Home

APPLY FOR I-CORPS TODAY!

Providing hands-on training to UGA faculty, students, and the community through its eight-week Accelerator curriculum.

UGA I-Corps offers a variety of resources to support teams accepted into the program, including an intensive, eight-week Accelerator to help teams make sure their business model actually meets the needs of customers, access to a co-working space, access to a product development and prototyping lab, and up to six months of business and product mentoring.

Teams should expect to spend 5 to 10 hours per week during the 8-week Accelerator to hone their value proposition, and then sufficient time thereafter to develop their product and reach a final decision to move forward or not with their business.

I-Corps Teams

UGA I-Corps teams should comprise three members: an Entrepreneurial Lead, an Academic Lead, and a Mentor.

  • Entrepreneurial Lead: a member of the UGA community who is motivated to take the technology to market
  • Academic Lead: the technology lead, potentially a UGA faculty member or student inventor
  • Mentor: an experienced or emerging entrepreneur with proximity to the institution and experience related to the commercialization of relevant technology

Expectations & Commitments

The Entrepreneurial Lead is expected to have relevant knowledge of the technology and a deep commitment to investigating the commercial landscape surrounding the innovation. Should the project demonstrate the potential for commercial viability, the Entrepreneurial Lead should also be capable and have the will to support the transition of the technology.

The Academic Lead should have a deep knowledge of the field and technology and is responsible for advancing the technology based on commercial needs discovered throughout the process.

The Mentor is expected to be responsible for guiding the team forward and tracking progress through regular communication with the I-Corp program directors.

Participation in UGA I-Corps requires a personal, professional, and intellectual commitment to the I-Corps mission to accelerate the commercialization of new technologies, products, and processes that arise from research. Team members will be required to commit five to 10 hours each week to moving their project forward through customer interviews, participation in the Accelerator and other meetings. Teams will be expected to perform at least 40 customer interviews during the eight-week Accelerator program.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to select candidates for UGA I-Corps:

  • Team composition, strength and commitment
  • Alignment with and commitment to I-Corps mission
  • Project and technology strength
  • Commercial and market potential

Applications

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Each prospective UGA I-Corps team should submit a brief application that identifies the team members and that describes the project and its commercial potential. Applicants with less than a full team may receive help in finding teammates.