Office of Technology Partnerships

EPIC: Process

UCR EPIC provides a complete path to market platform for the region’s innovators assisting them with market validation, technical feasibility demonstration, resources for company formation, and access to capital. Teams and companies gain access to increasingly intensive support delivered in a phased approach, starting with education and  individualized mentorship leading to intensive business acceleration, access to proof of concept funding and raising of capital.

Your SBDC & ExCITE Liaison

Martin Kleckner III, PhD MBA

Director, EPIC SBDC
Entrepreneurship & Innovation

619-892-2565
martin.kleckner@ucr.edu

Mr. Kleckner has 28 years experience in operations and business development in life sciences, healthcare, oil & gas, and cable television. He has advised over 115 emerging and Fortune 100 companies with corporate planning and strategy, commercialization and public policy throughout Europe, Asia & the Americas. He participated as founder or early-stage employee in five venture start-ups with two successful exits. Mr. Kleckner has been instrumental in supporting faculty and small businesses submit winning SBIR/STTR proposals through the EPIC SBDC SBIR/STTR Resource Center.

Programs + Services

We provide a suite of services to support entrepreneurs and innovators at any stage; from concept to launching and growing your company.

• EDUCATION

  The education program of EPIC gives UCR and community innovators the training to validate their ideas, identify and reach customers, and build a sustainable company using two core components: seminars and multi-session workshops.
  Seminars are offered monthly on the UCR campus or community venues through EPIC SBDC. Topics include intellectual property, how to raise funds, building a startup team, working with industrial partners, company formation, and customer discovery and are selected to support the current needs of UCR and community entrepreneurs.

• VALIDATION

  UCR teams of faculty, graduate and post-doctoral researchers can apply for proof of concept grants ($25K - $50K) to develop functional prototypes and relevant data to attract market interest. Teams are selected by external panels of experts and business executives from the region. Selected teams are assigned an EIR to help them develop mutually agreed milestones. EPIC staff and EIRs also assist with access to experienced management teams, identification of external advisors, company structure and incorporation. Teams that attend UCR's I-Corps program can also apply for the NSF I-Corps National program ($50,000) to further validate their idea through an intensive customer discovery.

• TRANSFER

  Working closely with the Technology Commercialization and Corporate Sponsored Research teams, EPIC helps UCR innovators license their technology, partner through sponsored research, or launch their startup. Community innovators can receive support to launch or scale their tech startup through EPIC SBDC.  

• ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND INCUBATION

  Startups can continue to develop their companies at ExCITE or the Life Science incubators, which provides the company with the infrastructure, structured mentorship, and access to EPIC's entrepreneurial ecosystem through key partnerships in the region. Companies also have access to capital through the Highlander Fund and other partner VCs and SBIR/STTR support through the SBIR/STTR Resource Center.

• SPECIALIZED MENTORING

  EPIC recruits Entrepreneurs-in-Residence (“EIRs”) and mentors from regional volunteer subject matter experts and successful business executives to support all phases of the EPIC program. Each EIR is assigned early on to entrepreneurial teams to help qualify the commercialization potential of their invention or idea, set milestones for progress, and guide teams through the EPIC process. Leveraging the expertise of the diverse, capable pool of EIRs, teams receive individualized support to achieve their milestones.

   

Funding Opportunities

We provide funding opportunities to validate your technology and bring it to commercialization.

• CONCEPT VALIDATION THROUGH CUSTOMER DISCOVERY

  If you have an innovative idea or techology and want to increase the chances of successful commercialization the NSF I-Corps Workshop is for you.   

  • Dedicated Mentorship: Receive 1:1 mentoring from experienced entrepreneurs who will guide you through the Lean Launchpad methodology to see if your idea has market potential.
  • Transferable Business skills: Sharpen presentation skills, learn basic business concepts and how to effectively present your idea or technology to non-technical audiences.
  • Expanded Network: Connect with fellow innovators, industry experts, and potential customers, partners, investors, and stakeholders to validate your idea or technology through interviews.
  • Access to Funding: Upon completion, qualify for $50,000 in additional funding from the NSF and secure special preference for Proof of Concept grant funding of up to $35,000 through the Office of Technology Partnerships.

  Application for the NSF I-Corps Winter 2023 cohort is now open!

• INTENSIVE CONCEPT VALIDATION THROUGH CUSTOMER DISCOVERY

  If you have  completed the UCR NSF I-Corps workshops or are a recipient of NSF grants you are eligible for the I-Corps National Program.   

  • Funded by the National Science Foundation I-Corps.  

  • NSF provides $50,000.  

  • 7 week intensive workshop offered in National I-Corps sites across the country. 

  • For more information about participating in the NSF National program, visit the NSF I-Corps’ National Program site or contact us.

• PROOF OF CONCEPT FUNDING

  If you have an invention with commercial or business potential this grant is available to you.  

  • Funded by the UCR Research and Economic Development Office.   

  • We provide faculty with grants of up to $50,000. 

  • Funds can be used for prototyping or to conduct translational experiments to bring a technology closer to commercialization.  

  • Five to eight awards are distributed annually through a competitive process. 

  • For more information on the Proof of Concept funding, contact Brian Suh brian.suh@ucr.edu.  

  • Applications that have been validated through the I-Corps program secure special preference for Proof of Concept grant funding.

• NON-DILUTIVE FUNDING THROUGH THE FEDERAL SBIR/STTR PROGRAM

  Our SBIR/STTR Resource Center is here to help you develop and submit winning proposals.  

  • Programs are structured into 2 funded phases, with awards typically between $150,000 - $1,000,000.  

  • UCR’s SBIR/STTR Resource Center provides one on one mentorship and a robust training program that provides insights on preparing competitive proposals.  

  • For more information about preparing an SBIR or STTR proposal, contact Misty Madero misty.madero@ucr.edu.  

• VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING

  If you have a UCR affiliated company you can apply for venture capital investment through the Highlander Venture Fund.   

  •  Investments between $250,000-$500,000. 

  • For more information about the Highlander Venture Fund, contact Scott Brovsky scott.brovsky@ucr.edu

Rejoule Inc. Awarded $10,000,000 in Grant Funding

EPIC SBDC advisors worked closely with Rejoule, Inc. as it was awarded $10,000,000 in grant funding from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This was part of the DOE's Long-Duration Energy Storage Demonstrations Funding Opportunity. Rejoule additionally won the $500,000 Grand Prize from American Solar Prize Round 6 and $50,000 from the Justice, Equity, Diversity And Inclusion (Jedi) Contest. Rejoule also was a winner of DOE's EPIC Prize. Rejoule was one of five (5) winners of the second DOE EPIC Prize Pitch Competition. 

EPIC SBDC advisors are helping Rejoule expand its operations and establish a made-in-California battery repurposing supply chain, putting it in position to process hundreds of MWh of repurposed batteries in 2024. Moreover, EPIC SBDC advisors are providing guidance on opportunities or incentives programs to establish clean energy manufacturing facilities for the LA, OC, and Riverside county areas.  

Edge Sound Research: Over $2.4 Million in Seed Round Funding

Edge Sound Research attained a venture capital Pre-Seed Round investment of $525,000.00 followed by a seed round of $1.9 million (for a total $2,425,000). EPIC SBDC made over 32 investor introductions for this deal over a one-year period. Edge Sound technology offers suite or premium seating at live sporting events by attaching its ResonX Core transducer to a seat, wiring it to a venue’s sound system and, using proprietary software, configuring it to align its vibrations with the seat’s material, creating flat, master-grade audio. The ensuing sensation is that of feeling sound radiate from oneself, as opposed to blasting at you from a speaker. And the sound transmitted can be as intimate as the bounce of a basketball. Edge now works with two NBA teams, the Pacers and Cavaliers.