This is UVA LVG’s regional I-Corps program, tailored to meet the needs of faculty, researchers and students. It includes interactive sessions led by an I-Corps instructor. Qualifying teams who demonstrate commitment to the process and ability to analyze their results may receive funds for customer discovery and be matched with an Entrepreneur in Residence who can provide industry-related guidance and expertise.

Requirements

• Attendance -- teams must be represented at every session during the cohort; at least one member of the team must be present (but it does not have to be the same person every time)
• Time will be needed to determine who to talk with and to schedule and conduct the interviews, likely 10+ hours per week during the cohort
• Open-mindedness about your product/technology and your potential customers (what you find during the customer discovery process may change a lot) is key
• Understanding that customer discovery is best accomplished through asking questions, not talking about your product/technology. We know you want to tell the world about your creation and what problems it solves, but to get the best feedback about the potential market, you will need to limit what you reveal to the people you interview. 

Benefits

• Increasing the commercial potential of your idea
• Learning best practices for customer discovery and commercialization, which can be applied in your lab
• Developing a value proposition
• Defining customer segments
• Analyzing lessons learned
• Gathering data that drives development of technology 
• Engaging and networking with industry experts 
• Gaining insights for writing stronger grant/funding proposals