growth

Want to see your product or service changing your industry and/or the lives of many, but don't know the next steps to take? We provide structured programs focused on customer discovery to help you:

Avoid the #1 reason startup businesses fail, which is from lack of market need
Gain insight on the best strategy to deliver your solution and acquire customers
Become more investment ready
Get connected to resources and business leaders that can assist you in progressing

witness innovation Corps Kick-off day!
REGISTER HERE: https://i-corpskickoff.eventbrite.com

Click ↓↓↓ to download application!

Inventor student entrepreneur mentor COMMUNITY TEAM (Non-UA)

Inventor: If you are at at an university and want to take research or idea through.
Student: If you want to assist and contribute a startup team during I-Corps
Community: If not at an university but want to level up your idea or business.
Mentor: If you want to mentor a team through the process.

We asked previous participants for anonymous feedback so that we get and give you the truth.

"I learned a lot from I-Corps, and everyone I interacted with at UARF was very helpful. They were willing to help with things even outside the scope of the I-Corps program." Spring 2018

"I started to receive insight into the real problems people were trying to solve and how my product could help. It was relieving. I realized my product fit the needs but I needed a pivot in my approach to customers. Everyone at UARF is extremely knowledgeable and helpful." - Fall 2018

"It allowed the team time and space to gain insight to consumers' values and experience, which could be applied to our product. The program gave us structure and guidance throughout the process." - Summer 2019

application process

Applications are accepted anytime and will be evaluated prior to the next I-Corps cohort. Each application will be assessed on the background and commitment of the team members, uniqueness of the business idea and (if applicable) intellectual property strength, the market and business model, and the fit with the goals and competencies of UA's I-Corps Site.

Fill out the appropriate document (by clicking inventor, mentor, etc below), please select the one that most directly reflects your role or group. Inventor, student, mentor, community.
Attach any required documents listed in the form
Email any questions, the application and any attachments to UAicorps@gmail.com

Eligible Participants

UA's I-Corps Site is open to faculty, student and community led teams. You can apply to I-Corps in many ways:

University teams are comprised of at least one faculty member (Academic Lead), one or more students (Entrepreneurial Leads) and one or more Mentors. Faculty from all colleges and departments, and other regional universities, are encouraged to apply.
Community teams are comprised of at least one entrepreneur or aspiring entrepreneur (Entrepreneurial Leads) and one or more Mentors. Applicants should be based in Northeast Ohio, but need not be affiliated with The University of Akron.
Mentors can apply independently to join a team as a way to see new ventures and share their expertise.
Students can apply independently to assist an existing team in assessing their business idea as a way to learn about entrepreneurship and build their resumes.

program

UA's I-Corps Site program is all about customer discovery! It supports teams through an intensive 7-meeting critical evaluation. Our goal is to help faculty, students, and the community answer important questions about their business, product or technology idea through coaching and direct customer interactions. The I-Corps program can help you:

Get clarity on your customer
Learn and apply best practices on the business model canvas
Get direct feedback on your business idea
Expand your network and access needed resources
Level up your business!

Fall 2019 Program Dates

Applications Due: Friday, September 27
Teams Selected: Wednesday, October 2
Week 1: Friday, October 11 (Group Meeting)
Week 2: Friday, October 18 (Individual Meeting)
Week 3: Friday, October 25 (Group Meeting)
Week 4: Friday, November 1 (Individual Meeting)
Week 5: Friday, November 8 (Group Meeting)
Week 6: Friday, November 15 (Panel)
Week 7: Friday, November 22 (Group Meeting final presentations)

I-Corps Key Metrics

To date, UA's I-Corps Site has:

Graduated 211 teams
Educated 650 individual team members
Engaged 186 mentors
Spurred teams to conduct 4,100 customer interviews
Seen 80 startup teams and seen 27 new startups launched, which have raised $4.2 million in funding