From Chemistry to Science Commercialisation: Leveraging 10+ Years of STEM Experience to Build a Sustainable Business from Day One with Natalie Chapman, a reinvented STEM entrepreneur

🎙️ From Chemistry to Commercialisation: How Natalie Chapman Leveraged 10 Years of STEMM Experience to Build a Profitable Business from Day One After a decade working in science, marketing, and tech transfer, Natalie Chapman launched Gemaker—an award-winning commercialization agency helping researchers and innovators turn ideas into impact without chasing VC funding🔍 What You’ll Learn:Why 10 years in STEMM can be the perfect foundation for a purpose-led businessHow to build a profitable business from day one—with no outside funding by leveraging your network and reputationWhy you dont need. 50 page business plan and how to do it insteadHow to build a flexible, remote-first team that unlocks hidden STEMM talent - your business, your rulesHow to leverage awards and public credibility for your business growthWhy you can still be involved in your children school volunteering even if you are time poor by doing strategic work instead of cookies 🧠 About the Guest: Natalie Chapman is the founder and managing director of Gemaker, a science commercialization agency working with researchers, universities, and innovation-driven companies to bring ideas out of the lab and into the real world. With a background in chemistry, an MBA, and over a decade of experience across tech transfer, marketing, and strategy, Natalie is also a vocal advocate for women in STEMM, a mentor, and a Telstra Business Award winner.📌 Episode Highlights:00:00 Starting Gemaker from a garage—and building credibility02:00 From chemistry degree to marketing and tech transfer05:00 Why she chose impact over prestige (and how it paid off)08:00 How Gemaker grew from 2 to 20 staff—without outside capital12:00 Flexible work before it was trendy: hiring women returning to STEMM16:00 What tech transfer really is—and why it matters21:00 Differentiating Gemaker from typical “one-man” consultancies26:00 How Natalie landed her first two clients and bootstrapped the business29:00 Sustainable from day one: how she built a model that worked35:00 Why she never wrote a 50-page business plan—and what she did instead39:00 The power of credibility: how awards transformed Gemaker’s trajectory44:00 Hiring well, building trust, and growing the team with aligned values49:00 What founders really need: legal, finance, and expert marketing52:00 Systemic privilege, grit, and building from scratch as a woman in STEMM🔗 Resources Mentioned:Gemaker – Official WebsiteNatalie Chapman on LinkedInKnowledge Commercialisation AustralasiaTelstra Business AwardsDeadlyScience – STEM Education Access🤔 Reflection Time:Could your decade of work experience be the launchpad for your own consultancy?Are you holding off starting a business because you think you need outside funding?What if your first client was right there in your network?What rough gem of an idea have you been sitting on—and what would it take to polish it?Want to craft a career story that opens doors?I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn  ⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their CareersIf you enjoyed this episode, please:✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.