UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN I-CORPS
Illinois I-Corps is hosted by the Technology Entrepreneur Center, in the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The I-Corps curriculum is built on a special, accelerated version of Stanford University’s Lean LaunchPad course, created by Professor Steve Blank. Professors in the course focus on evidence-based entrepreneurship and encourage in-depth customer discovery. Throughout the program, attendees will learn to use the Business Model Canvas, Agile Development, and Customer Development to advance their business ideas.
Benefits of the Program
- Develop best practices for conducting customer discovery and identifying key stakeholders.
- Learn, practice, and hone your innovation skills.
- Improve the odds for commercial success.
- Understand market trends and needs in your ecosystem.
- Expand your network of like-minded peers, instructors, investors, customers, and mentors.
- Obtain eligibility to apply for $50,000 grant from the National NSF I-CorpsTM team grant (for deep tech, university-affiliated teams)
- Prepare for applying to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
2026 Cohorts
- Summer 2026
- 6/8, 6/15, 6/29, 7/13, 8/3
- Class sessions 1pm – 3pm CT
- Registration is closed for the summer cohort.
- AgTech Cohort – Summer 2026
- This cohort is designed specifically for those with an agricultural innovation.
- 6/10, 6/17, 7/1, 7/15, 7/29
- Class sessions at 12pm – 2:00pm CT
- Registration is closed for the AgTech cohort.
- Fall 2026
- 9/16, 9/23, 10/7, 10/21, 11/4
- Class sessions 1pm – 3pm CT
- Registration is not currently open for the fall cohort.
