Is doing research harmful in an idea harmful for a startup?
Mz: My initial thought is that sometimes ideas cannot be developed without the shelter of an environment like a university and one person shows typically don't accomplish much.  So I think some ideas that later went commercial and then found themselves with this conflict might not have ever gotten developed at all if the originators had tried to keep it all to themselves.  So one question you might ask yourself is:  If I try to go it alone and keep it secret, will I get anything done?  If you think you can, that might be the way to go.  If you get the feeling that would kill the project, then you need another solution -- whether this path or another path -- that involves working with other people.