I-Corps

Current Cohort: Spring 2024

Applications Due: Sunday, February 11, 2024
Teams Selected: Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Week 1: Friday, March 1, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 2: Friday, March 8, 2024 (Individual Meeting)
Week 3: Friday, March 15, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 4: Friday, March 22, 2024 (Individual Meeting)
NO MEETING FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
Week 5: Friday, April 5, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 6: Friday, April 12, 2024 (Panel)
Week 7: Friday, April 19, 2024 (Group Meeting final presentations)

All I-Corps meeting sessions will be held virtually.
Group Meetings will be held 12pm – 2:30pm ET. Individual Meetings will be scheduled for 30-minute time slots between 9am and 3pm ET on the dates listed

Upcoming Cohort: Summer 2024

Applications Due: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Teams Selected: Wednesday, May 22, 2024
Week 1: Friday, June 7, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 2: Friday, June 14, 2024 (Individual Meeting)
Week 3: Friday, June 21, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 4: Friday, June 28, 2024 (Individual Meeting)
NO MEETING Friday, July 5, 2024
Week 5: Friday, July 12, 2024 (Group Meeting)
Week 6: Friday, July 19, 2024 (Panel)
Week 7: Friday July 26, 2024 (Group Meeting final presentations)

All I-Corps meeting sessions will be held virtually.

UA's I-Corps program is all about understanding customer problems!

The I-Corps Program helps develop student skillsets to become tomorrow's problem-solvers. Through this program, students will spend 7 weeks investigating real-world problems by talking directly to a potential customer population. By learning about a customer's problem and desired outcomes, you will learn exactly what type of solution should be developed.

The I-Corps program can help you:

Explore and fully understand problems seen in real-world practice
Advocate for systemic changes that make a difference for clinician and patient outcomes
Develop skills of problem identification, question formation, and data interpreting for use beyond the classroom
Build soft skill competencies that are critical for future internship and career positions
Expand your network and access needed resources

Graduated 300 Teams

12,000 Customer Interviews
Completed By Teams

60 New Startup
Companies Launched

Raised Over $8 Million
In Funding

Eligible Participants

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

University Teams
They 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.

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.

Community Teams
They 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
You can apply independently to join a team as a way to see new ventures and share their expertise.

What is in the program?

If selected for the I-Corps Program, teams will attend
a 7-meeting training session that requires them to:

Conduct at least 21 interviews with potential customers or end users
Perform preliminary market research and competitive analysis
Present their progress and evolving business idea multiple times
Meet with mentors and instructors to receive candid feedback

For more detail, see the full I-Corps schedule.

The University of Akron is an Affiliate of the Great Lakes Region I-Corps Hub

The 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 problem identified, and the fit with the goals and competencies of UA's I-Corps Program.

Questions?

Email us at [email protected]

I-Corps Success Stories

Special thanks to UARF's I-Corps Site sponsors: