NSF I-Corps
I-Corps @ NC State offers a National Science Foundation (NSF) training program aimed at helping researchers transition their ideas and inventions into the marketplace through customer discovery and market research.
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What is I-Corps?
I-Corps participants will gain:
- Entrepreneurial Training and Support from Industry Experts
- Experiential Market and Customer Research Skills
- Mentorship Connections
- Access to NSF Resources
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to move your innovation closer to market!
I-Corps @ NC State Impact
199
Teams trained
39
New startup companies launched
$67 million
in follow-on funding generated
What to Expect?
I-Corps @ NC State is a four-session course aimed at arriving at a “go” or “no-go” team decision on whether to pursue commercialization of a technology.
Teams will receive instruction on performing customer discovery and market research at the beginning of the course and will then perform customer interviews each week to determine if the problem their solution potentially solves is a high enough pain point to drive customer adoption. Each team will present its interview findings at the weekly meetings.
Instruction topics include:
- How to identify and interview potential customers of your solution
- How to create and test a value proposition for your technology
- How to develop and test market assumptions
- How to assess and choose a business model
Program Expectations:
- Expectations:
- At least one team member is expected to attend all program events.
- Teams are expected to commit to engaging in market research, customer discovery and other commercialization-focused activities outside of class.
- Teams should complete at least 20 customer interviews by the end of the program.
- Typical Team Composition:
- Teams are usually comprised of a faculty member and or co-inventor designated by faculty member, and/or a graduate or postdoc working in a university lab.
- You can apply even if you are a single person team!
- Program Benefits:
- Training and guidance on how to interview potential customers and end users of your technology
- Access to knowledgeable mentors who will provide you with domain and business expertise
- Become members of the NSF’s National Innovation Network, and gain the ability to claim NSF legacy funding
- Receive guidance in obtaining additional research and development funding, including the national NSF I-Corps teams program, SBIR/STTR grants, regional accelerator programs and external funding opportunities
Application Process
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. After submitting an application, a member of our team will contact you within one week to meet with you to discuss your application, the program format and expectations, and your team’s suitability for the program. If accepted, your team will be placed in the next available cohort.
Program Dates: Summer 2025*
- Application Period: applications accepted until June 20th at 11:59 PM
- I-Corps Prep Work: due by July 7th
- Class 1: Tuesday, July 22nd, 9 AM – 12:30 PM
- Class 2: Tuesday, July 29th, 9 AM – 12:30 PM
- Next Steps Session: August 5th, 10 AM – 11:30 AM
- Class 3: Tuesday, August 19th, 9 AM – 12:30 PM
*All class sessions this cohort will be held virtually via Zoom.
FAQ
Can our team have more than one entrepreneurial lead or academic lead?
Yes. Teams can have multiple faculty members or students who want to contribute to the team and learn.
I am interested I participating, but do not yet have a 3-person team. Can we still apply?
Yes, you can apply to the NC State I-Corps program without having a team member for each position. The I-Corps @ NC State team can also work with you to help identify potential team members. Please indicate this is desired when completing the application, particularly if you are seeking a business mentor to join your team.
The technology I am interested in was not funded by the NSF. Can I still participate?
Yes. Also, by completing the NC State I-Corps program, you will establish an NSF funding lineage for your project, making it eligible for other sources of commercialization-focused funding from the NSF.
My team is not based at NC State University. Can I still participate?
Yes. The I-Corps @ NC State program is open to research teams at other research institutions who are seeking to better understand their target market. Teams without an affiliation to a university might also be accepted dependent upon the team’s technology being deep-tech or deep-tech adjacent.
Still Have Questions?
Contact us to discuss the program and how it might help your project.
I-Corps @ NC State Team
Associate Director and Professor of the Practice of Entrepreneurship
919-513-2344 rnaraya@ncsu.edu
NC State Executive-in-Residence (XIR)
NC State Executive-in-Residence (XIR)
Lecturer, Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Poole College of Management