It is tempting to apply the old saying, “East is East, West is West, but the twain shall never meet,” to science and entrepreneurship. In the popular imagination, scientists discover new knowledge while entrepreneurs build companies to launch new products. Most people assume that scientists are motivated by the high ideal of advancing human progress while entrepreneurs are driven by the base motives of ego and greed. Like oil and water, science and entrepreneurship, it would seem, don’t mix.
