Corporate Relations

Build Strategic Industry Partnerships at Scale

Discover, engage, and manage high-value corporate relationships with AI-powered prospecting and outreach.

Trusted by Leading Universities and Research Institutions

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Washu logo
The University of Arizona logo
The Ohio State University logo
The Challenge

Corporate Engagement Is Increasingly Complex

Corporate relations teams must grow strategic partnerships while navigating internal coordination and limited visibility.

Limited Cross-Campus Visibility

Multiple departments may contact the same company without awareness of existing relationships—risking duplication or missed collaboration.

Manual Company Discovery

 Identifying aligned corporate partners requires time-intensive research across industries and innovation sectors.

Inconsistent Relationship Tracking

Conversations, sponsorship discussions, and research collaborations live across emails and spreadsheets.

The Solution

Three Products. One Strategic Engagement Platform.

Prospecting, AI-driven outreach, and CRM—working together to grow and manage industry partnerships.

Measurable Impact After One Year With FirstIgnite

A CRM purpose-built for partnerships. Centralize contacts, track relationship history, and manage opportunities with clean, structured data across teams.

3×

More Industry Conversations

Better prospecting and automated outreach increase qualified engagement.

50%

Faster industry partner progression

Centralized tracking reduces friction between first contact and agreement.

30m

Time to go live

From uploading a patent to contacting aligned companies in under an hour.

Built for Corporate Relations Teams

Purpose-Built Features for Strategic Industry Partnerships

Everything your team needs to discover, coordinate, and scale corporate engagement.

Cross-Campus Visibility

See Every Institutional Touchpoint

View all interactions with a company across departments, leadership, and research teams in one shared platform.

Manage Sponsorships & Collaborations

Track proposals, sponsorships, research collaborations, and strategic initiatives through defined stages.

Demonstrate Partnership ROI

Generate executive-ready reports highlighting meetings, active partnerships, and engagement growth.

Industry-Aligned Discovery

Identify Strategic Corporate Targets

Discover companies aligned with institutional strengths, research clusters, and workforce initiatives.

Executive Outreach Automation

Personalize Engagement with Decision-Makers

AI drafts customized messages to R&D, innovation, and strategy leaders—automating follow-ups until meetings are secured.

CASE STUDIES

FirstIgnite supported the hospital’s licensing outreach strategy, contributing to more consistent engagement and a stronger early-stage pipeline.

2–3

Phone calls generated monthly from FirstIgnite-driven campaigns

100

Contacts per campaign reached through targeted, role-specific outreach

CASE STUDIES

FirstIgnite played a key role in helping VCU accelerate its industry engagement, streamline marketing efforts, and unlock new opportunities for research commercialization.

2-3

Meetings per campaign with interested licensing partners, generating meaningful conversations that qualify research opportunities and create pathways toward potential licensing or option agreements.

CASE STUDIES

FirstIgnite helped Portland State University students expand industry connections, streamline market research, and gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurial initiatives.

2-10

Conversations were initiated per student project, with several continuing beyond the course, demonstrating ongoing engagement and the platform’s ability to support sustained industry connections.

How You Can Use FirstIgnite

Built for Strategic Partnership Teams

Supporting universities and research institutions expanding industry engagement.

Corporate Relations Offices

Centralize and scale executive engagement strategies.

Industry Partnership Teams

Coordinate cross-department collaboration and outreach.

Research Development & Sponsored Programs

Centralize and scale executive engagement strategies.