September 23 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm CST
Enroll in this free innovation bootcamp focused on customer discovery. I-Corps is designed to equip participants with skills for designing products and services that benefit customers. Gain insights for developing a strategy to transition technology from lab to market. The course provides structured lectures and best practices to support teams in engaging with customers effectively.
Schedule
Dates for this cohort are still pending, once determined this page will be updated. We are still accepting applications in the meantime and encourage all to submit to secure their spot in the cohort.
Learning Objectives
- Develop and test customer hypotheses and problem hypotheses
- Build an understanding of Learn Launchpad concepts such as customer discovery, ecosystem mapping and value proposition
- Map your customer ecosystem to understand customer roles, key players and how decisions are made
- Conduct 20+ customer discovery interviews
- Build connections with the commercial ecosystem, including customers, suppliers, and funders, for innovation.
Program Benefits
- Gain eligibility for the NSF I-Corps National Program and $50,000 grant for qualifying technologies and teams (only deep-tech, university-based teams who complete at least 20 customer discovery interviews)
- Increase chances of receiving commercialization grants such as Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
- Gain valuable market insight to inform the next steps for creating impact from your idea
- Gain an exceptional professional development experience appropriate for any career path—academic, industry, startup or other
- Expand your network of like-minded peers, instructors, investors, customers, and mentors.
- Learn, practice and hone your innovation skills
- Participant Support Funding – depending on your university affiliation, Entrepreneurial Leads may be eligible for $1,000 to be used towards your customer discovery efforts
MEET THE INSTRUCTORS
Elizabeth Hallgren
Elizabeth Hallgren is the founder of The Levain Group, a business growth training and coaching solutions firm.
She has been teaching the NSF I-Corps curriculum since 2015 through the University of Iowa and more recently the Great Plains Hub. Elizabeth’s current projects include providing curriculum expertise for the Global Insurance Accelerator and serving as a Business Advisor in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Corey Kratcha
Corey is the co-founder and CEO of c2renew. C2renew is a material designer and custom compounder utilizing proprietary bio-composite formulations to meet a wide range of engineering specifications. Corey is also the co-founder and CEO of c2sensor, a sister company of c2renew, developing biodegradable SEED sensors for precision farming.
Eric Gjerdevig
By day, Eric Gjerdevig is a lecturer and Executive Director of the North Dakota State University Center for Professional Selling and Sales Technology. He teaches highly experiential courses on sales skills, processes, negotiation, and technology, focusing on early career sales professional development and perfecting human-to-human sales skills and abilities. Eric brings us over 20 years of experience in the technology industry.
In 2021, Eric wrote the book Power to Sell, which is based on the idea that our human-to-human skills are the keys to setting ourselves apart in a world of advancing technology. His mission is clear: developing the high-performing sales professionals of the future.