Instructor Highlight: Dr. Amy Whitney

We interviewed Dr. Amy Whitney, the core Lead Instructor for the Great Plains I-Corps Hub, to explore her insights and experiences in guiding teams through the journey of technology commercialization.

We interviewed Dr. Amy Whitney, the core Lead Instructor for the Great Plains I-Corps Hub, to explore her insights and experiences in guiding teams through the journey of technology commercialization. Dr. Whitney shares her passion for innovation and the pivotal moments that have shaped her approach to entrepreneurship education.

Dr. Amy Whitney is the Director of the University of North Dakota (UND) Center for Innovation where she uses her entrepreneurial skills and expertise in town-gown relationships to lead the center’s growth. She oversees the vibrant center supporting entrepreneurs, students, and faculty across North Dakota. As the core Lead Instructor for the Great Plains I-Corps Hub, Dr. Whitney teaches lean launch customer discovery, mentors regional instructors, and assesses curriculum effectiveness. She also serves as a National I-Corps trainer for the National Science Foundation.

Could you share your journey with I-Corps and how you became the Hub's lead instructor? What drew you to this program?


“My I-Corps journey began as an industry mentor for a team accepted into the NSF I-Corps National program. That experience helped me realize the value of the coaching, training, and tools for researchers and graduate students as they think about ‘what’s next’ when they develop a technology. 

When I became the Director of the UND Center for Innovation I created a partnership with a regional I-Corps node so teams at UND could participate in I-Corps. That was where I also began teaching in the I-Corps program.  Two years ago, when the Great Plains Region was accepted as a new regional hub, I was designated the lead instructor as part of the grant writing process due to my experience as a regional instructor.”

In your experience, why is I-Corps such an important part of the entrepreneurial journey for researchers and innovators?


“I-Corps is an important part of the entrepreneurial journey for a few reasons.  First, we teach a repeatable process to de-risk technologies and help innovators identify who might love the benefits of their solution enough to pay for it.  Second, you get coaching that challenges you to be intellectually honest about the problem you are trying to solve and who you are solving it for.  And third, I-Corps helps you better understand the bigger picture movement of money, materials and information in an industry ecosystem.”

 

Can you share some of the most memorable moments you've witnessed while working with I-Corps teams? Any particular team breakthroughs that stand out?


“I love when an I-Corps team realizes the power of customer discovery as part of their entrepreneurial journey. I have many memorable moments and they all center around teams who have realized the power of talking to people about the problem they are trying to solve, or making decisions about buying solutions because they are teams that have built stronger business models for their solutions. As an instructor, I know our teaching and coaching were successful when a team says, ‘Customer discovery is our way of life for our business and in our lab.'”

 

What are some common challenges or misconceptions that teams face when they first join I-Corps, and how does the program help them overcome these?


“A common challenge or misconception when starting I-Corps is the amount of effort and persistence that is needed to get interviews scheduled and then making sure that the conversations you have are as unbiased as possible.

As instructors, we continually remind and push teams to think about how they are scheduling focused time for outreach, using their networks, thinking globally instead of locally, and other techniques. We also encourage teams to use office hours and take advantage of one-on-one coaching.  For unbiased interviews, my favorite thing is to help teams strengthen and craft strong questions.”

 

How have you seen I-Corps evolve over time, and what impact do you think it has had on the entrepreneurial ecosystem?


“The biggest evolution in I-Corps over time has been the way instructors engage teams. We are coaches. We are Socratic in our approach. We expect dedication and hard work. We expect intellectual honesty. We will hold you accountable to our goals but we also will NOT cut you down.  We want to lift up your learning and help you embrace the value of the process we are teaching.”

 

Could you describe a moment or a specific team that made a significant pivot during the program? What was the initial idea, and what did it evolve into?

 
“I was teaching in a National cohort and a team was working on a technology that measured hydration levels in trees. They started the program thinking their customer was the US Forest Service and firefighters or forest fire wardens as an early detection system for which trees would be more prone to fire.  After seven weeks, their beachhead market changed to almond farmers in California because they were significantly impacted by drought conditions and stiff regulations on water usage.”

 

What advice would you give to new instructors or mentors who are considering getting involved with I-Corps?


“My advice is to live the process a few times by being a part of a team with different instructors.  Also, when mentoring, think about how you can ask reflective questions to help the team learn the process so they can repeat it.”

 

How do you personally stay inspired and motivated in your role as a lead instructor, especially when guiding teams through challenging moments?

 

“I stay inspired and motivated by remembering that my hard work and commitment to helping the teams means they grow as well.  When it gets challenging I remember times when there is a learning breakthrough and how validating that is for the teams and for the work we are doing as instructors.”

 

Dr. Amy Whitney’s dedication to the I-Corps program and her passion for guiding teams through the entrepreneurial process are evident in her inspiring journey and the impactful work she continues to do. Her insights offer valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs and instructors alike, highlighting the importance of perseverance, intellectual honesty, and a customer-focused approach. As she looks forward to new challenges and opportunities, Dr. Whitney remains a cornerstone of innovation and education in the Great Plains region, fostering a thriving ecosystem for researchers and innovators.