About the regional programs

• In the Regional I-Corps program hosted by Hub universities, scientists and engineers take the first step in assessing if their research has the feasibility to become a product or service of benefit to society

• Participants join the program in small teams (1+ or 2+ team members depending on course length) organized around the development and commercialization of a particular discovery

• Teams engage in customer discovery research aimed at investigating the commercial viability and societal impact of a novel discovery or process in science, technology or engineering

• You will build a foundation of your startup idea for future NSF I-Corps Teams Program, CUNY I-Corps and NYC Innovation Hot Spot programming

• Innovators/Teams will learn the fundamental building blocks of the Lean Launchpad methodology –the Business Model Canvas, Customer Discovery and Agile Development 

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Who should apply

• Researchers and their lab colleagues who have developed a science or technology innovation at any university or college 

• Students, undergraduate, graduate, Ph.D., and postdocs are best-eligible to serve as entrepreneurial leads

• Teams can originate at any institution such as a university, college, medical school, hospital, or even community 

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Forming a team

The first step in applying to join I-Corps is to form a team. Teams consist of at least three roles:

• Entrepreneurial lead

  • The entrepreneurial lead may be a graduate student, postdoctoral scholar, undergraduate student or staff member with relevant knowledge of the technology or market and a commitment to investigate the potential opportunity for commercialization.

  • The role of the entrepreneurial lead is to drive the customer discovery process and support the transition of the technology into the marketplace if it demonstrates commercial viability.

    • Additional researchers or leads are welcome to serve as Co-Entrepreneurial Leads

• Technical lead

  • The technical lead will often have been involved in creating the technology that forms the basis of the team’s business concept or possesses a high level of relevant technical expertise. The role of the technical lead is overall project management.

  • The technical lead is often a faculty member and, if a company is formed, plays a key leadership role such as a scientific advisor or chief technical officer.

• Mentor

  • The industry mentor will typically be an experienced entrepreneur, intrapreneur or corporate innovator who serves as a third-party resource.

  • The role of the mentor is to guide the team forward and track progress.

  • Teams do not have to identify an industry mentor prior to application, but are encouraged to begin looking for one. Mentors can also be suggested by Hub instructors when necessary

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Application Process

• Submit an Executive Summary through the Hub Course Application

• Schedule and undergo a 20-minute Zoom interview-onboarding call

• NY Hub will review based on project potential and team commitment to the customer discovery process

• Selected teams will receive a "Welcome Letter" and Syllabus with full details on the training program