University of Wisconsin-Madison I-Corps

February 27, 2025 - April 3, 2025

Free

Do you want to translate your research into impactful real-world applications? Join UW-Madison’s Technology Entrepreneurship Office (TEO) for the 2025 Spring I-Corps program! This free, six-week, non-credit, virtual workshop uses evidence-based strategies for achieving entrepreneurial success and is open to research faculty, staff, and students at any higher education institution. With help from NSF I-Corps trained instructors and the TEO Hi-Tech Mentor Network, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of their future customers and market ecosystem.

What is NSF I-Corps?

The NSF Innovation Corps, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is a program that helps researchers quickly evaluate the commercial potential of a scientific discovery or technology that could lead to a path for startup success.

Is I-Corps for Me?

If you’re a UW–Madison faculty member, staff researcher, postdoctoral researcher, graduate student, or undergraduate student with a STEM-based discovery or technology and you want to explore possible pathways to entrepreneurship, the UW-Madison I-Corps program is for you! Attending a learning session can help you decide if the NSF I-Corps program is right for you. Past I-Corps participants will be on hand to answer questions and Bonnie Bachman, Director of the Technology Entrepreneurship Office (TEO), will provide an overview of the local, regional and national I-Corps programs. UW-Madison is one of the 16 universities that comprise the NSF I-Corps Great Lakes Region Hub. TEO is the official NSF Office for the UW-Madison I-Corps Program and the Gateway for all I-Corps activities. Please contact us regarding finding a mentor, training courses, application process, follow on funding, and anything related to I-Corps.

Course Benefits

Become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Teams program and $50,000 grant for qualifying technologies and teams (only deep-tech, university-based teams who complete at least 20-30 customer discovery interviews).
Upon completion of the workshop and the customer discovery interviews, you and/or your team may be eligible for for a mini-grant of up to $1,000. Funds may reimbursed customer discovery interview travel expenses.
Prepare for applying to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
Gain valuable market insight to inform the next steps in your research and/or development.
Develop network connections and receive mentoring from experienced industry experts and entrepreneurs
Develop the entrepreneurial mindset and toolset needed for a career in academia, industry, startups, or government

Course Schedule

All events are held virtually.

February 27 (4:45-7:00 pm CT) Workshop Orientation
March 6 (4:45-7:00 pm CT) Value Proposition Canvas
March 13 (4:45-7:00 pm CT) Hypothesis Testing and Interviewing
March 20 (4:45-7:00 pm CT) Ecosystem Mapping
March 27 (5:00-6:00 pm CT) Q&A Session (Optional)
April 3 (4:45-7:30 pm CT) Presentations Session

This workshop will require a time commitment of approximately four-six hours/week, on average. This includes attending all required sessions, a minimum of four coaching sessions with an assigned team mentor, and a minimum of 20 customer discovery interviews (planning, scheduling, conducting interviews, and documenting the results to be shared with instructors and mentors).

Please fill out the following registration form. Questions can be directed to Emma Uren, emma.uren@wisc.edu.

Register

Details

Start:: February 27, 2025
End:: April 3, 2025
Cost:: Free
Event Category:: Local I-Corps
Website:: https://teo.wisc.edu/nsf-i-corps/

Venue

: Virtual Event

Organizer

: University of Wisconsin-Madison
: View Organizer Website