building tools and programs necessary for creating investable university backed science, will present cases where resources like translational Fellows, Entrepreneurs in Residence, venture boards, project managers, curated diligence, and industry-grade chemistry have been developed, all in service of derisking early-stage academic projects with commercial potential.