Originally published in Oraiopoulos, N., & Goldberg, R. (2017). Sphere Fluidics: Accelerating drug discovery. Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge, Judge Business School.

Sphere Fluidics (SF), a University of Cambridge spinoff developed a technology for evaluating individual cells, called "single-cell analysis." The technology could very efficiently measure subtle differences in, for example, many different cancer cell subpopulations in a single biopsy. This simplified and streamlined the selection process for identifying important unique cells with potential benefits for healing difficult diseases such as various types of cancer. Despite SF's revolutionary technology, developing a viable go-to-market strategy was daunting. Becoming a product-based company required overcoming new challenges and carefully working with internal and external stakeholders. Under the leadership of Frank Craig, CEO of SF, the company had worked successfully with key partner companies to develop prototype versions of the product for its first customers. The case examines the commercialization roadmap of SF and the decisions that Craig had to make to convert the original technology to a product that has gained considerable market traction. Now, Craig has to identify (and justify to SF's board) the most promising market segments that would allow SF to scale up its production and establish its position as a key supplier in the highly diversified life sciences R&D landscape.

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