Applications are now open for the Summer 2024 I-Corps Customer Discovery Program
Deadline: Monday, June 10, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.
The I-Corps Customer Discovery Program offers customer discovery training and provides connections to mentors, both of which are critical to the success of any business. You will also learn how to effectively communicate your idea to investors and have the chance to receive up to $1,000 to continue customer discovery and stakeholder interviews.
Participants in this program must be ready to spend several hours per week working on their project over the five weeks of the program. Workshops are held virtually on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons in January, April, July and October 2024. Additional topical workshops may be included. Topics may include: clean tech, blue tech, or human health tech. Teams are expected to sign up for one 30-minute block during weekly virtual office hours, held Friday afternoons, to report on progress and meet with an industry mentor who will provide guidance.
Learn more about mentoring a team through early customer discovery.
Program description
The Innovation Corps (I-CorpsTM) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, aims to accelerate academic research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization. Through training and mentorship, program participants learn about the commercialization process and test the value of their business idea by talking to potential customers and stakeholders.
In addition to the main program that all participants will take part in, the UW Pacific Northwest program occasionally offers industry-specific tracks depending on the number of teams that are enrolled in the program. We can offer HealthTech and CleanTech/ClimateTech tracks which allow participants with innovations in those industries to dive deeper into the specific needs of their fields. Read more about the two tracks in the Program tracks section below.
Details of the program
What you will learn
- How to find and connect with potential customers and stakeholders
- How to prototype a business idea using lean startup tools
- How to tell your story to your stakeholders and your community
- How to use those skills to test the value of your idea
Expectations
- Connecting with and interviewing at least 3 new individuals weekly
- Capturing insights from those interviews to help evolve your thinking around your project
- Briefly summarize and present weekly work
- Practice your storytelling skills
What you will leave with
- Long-lasting connections with industry mentors and other innovators.
- Opportunity to apply for up to $1,000 in funding to continue customer discovery.
- Opportunities and support to apply for federal grant funding and other local and national opportunities.
Who is it for?
- Faculty, researchers, postdocs, students or staff members from an academic or research institution in the Pacific Northwest
- Professionals with industry or startup experience who are looking to mentor the next generation of academic entrepreneurs
Past winners
Learn more about recent award-winning projects.
Teaching Team
Learn more about our teaching team and mentors.
Program tracks
Student researchers at the Molecular and Cellular Biology Lab
HealthTech
Participants in this space are invited to participate in ITHS’s Fireside Chats on Learning the Essentials of Biomedical Entrepreneurship.
CleanTech/ClimateTech
Participants in these spaces will take a deeper look at the specifics of these industries.
Creating value and driving impact
Contact
Email: icorps@uw.edu
For questions about the ITHS biomedical fireside chats, contact Terri Butler TLButler@uw.edu