NSF I-Corps Fellowship Program Summer 2018, June 12 July 26 Meeting times: Tue/Thu 5.30pm 6.50pm Meeting location:, Levine Ross 1&2 (unless otherwise noted) Instructor: Bozhanka Vitanova, bozhanka@brandeis.edu Program Description A hands-on experiential program enabling the development of entrepreneurial competencies and confidence PhD students need to build any combination of an academic and entrepreneurial career. Throughout the program, housed at the Brandeis NSF I- Corps Site, participants create novel products and solutions, while getting exposed to new opportunities and building the ability to take ownership of their careers. Objectives Students who complete this program successfully will: Learn how to identify valuable product opportunities at the intersection of life science and technology, emerging from academic research. Understand and experience the actions of building a startup (or commercializable technology) and creating a new entity with job and revenue generating potential. Understand research/startup funding mechanisms. Experience cross-sectoral collaboration and gain inspiration for one s own interdisciplinary research and ideas. Gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience and confidence to build any combination of an academic and entrepreneurial career. Create and enlarge their professional network beyond academia. Receive up to $750 to be used to build out research idea or for own professional development. Expenses need to be pre-approved. Required Texts, Materials, or Equipment Each team will need to create a profile on javelin.com and purchase and read the Mom Test. All other readings and materials will be available on Latte. Attendance and Participation Participants are expected to attend all in-person sessions. Please notify the Instructor about any sessions you may need to miss prior to the beginning of the program. Program Assignments and Deliverables Individual: Each participant completes an actionable personal development plan at the beginning of the program and uploads a revised version by the end of the program. Group: Participants work in teams where they design and validate a business model based on a research idea. Each team will conduct 15 customer interviews and deliver a final presentation during the Second Annual HackMyPhD at Brandeis University.
Certification Upon successful completion of the program objectives, each participant receives an NSF I-Corps digital badge and certificate. Completion of the program makes participants eligible for follow-on NSF funding. Preliminary Schedule of Topics, Readings, and Assignments Date Topics/Assigned Readings/Homework Major Assignments and Deadlines (to be completed prior to meeting time) June 12th June 14th June 19th June 21 st June 26 th June 28 th July 3 rd Entrepreneurial competencies and gaps Creation of a personalized entrepreneurial training plan; Identification of focus areas and objectives; Teams Formation. Startup Creation Process Identification of product/technology opportunities. In-class exercise on Business Model Canvas: https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-ca nvas From the lab to the world What does it take to move beyond research or idea? Create and start execution of team action plan. Value Proposition & Customer Segments Identify Customer Segments, Create Hypotheses. Expanding network beyond academia Initiating and cultivating professional relationships with industry/investors. Customer Discovery & Customer Interviews Gathering valuable market data from customer interviews. Interview Script and Practice Session. Problem-solving: effectively using creative and analytical skills Complete entrepreneurial self-assessment by June 10 th, 11.59pm Finalize teams. Upload personal development plan and budget. Revise and upload business model canvas. Upload team action plan. Complete Javelin profile: Identify Customer Segments, Hypotheses, and list of 10 potential customers. Create/update LinkedIn profile. Read the Mom Test. Upload problem-solving Location
July 5 th July 10 th July 12 th July 17 th July 19 th July 24 th July 26 th (no in-person session) Minimum Viable Product Proof of Product / Proof of Concept features Resourcefulness: How do Resource-Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs Compete? (no in-person session) Funding mechanisms Extended session: 5.30 pm 8.20pm Funding pathways for research-based technologies. Sources of funding at different stages of development. Overview of SBIRs and other federal grants, angel and VC funding, strategic partnerships. Communication Construct and adjust message to fit different stakeholders frame or thinking. Pitching your technology Construct slide deck and pitch for potential investors, strategic partners, advisors. Resilience and the way forward Dealing with obstacles and significant deviations from plan HackMyPhD 8am 4pm Team presentations take place 1.30pm 2.30pm. Each team will have 15 minutes for presentation and Q&A session. exercise solution. Upload Interview Script; Schedule first 3 Interviews. Complete and upload insights from 3 customer interviews. Upload brief description of the proof-of-concept or technology demonstration you envision. Complete making money challenge. Complete and upload insights from 5 customer interviews. Identify 3-5 concrete funding opportunities and action plan to pursue them. Complete and upload insights from final 7 customer interviews. Revise business model canvas. Upload draft pitch deck. Upload final pitch deck. Heller School Classroom G1 Usdan Alumni Lounge Heller School Classroom G1 Heller School Classroom G1 Mandel for the Humanities