Spinout versus spinoff: What's the difference?
When I talk to entrepreneurs and managers, there is much confusion about the difference between spinouts and spinoffs. This confusion is due to the ambiguous use of these terms both in practice and academia. Although there exist many opinions about the differences between spinouts and spinoffs, I will focus here on the authority behind a spinout or spinoff.
Spinoffs (often called "corporate spinoffs") are the outcome of a corporate decision making process. A parent company's managers decide to make a division or subsidiary of the corporation into a separate legal entity with different (albeit often overlapping) owners. Spinoffs are often used to increase corporate coherence and to give new ventures the independence they need to flourish. Spinoffs are a form of corporate restructuring decision that involves divestment. Owners of shares in the parent receive shares in the spinoff, which is a new legal entity with its own equity. The actual implementation of a spinoff may vary, for example, a pure-play, split-off, or carve-out. The term "starburst" is also used in practice to describe a series of simultaneous or sequential spinoffs.
Spinouts (often called "employee spinouts") are the outcome of the independent decisions of employees that leave the parent firm to start new ventures. Neither parent firms, nor their investors receive shares in a spinout as these are typically owned and controlled by former employees and their investors (e.g., venture capitalists). Because they are unauthorized by parent firm managers, spinouts are often met with hostility by parent firms. Parent firms often try to litigate against spinouts for violating non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements. Spinouts may be considered disloyal or treacherous, as in the case of the Traitorous Eight.
Adding to the confusion, academic spinouts usually involve university professors or researchers, but also typically also provide equity to universities. For the sake of clarity, it might be better to use the term "academic spinoff" where the university retain equity, and "academic spinout" where the university gets nothing.
Spinoffs (often called "corporate spinoffs") are the outcome of a corporate decision making process. A parent company's managers decide to make a division or subsidiary of the corporation into a separate legal entity with different (albeit often overlapping) owners. Spinoffs are often used to increase corporate coherence and to give new ventures the independence they need to flourish. Spinoffs are a form of corporate restructuring decision that involves divestment. Owners of shares in the parent receive shares in the spinoff, which is a new legal entity with its own equity. The actual implementation of a spinoff may vary, for example, a pure-play, split-off, or carve-out. The term "starburst" is also used in practice to describe a series of simultaneous or sequential spinoffs.
Spinouts (often called "employee spinouts") are the outcome of the independent decisions of employees that leave the parent firm to start new ventures. Neither parent firms, nor their investors receive shares in a spinout as these are typically owned and controlled by former employees and their investors (e.g., venture capitalists). Because they are unauthorized by parent firm managers, spinouts are often met with hostility by parent firms. Parent firms often try to litigate against spinouts for violating non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements. Spinouts may be considered disloyal or treacherous, as in the case of the Traitorous Eight.
Adding to the confusion, academic spinouts usually involve university professors or researchers, but also typically also provide equity to universities. For the sake of clarity, it might be better to use the term "academic spinoff" where the university retain equity, and "academic spinout" where the university gets nothing.
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