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.

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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for the Fall cohort!

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I-Corps @ NC State Impact

What is I-Corps?

NSF’s I-Corps Program assists scientists and engineers in extending their focus beyond the laboratory to increase the economic impact of university research projects through a curriculum based on Stanford’s Lean LaunchPad process.

The program partners innovative academic researchers, undergraduate/graduate students and entrepreneurial staff with mentors to identify market opportunities for new technologies that benefit society and the economy.

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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:
- Academic Lead – faculty member or co-inventor designated by faculty member. Expect to give 6 hours per week.
- Entrepreneurial Lead – typically a graduate student or postdoc working in the Academic Lead’s research program (teams may have more than one Entrepreneurial Lead if desired). Expect to give up to 10 hours per week.
- Mentor – someone with business and/or industry experience or experience coaching teams. Expect to give 2 hours per week.
- You can apply even if you do not have a person to fill each role!

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: Fall 2023*

Application Period: applications accepted until Monday, August 21st at 11:59 PM
Selected Teams Notified: Tuesday, September 5th
Cohort Kickoff Mixer: Tuesday, September 28th, 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Class 0: Wednesday, October 11th, 9 AM – 12 PM
Class 1: Wednesday, October 18th, 9 AM – 12 PM
Class 2: Wednesday, October 25th, 9 AM – 12 PM
Class 3: Wednesday, November 8th, 9 AM – 12 PM

*All class sessions this cohort will be held in-person on NC State’s campus.

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FAQ

Yes

Yes, I-Corps @ NC State team will work with you to help identify potential team members. Please indicate this is desired when completing the application.

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.