“I-Corps was my gateway into the world of Entrepreneurship”. Prince Ghosh, CEO of digital supply space startup Factored Quality has created a company that simplifies the quality control process for manufacturers. Using the foundation he learned from I-Corps, Ghosh has been able to grow a company that solves customers’ challenges.
Ghosh graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a degree in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. As he continued his education, he realized the aerospace research he was working on had commercial potential. That led him to the I-Corps program hosted by the University of Akron Research Foundation, an affiliate of the Great Lakes I-Corps Hub.
When I was a student on campus, I was involved in a research project in the Aerospace sector. I had an idea about commercializing some of the research that I had done, and I thought I-Corps was a unique opportunity… That project never ended up commercially taking off. But it was kind of my gateway into this broader concept of business. You can build something real and you don’t just have to be a grad student the rest of your life. – Prince Ghosh
University of Akron Research Foundation offers I-Corps courses to Researchers in Ohio. The program focuses on the principles of customer discovery.
After graduating, Ghosh began exploring other entrepreneurial opportunities. This led Ghosh and his business partner to pursue their current business, Factored Quality. Their company completed the Y Combinator accelerator and has raised over $7 million in capital. Ghosh describes how the company can provide ‘quality control on demand’.
Factored Quality helps brands run quality control, testing, and compliance across their global supply chains… Even simple products can have 20 to 30 different suppliers. Someone needs to inspect the goods and make sure that these goods are at the right quantity, right quality, and right composition. This ensures the final result that you buy is exactly what you expect. We help brands do that through a global network of third-party quality control inspectors. Brands use our software to book those inspectors to go down to their factory floors and inspect the goods. It’s quality control on demand.
Factor Quality has made customer feedback a key part of its operations. By constantly learning from their customers, the company has been able to grow.
Companies that succeed are the ones that ruthlessly and eternally seek feedback from customers about their product… I-Corps tries to hammer in this principle. Go get customer feedback, customer validation, and customer feedback.
I-Corps can lay the foundation for principles that can enable researchers to make a real impact. For Prince Ghosh, the I-Corps was the first step in his entrepreneurial journey.
Interested in I-Corps? Check out our upcoming courses:
https://www.greatlakesicorps.org/coming-events/
Quotes Edited for Clarity
NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region, 2023
