CSUN I-Corps Customer Discovery Program
Do you have an innovation or technology that you think is ready for market?
Are you interested in customer discovery around your innovation?
Are ready to commercialize your innovation?
Come learn about CSUN’s Spring 2020 I-Corps based customer discovery program at the Lunch and Learn February 7th at 12 p.m. at the USU, Van Nuys Room. Please RSVP here.
Teams selected for the program will receive training in customer discovery and can receive up to $3000 to explore customer discovery around their innovation.
Team Selection Criteria
- Applicants do NOT need previous commercialization experience, a developed venture concept, or any protected intellectual property in hand. The short course is designed specifically for curious researchers and nascent academic entrepreneurs.
- Teams that do not have an Academic Lead or an Industry Mentor will be assisted with finding these team members.
- Teams will be selected based on a complete online application received by the deadline. Applicants will be notified of selection decisions by email. We expect to fund up to 10 teams per semester.
- If you have questions about this program, your eligibility, the application, or the selection process, contact Research and Sponsored Programs at icorps@csun.edu
I-Corps Spring 2020 Semester Timeline
Attend the Lunch and Learn scheduled for February 7th at the USU, Van Nuys. Please RSVP here.
Before February 7th:
Please send an email to icorps@csun.edu if you wish to register your team. All information is required.
- Project or Company name
- List all team member names and include their CSUN email address and campus affiliation for each. If the team member is not a CSUN student please include their personal email.
- A brief description of your innovation, and/or the problem you are solving or trying to solve, and who your customer is.
- Cell phone number for team leader
View 2 min video on Business Model Canvas: https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas
Populate the Business Model Canvas for your team and email to icorps@csun.edu.
February 14, 2020 10am-2pm: ZAP Session 1 USU, Van Nuys Room. Please RSVP here.
Teams will introduce themselves and their Business Model Canvas
Instructor led sessions on Intro to Value Proposition and Customer Discovery
February 21, 2020 10am-2pm: ZAP Session 2 USU, Van Nuys Room. Please RSVP here.
Team presentations on Value Proposition and Customer Discovery. Teams are required to have completed at least 5 customer interviews since ZAP Session 1.
Late February -May: online POP Canvas Program becomes available
Teams:
-complete online video coursework (Total course time: ~3.5 hrs)
-complete at least 20 additional customer interviews
-are eligible for up to $3,000 to be used for customer discovery
-have access to a mentor network
3 Month Check-In: Team Presentations – May 2020
Teams are then ready for the next phase. This may include:
- entering Cii, the campus incubator, or the new campus accelerator
- entering the LACI Incubator
- applying for I-Corps National Program and up to $50,000 in funds
- applying for additional grant funding, such as NSF SBIR grants
6 Month Check-In: Team Presentations- July 2020
9 Month Check-In: Team Presentations- October 2020
Next 3,6,9 month check in
The following cohorts will be invited to this check-in:
SUMMER 2019
SPRING 2019
FALL 2019
Please RSVP for January 31, 2020 here.