invent.psu.edu/programs/nsf-i-corps-program/i-corps-program-cohorts-events/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Invent Penn State's NSF I-Corps Short Course is accepting applications for its virtual February cohort, with an application deadline of Jan. 31. The no-cost program helps researchers test a startup idea through customer interviews and educational programming on the lean startup methodology.
The cohort will begin on Friday, Feb. 7, and runs through Friday, Feb. 21. The cohort will meet virtually once a week during the month span. Teams must commit to conducting a significant number of customer interviews during the three weeks, and to completing asynchronous assignments. Participants should plan on spending 5-10 hours/week of their time on I-Corps during the short course duration.
Participants must apply and complete a self-guided, I-Corps prep mini-course by Friday, Jan. 31.
Fourth State Therapeutics, a Penn State research-based startup that has developed a cold plasma-based technology for chronic wound healing, recently participated in the I-Corps Short Course.
"I-Corps focuses on customer discovery and market research, and it's amazing that we have a local chapter at Penn State," Fourth State Therapeutics founder and recent biomedical engineering doctoral graduate Ali Kazemi said. "A key takeaway was learning how to ask the right questions to test our hypotheses. One of the biggest challenges I-Corps helped us overcome was rapid learning of the industry and finding new ways to connect with people." Read Kazemi's full story.
The short course will expose participants to key stakeholders and funding resources in the entrepreneurship community, increase chances of receiving an SBIR/STTR award, and put participants in an excellent position to apply for the National I-Corps Program that provides $50,000 in funding to assist with customer discovery.
About NSF I-Corps
Penn State is part of the NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Hub, a network of universities, NSF-funded researchers, established entrepreneurs, local and regional entrepreneurial communities, and other federal agencies. Hubs work collaboratively to build and sustain a diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem throughout the United States. Learn more about NSF I-Corps at Penn State.
