The Regional I-Corps at Dakota State University is a five-week program designed to help teams with AI-driven innovations evaluate the commercial potential of their technology. Tailored for researchers and entrepreneurs working in artificial intelligence or AI-enabled solutions, this cohort blends instruction and hands-on customer discovery to clarify real market needs and opportunities.
Participants learn to look beyond the research environment and assess how their technology can create economic and societal impact. Teams should expect to commit 8–10 hours per week during the program. Each team must include, at a minimum, an entrepreneurial lead (EL) and a technical lead (TL).
Schedule
- Orientation: Monday, February 2, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
- Session 1: Tuesday, February 3, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Session 2: Tuesday, February 10, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Session 3: Tuesday, February 17, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Session 4: Tuesday, February 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Session 5: Tuesday, March 3, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Stephanie Kidd, PhD
Stephanie serves as the Communications Strategist for the UNeTech Institute, Omaha, Nebraska’s only university-supported entrepreneurial support organization. UNeTech, housed under the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska Omaha, helps the inventions from faculty and staff from the University of Nebraska ecosystem transition from idea to successful commercialized business.
At UNeTech, Stephanie developed and runs a program called Opportunity Corps, which provides an I-Corps based ten-month fellowship to both women in STEAM and Black entrepreneurs, with a focus on overcoming barriers to entrepreneurship. She also serves as a lead instructor for the Great Plains I-Corps Region.
Before her career at UNeTech, Stephanie worked in higher education and nonprofit. She holds a PhD in higher education administration and is a former dean of online education. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Radio Theatre Omaha. She is active in the Junior League of Omaha where she is the current executive vice president-elect.
Michael Roach, PhD
After graduating with a business degree from the University of South Dakota, Michael Roach spent nearly 20 years in the financial services industry, where he managed people, products, projects, and budgets. During this period, he earned his MBA from the University of Sioux Falls and initiated his PhD studies in Management at Capella University. Roach transitioned to academia, commencing his teaching career as a full-time faculty member at Dakota State University in 2003, specializing in economics and management. In 2017, he assumed a role at DSU’s Madison campus and pioneered the entrepreneurial studies program, concurrently serving as the faculty advisor for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization student club. Furthermore, Roach actively engages in mentoring startups, having contributed his expertise to Startup Sioux Falls, the Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center, and presently the Great Plains I-Corps Hub.