Technology Evaluation for Technology-Based Entrepreneurship

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  • Author
    Prof. Jordi Olivella Nadal
  • Level
    Beginner
  • Study time
    ~ 110 minutes
  • Videos
    6
  • Contact
    jorge.olivella@upc.edu

Module Description

This online, self-paced module introduces technology evaluation for technology-based entrepreneurship. It begins with how to search for and manage information, including scientific literature, professional sources, patents, media outlets, expert opinions, and other useful sources. It then develops the core concepts of technology maturity, development risk, Technology Readiness Levels, technology forecasting, evaluation parameters, intellectual property, possible customers, uses, marketability, and market prospects.

This module supports evidence-based decision-making for learners who need to assess emerging technologies before developing a detailed value proposition, business model, or business plan. It helps students and professionals connect technical analysis with customer needs, market potential, intellectual-property considerations, innovation opportunities, and sustainable development challenges across Mediterranean contexts.

The purpose of this module is to build foundational competence in evaluating technology-based entrepreneurial opportunities. Learners will be able to obtain and assess relevant information, analyse the maturity and future prospects of a technology, compare alternatives using appropriate parameters, recognise key intellectual-property issues, and identify possible customers, uses, and market opportunities. This strengthens their capacity to make clearer, more realistic, and better-supported decisions about the development and commercial potential of new technologies.

 Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:
  • Identify and use appropriate sources of information, including scientific literature, professional reports, patents, media outlets, expert opinions, and other relevant sources for technology evaluation.
  • Assess the reliability of information sources and distinguish between verified facts, interpretations, expectations, and uncertain claims when analysing technological opportunities.
  • Evaluate the level of development of a technology by considering technological risk, commercial risk, Technology Readiness Levels, and evidence from prototypes, tests, pilots, and real applications.
  • Apply basic technology forecasting methods, including trend extrapolation, growth curves, expert analysis, monitoring, and roadmapping, to interpret the possible future evolution of a technology.
  • Define relevant technical and performance parameters for comparing technological alternatives and selecting appropriate indicators for evaluation.
  • Compare different technological solutions and identify the conditions under which each solution may be more appropriate for a specific application or context.
  • Recognise key intellectual-property assets, including patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, trade secrets, and confidential know-how, and explain their relevance for technology-based ventures.
  • Understand the importance of intellectual-property strategy, freedom to operate, licensing, technology transfer, and commercialisation in the development of technology-based entrepreneurial opportunities.
  • Identify possible customers, uses, and application contexts for a technology and analyse how well the technology fits customer needs and practical adoption conditions.
  • Assess marketability and market prospects by considering customer motivation, adoption barriers, industry structure, regulation, external impacts, and the overall commercial potential of the technological opportunity.
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Prof. Jordi Olivella Nadal

Jordi Olivella is a professor of Operations and Innovation Management at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC), where he teaches at the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering and conducts research through the Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering. He is an economist, an insurance actuary and holds a PhD in Business Administration and Management from UPC. Before beginning his academic career, he worked for ten years in the private sector.
His work focuses on operations management, technological innovation, process improvement and Lean Management. In recent years, he has increasingly applied this experience to international academic cooperation, knowledge integration and initiatives supporting inclusive entrepreneurship and organisational improvement in vulnerable communities. He is the principal coordinator of the EU-COLMEV Erasmus+ project and has participated in several international capacity-building projects.