Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Joins NY I-Corps Hub
Leading Technological Research Institute Brings Rich Resources, Including Life Sciences Focus, to CUNY-Led Consortium
September 15, 2022
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), based in Troy, NY, is joining the National Science Foundation New York I-Corps Hub as a new partner institution and will immediately begin to help the Hub meet its goal of enabling researchers from diverse backgrounds to bring scientific discoveries to the marketplace. The New York Hub includes the City University of New York (CUNY) as its principal institution, with Columbia University and New York University as initial partner institutions and five additional affiliates: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Rockefeller University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and University at Albany.
CUNY's Innovation and Applied Research Division Presents at
Promotion and Tenure – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference in Oregon
November 3, 2022
Members of the CUNY Central Innovation and Applied Research Division of the Office of Research presented new findings at the second annual Promotion and Tenure – Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference (PTIE), held in July 2022 at the historic Skamania Lodge on the Columbia River, near Portland, Oregon. Supported by the National Science Foundation and hosted by Oregon State University, the Promotion and Tenure – Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PTIE) Conference explored how integrating and valuing innovation and entrepreneurial achievement can impact promotion and tenure in higher education, leading to a more diverse academic community.
The Art of the Pivot: Quantum Startup Makes the Most of I-Corps Training
December 14, 2022
“Everything I know is wrong.”
Mehdi Namazi, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of I-Corps success story Qunnect, says this was the best attitude to have when entering an I-Corps cohort for the first time.
“If you are starting a program like this and you are coming from any technical background, you are already good at something. But don't assume you're good at everything. On day one, just tell yourself, I don’t know anything, or everything I know is wrong, and I am here to learn.”
“We all come to these programs as experts in our fields,” Namazi explained. “I’m a quantum physicist, so it’s easy to assume that if someone else doesn’t understand my tech, it’s not me, it’s them. But that’s wrong. The customer understands what they need, and they understand their sector. It’s very important to come to these programs modest and understanding that you are entering a new world where you are going to learn.”
NexHealth
CUNY alumni
July 15, 2022
Many startups dream of achieving “unicorn” status—a $1 billion valuation. For two CUNY alumni, that dream is now a reality.
Alamin Uddin and Waleed Asif, founders of NexHealth, participated in CUNY’s inaugural Social Entrepreneurship “bootcamp” at the Zahn Center in 2014 during their time as undergraduate students at City College, developing their original concept, a platform to digitize and streamline the doctor-patient experience. The bootcamp operated in partnership with the NYC Regional Innovation I-Corps Node (NYCRIN), now known as the New York Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Hub. NexHealth is the first unicorn company connected to CUNY’s entrepreneurship training programs.
Founded in 2017, NexHealth recently closed a $125 million in a Series C financing round, bringing the company to a $1 billion valuation. NexHealth is a patient experience and practice management platform that integrates directly with practice management and electronic health record systems. Its cloud-based platform enables real-time online scheduling, automated appointment reminders, video visits, patient messaging, digital forms and payments, reporting, and virtual waitlists.
CUNY Secures Historic $15 Million National Science Foundation Grant To Lead Coalition of Institutions in Development of ‘Innovation Corps’ Regional Hub
October 14, 2021
Largest-Ever Award from the NSF to CUNY will Help Schools Develop Scientific and Engineering Discoveries into Useful Technologies and Shepherd Them into the Marketplace
The City University of New York will lead a coalition of colleges in the development of a $15 million federally funded program to provide real-world entrepreneurial training and mentoring to local academic researchers. The goal of the New York Region Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Hub, one of five networks established around the country by the National Science Foundation, is to help researchers of diverse backgrounds bring their scientific and engineering discoveries to the marketplace as commercial ventures that spur economic growth and narrow long-standing racial and gender disparities in the STEM workforce.