CICEP INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY UNIVERSITIES AWARDS PROGRAM CASE STUDY 2014 Student Entrepreneurs
The offices within Pitt s Innovation Institute historically have focused on technology licensing, small business support, and faculty-led commercialization and startup efforts. In 2012, the Innovation Institute began to focus on a largely untapped source of talent at the University: student entrepreneurs. The Institute coordinated existing student-focused programs and allocated resources to increase capacity and fill gaps in programming. New positions were created, and four areas were targeted for investment: Education/Events Competitions Incubation/Acceleration Entrepreneurial Living Learning Community In parallel, efforts were made to better connect Pitt programs with resources in the external entrepreneurial ecosystem. The result is an integrated suite of programs within the university and strong connections to external partners. Major components of the internal system include: Support for Entrepreneurial Curriculum at the graduate and undergraduate levels in schools and departments across the University. Support for the growing number of student-led entrepreneurial organizations, activities, and events across campus. Wells Student Health Care Entrepreneurship Competition A 6-month program of education and mentoring activities for students in the healthcare professions. The program culminates with a competition and a $10,000 prize. 1st Gear An 8-week program designed to help student/faculty teams evaluate the commercialization potential for their innovations. Modeled on the NSF I-Corps program, 1st Gear focuses on customer discovery and business development activities. Startup Bootcamp This half-day introduction to entrepreneurship and the world of startups serves as a recruiting event for Startup Weekend and other activities. Startup Weekend Two days of seminars and mentoring for interdisciplinary teams lead to a pitch-session on Sunday. Winners receive prizes and are introduced to local incubators/ accelerators. The Randall Family Big Idea Competition is the flagship of Pitt s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The 3-month training/mentoring process concludes with approximately 20 teams vying for $100,000 in prize money. CICEP 2014 CASE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 2
Pantherlab Works Pitt s internal incubator is designed to prepare startup teams for life after Pitt and make connections to the external resources necessary to continue the commercialization process. Complementary programs planned for 2015/2016 include: Student Incubator The University has allocated space and furnishings in the Student Union for creation of a student incubator/accelerator. Entrepreneurial Living Learning Community The Innovation Institute, business, engineering, computer science, and the Office of Residence Life will establish dormitory floors for undergraduates with entrepreneurial interests and aspirations. The diagram below depicts Pitt s Internal Innovation Ecosystem and its connections to external commercialization partners. CICEP 2014 CASE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 3
2014 HIGHLIGHTS FY2014 was the inaugural year for the Innovation Institute, and the focus on student entrepreneurship is already paying dividends. The Wells Competition produced six promising finalists, with four teams entering the Big Idea Competition later in the year. StartUp Bootcamp/Weekend also was successful. The activities attracted 120 students who selforganized into 11 teams. Six teams went on to compete in the Big Idea process. StartUp Weekend 2014 Finalists The Randall Family Big Idea Competition was the highlight of the year. Drawing teams from Wells, Startup Weekend, and 1st Gear, the competition was quickly oversubscribed. A total of 125 students formed 39 interdisciplinary teams and honed their business models and presentation skills through a series of seminars, workshops, and one-on-one coaching sessions with experienced mentors. The participants ranged from freshmen to postdocs, and represented 12 of the university s 16 schools. There were even seven Carnegie Mellon students participating on Pitt teams. 2014 Randall Family Big Idea Winners CICEP 2014 CASE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 4
After 3 months of preparation and two elimination rounds, 21 teams made it to the finals. It was standing-room-only for the awards ceremony where a total of $100,000 was awarded. Four first-place winners received $20,000 awards and marketing support from advertising giant MARC USA. All winners also were connected to external incubators/accelerators to facilitate their development. Perhaps most encouraging, 11 of the finalist teams are moving forward with plans to commercialize their innovations. 2012 BIG IDEA WINNER Nicki Zevola s interest in beauty products began at 7 years of age, while mixing her grandmother s skin creams into her own formulas. Her passion resurfaced in 2007, when she was studying dermatology at Pitt. Fascinated by the science behind commercial beauty products, Nicki was dismayed that much of what she was learning in her medical education wasn t part of the industry s product offerings. In September 2007, Nicki started FutureDerm as a WordPress blog and began to write about the medical science aspects of commercial beauty products. By 2011, FutureDerm was receiving 250,000 views per month and was voted the #1 beauty blog by SHAPE Magazine. Nicki continued her medical school studies at Pitt, where her work in the laboratory led to the development of a unique sunscreen delivery system that won a business competition in 2011. In 2012, Nicki competed in and won an award at the Randall Family Big Idea Competition. The Big Idea s $20,000 prize and an additional $25,000 investment from a local tech incubator (AlphaLab) were instrumental in helping FutureDerm make the transition from a beauty blog to a beauty products company. Nicki leveraged those initial investments into a Series A funding round later in 2012. Investors included the Randall Family (Big Idea founding donors). The capital infusion enabled Nicki to hire staff and develop a suite of beauty products. The FutureDerm product line includes a timerelease Retinol product; a vitamin-fortified eye cream; and natural moisturizers, toners, and cleansers. FutureDerm recently acquired shelf space in Whole Foods Markets, and is working to sell product through other high-end retailers. But the major driver of the business is FutureDerm.com. The CICEP 2014 CASE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 5
website sells 12 FutureDerm products and other premium beauty products, shipping to more than 60 companies around the world. People often ask Nicki about whether she has chosen medicine or business. Her reply: I m in the business of helping people, whether that s through my business or in medicine. I m still enrolled in medical school... I love FutureDerm, and I love that I m able to learn incredibly interesting information about skin care, teach it to an engaged audience, and then use that information to create state-of-the-art products. CICEP 2014 CASE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 6