What do you do, when you don’t know what to do? Start asking questions. This fundamental approach is the motivation behind the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship leading Washington University in St. Louis’ National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program. In this experiential program startups explore evidence-based entrepreneurship through customer discovery.

I-Corps teams of three, comprised of an entrepreneurial lead, technical lead, and an industry mentor, work through a curriculum to help them catalyze their research into products with the potential for great benefits to society.

In March 2020, the Skandalaris Center led WashU’s first cohort through the program. The Center’s Associate Director Mike Seper serves as Lead Instructor for WashU’s site. Seper, a former I-Corps Entrepreneurial Lead and Industry Mentor, is eager to lead teams through the experience. He shared, “The I-Corps program was a tremendous experience and helped me better navigate the intersection of innovation and industry for my startup. I’m honored to share lessons learned and give back to teams as an industry mentor and lead instructor.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WashU’s NSF I-Corps program was one of the first NSF Sites to complete the entire cohort as a virtual training program. All class sessions and mentor meetings were held via Zoom and customer discovery interviews were conducted online or over the phone. The weekly sessions allowed teams to share insights from the customer interviews conducted the previous week.

WashU’s first cohort was comprised of five teams of WashU researchers and post docs. Four of the teams were former LEAP participants working on WashU intellectual property in “deep technology”.

Olga Lubman, a former LEAP participant shared her experience, stating, “I am very pleased with my I-Corps experience. Not only was I able to home in on our customer sector but I developed a clear plan of how to fund our project all the way through phase one clinical trials. We are considered good candidates for the Translational Awards made by MidAmerica Transplant Center…[and were invited] for a visit to present what are project aims to accomplish.”

Olga Lubman accepting her Fall 2019 LEAP award.

The fifth team, a former Skandalaris Venture Competition and Global Impact Award participant, is a startup called Engine2Photonics. Formed by WashU PhD alums, Engine2Photonics, recently launched their LED horticultural lighting solution with a successful Kickstarter campaign. Through the NSF I-Corps program they conducted thirty interviews and defined the most receptive market for their product with plans to apply for SBIR funding in the near future. Entrepreneurial lead for E2P Rafael Saer reflected, “[NSF I-Corps] concepts and methods are great…this course can help out a lot of academics, not just in forming companies but also as a framework for information interviews and networking in career development.”

The Skandalaris Center NSF I-Corps Site has placed special attention on recruiting women and underrepresented minority inventors. Diversity of teams and technology is of utmost importance and inventors of all backgrounds and disciplines are invited to apply for the next cohort.

If you are interested in participating in the NSF I-Corps program share your ideas on the IdeaBounce® platform and mention NSF I-Corps in your post.