The Great Plains I-Corps Hub is thrilled to celebrate the completion of our 100th team through our 5-week training program. Throughout this program, teams have embarked on a transformative journey of customer discovery, gaining invaluable insights and refining their path towards commercialization.
Our mission at the Great Plains I-Corps Hub has always been to empower innovators and researchers to bridge the gap between their groundbreaking ideas and real-world impact. With each team aiming to conduct over 20 customer discovery interviews throughout our program, participants gained a deep understanding of market dynamics and customer needs, setting the stage for informed decision-making and strategic pivots.
One of the most rewarding aspects of our program is witnessing the lessons-learned by our participants. Reflecting on their journey, one participant shared that they, “Wanted to learn more about commercialization. Ended up learning so much about our customer base, which I thought I knew pretty well.” This highlights the transformative nature of customer discovery in reshaping product strategies and market positioning.
A key theme within the 5-week program is to challenge assumptions and biases about the dynamics of the market ecosystem. Another participant shared: “It was eye-opening to find that who we thought were our primary customers are probably our primary saboteurs, even though these individuals validated our global hypothesis.”
To reach their interview goals, many of our teams leverage industry conferences as an avenue for customer discovery. By immersing themselves in their targeted industries, teams gain firsthand insights into real-world challenges, emerging trends, and unmet needs within their customer segments. This immersive approach not only enhances their understanding but also fosters meaningful connections with industry leaders and influencers.
Throughout the program, participants gain invaluable insights into effective communication and engagement with industry partners. As one team member put it, “We were looking to better understand the market around our product and how to better communicate to industry partners’ needs and concerns. I feel like we’ve gained so much insight in this regard through these 5 weeks!”
For many, the journey through our program goes beyond commercialization to a deeper understanding of their potential customer base. Some teams aspire to undertake the National Science Foundation’s National I-Corps training, where they conduct 100+ customer interviews and are awarded $50,000 to further refine their understanding of the market landscape to de-risk their technology.
As we celebrate the achievements of our 100th trained team, we are reminded of the collective impact of fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. Each team’s journey is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and dedication of the innovators driving progress in the Great Plains region and beyond.
Here’s to the next hundred teams and the continued pursuit of transformative innovation!
