University of California San Diego. PI: Rosibel Ochoa, PhD Kai Wenk Wolff Jay Gilberg, PhD Michael Krupp, PhD Janny Li

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1 University of California San Diego PI: Rosibel Ochoa, PhD Kai Wenk Wolff Jay Gilberg, PhD Michael Krupp, PhD Janny Li 1

2 The von Liebig Center-NSF I corps Site Objectives Enhance and broaden the activities of the von Liebig Center especially focused on graduate students. Increase the number of teams/participants at UCSD exposed to the commercialization process. Better prepare the teams to the next phase of the technology acceleration process, including access to funding, experts and team members. Identification of teams candidates for referral to national NSF I-corps. 2

3 von Liebig Entrepreneurism Center Programs Project Incuba.on and Entrepreneurism Course (s) & Workshops Education Project Incuba.on II I-CORPS Program ($1-3K) NSF I- Corps Team- referrals NCIIA- referrals SBIR- referrals E Acceleration TAP (Tech Accelera.on Program) MOXIE- Undergraduate Incubator Startup Mentoring from vlc Business 1 advisors year Launch Funding: $10M Triton Technology Fund Incubators: EVONEXUS CONNECT Corporate Partners 3

4 " "Activities what did we do?! Program Development -Elaboration of project and team selection process. -Elaboration of curriculum, technology validation guidelines and project management approach. -Identification and recruitment of mentors and instructors. -Engagement of community through partnerships with the Founder Institute, Evonexus and CONNECT to provide content, mentors and networking opportunities. -Modification of for-credit course curriculum to integrate customer development into team projects. 4

5 What did we do? Implementation 18 week, 2 Phase, in class program focused on basics of commercialization and customer development. Each team receives $1,000 in funding for Phase I and $2000 for phase II. Funding released as student stipend based on a milestone program plan. Classes included IP basics, tech transfer, market segmentation and sizing, customer interviews, building a company and team, cost and revenue structure and how to access capital. Recruited 13 mentors for the program from organizations like CONNECT, Founder Institute, and Startup Circle. 28 speakers provided weekly lectures on different topics related to the technology validation and venture creation process. 5

6 What did we do? Graduate Entrepreneurism Courses Two courses already delivered: ENG201 Venture Mechanics graduate course (Fall Quarter 2013) and ENG202 Enterprise Dynamics graduate course (Winter Quarter 2014). 12 class projects. -Teams work on their own project or on company project. -Teams working on their own project compete for Phase I or Phase II -Teams present to project sponsors for feedback and next steps are decided with company. Other Activities Launched of $10M-Triton Technology Acceleration Fund. Launched with CIAN an Innovation to Market webinar series. Three teams referred to National I-corps program Supported Entrepreneurship Academy by Moxie Incubator 6

7 Activities what did we do? Teams participation in the program: Open competitions (Phase I and Phase II, Twice/year) Open Compe..on Phase I- F (8- wk) Phase II- F (5- wk) Phase I- W Phase II- W Applica.ons Teams Started Teams Finished * in progress The graduate entrepreneurism courses or (Twice/year) Entrepreneurism Courses ENG 201- Venture Mechanics ENG 202- Enterprise Dynamics Number of Teams in class 6 6 Projects into Phase I or I- corps 3 0* in discussion 7

8 "Activities what did we learn?! Cohort approach develops strong participation and collaboration among teams. Approach facilitated connection with the local entrepreneurial community. Leveraging local community is important for team engagement and support. Most teams are not ready to national I-corps program. Need further support (mentors, funding) before being referred to national I-corps program. Faculty do not participate with students. Separate program with individual mentorship needed. Tech Transfer is not yet a mayor source for program pipeline. IP filing and confidentiality issues need to be resolved. 8

9 "Activities what will we do next?! Given stronger demand than expected: o o o Continue Phase I and Phase II system, explore shorter number of weeks. 1-2 day workshop followed by 1:1 mentorship to attract more faculty participation. Identify new sources of funding to support additional teams as well as follow-on support. Provide more 1:1 mentorship early in project. Focus on identifying funding opportunities for proof of concept and prototype development after Phase II. Seek stronger engagement from private sector (projects and funding). Finalize process for integrating program into Center s program and connection to the Triton Technology Fund. 9

10 Key Take-Aways I-corps site increased dramatically the demand for entrepreneurial support at the university. Cohort approach, 1:1 mentorship together with milestone based approach to funding, proved very effective. All mentors changed their approach from business plan to business model/lean startup. Limited funding and resource availability restricted the number of teams that can participate in the program. Additional funding is needed to provide mentorship and proof of concept beyond program. 10

11 Thank you Students 11