Invent Penn State's NSF I-Corps Short Course is accepting applications for its virtual January/February cohort. The no-cost program helps researchers test a startup idea through customer interviews and educational programming on the lean startup methodology.
The cohort will begin on Friday, Jan. 30, and runs through Friday, Feb. 13. The cohort will meet virtually once a week for three weeks. Teams must commit to conducting a significant number of customer interviews during the three weeks, and to completing asynchronous assignments. Participants should plan on spending 5-10 hours/week of their time on I-Corps during the short-course duration.
Participants must apply and complete a self-guided I-Corps prep mini-course by Friday, Jan. 23.
One Penn State research team that recently completed the short course is NeurElectrum, a startup developing a soft, minimally invasive neural implant designed to reduce inflammation and improve communication with the brain for individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy or living with paralysis. The team enrolled in the I-Corps short course to better understand their potential customers, validate the clinical need, and refine their commercialization path.
"Prior to the regional I-Corps program, I didn't know about the current devices surgeons are using or the problems they are facing with those devices," Momin said. "I talked to several neurosurgeons, and I figured out that there is a need. Their number one concern with the current devices is the inflammation, which is something we were already working to address since day one. The regional program helped me ensure that my solution matches the problems and concerns of the patients and the neurosurgeons."
The short course introduces participants to key stakeholders and funding resources in the entrepreneurship community, strengthens future Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) proposals, and puts teams in a competitive position to apply for the National I-Corps Program, which provides up to $50,000 in funding to assist with customer discovery.
The NeurElectrum startup team also recently completed the NSF I-Corps National Teams program, which requires teams to complete at least 100 customer interviews in just seven weeks.
"During the national program, who my actual customer is truly became clarified," she said. "The I-Corps mentors challenged me with rigorous questions, which was extremely helpful. They helped me understand that neurosurgeons are my main customers, as they are the ones most familiar with patient needs and device availability, so they drive procurement."
Read NeurElectrum's full story at this link.
About NSF I-Corps
Penn State is part of the NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Hub, a network of universities, NSF-funded researchers, established entrepreneurs, local and regional entrepreneurial communities, and other federal agencies. Hubs work collaboratively to build and sustain a diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem throughout the United States. Learn more about NSF I-Corps at Penn State.
