INNOVAR

This program is open to innovative students and faculty in all UCR schools and departments. It will guide you towards further developing your original idea. Over the course of 7 weeks, you will learn in class from experts in entrepreneurship, present your ideas in class, and get feedback. Outside of class, you will meet weekly with an assigned mentor, and interview people to learn about their problems and needs - seeking external validation for your idea. At the last class, you will make a 5-minute presentation about what you thought initially, what you did, what you learned, and what you will do next with your product/service. 

National I-Corps Teams Program

This intensive program supports researchers interested in entrepreneurial education and mentoring, with the goal of reducing the time it takes to bring technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace. 

Teams have three primary members: the technical lead, the entrepreneurial lead and the I-Corps mentor. All three team members participate fully in the I-Corps Curriculum, which provides real-world, hands-on, immersive learning about what it takes to successfully transfer knowledge into products and processes that benefit society. Accepted teams are eligible to be awarded up to $50,000. 

In order to be eligible for the National I-Corps Program, researchers require to have relevant and related research award from NSF that has been active within the past five years in any area of science or engineering are invited to apply to the National I-Corps program, participate in a regional I-Corps program and receive a letter of recommendation to the national program.

Why Should You Participate?

When you join one of our I-Corps programs, you will receive:

• Chance to apply for a $50,000 small business grant in the National I-Corps program 
• Confirmation of the customer, or ideas of alternate customers
• Mentorship 
• Transferable business skills 
• Expanded network 
• Potential access to funding 
• Base slide deck to start building an effective investor pitch 
• Basics for designing a suitable business model for your idea, product or service 
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ZAP

In this 3-week program, you will gain a broad introduction to Lean Startup Methodology and the Business Model Canvas. Identify your customers and refine your value proposition through practical exercises. In ZAP, you will gain real-world insights, interacting with potential consumer bases for an end product – the purpose is to obtain actionable data and refine your value proposition: how can your tech provide a solution to a real-world challenge?  

Your team will be coached by expert instructors in various fields of business and tech, learning about Lean Startup Methodology and the business model canvas, and you will have to complete 10 interviews with industry-relevant businesses.