Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop

The beginning of your journey to commercializing your technology.

The Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop is a three-day workshop with customer interviews designed to help scientists and engineers of all types find a market for their innovations. The core concept encourages inventors to get out of the lab and talk to industry decision-makers to find out what problem the industry needs their product to solve.

This is the shortest, “introductory” version of the National Science Foundation's I-Corps™ methodology, which helps inventors build a customer discovery toolkit and learn to talk to industry and business funders about their technologies. Starting Blocks leverages the nationally-recognized Lean LaunchPad methodology, specifically designed for university researchers commercializing their inventions. 

Program Components

• Three virtual half-day lectures on customer discovery and interviewing
• 10 to 15 interviews during the week done in a target industry during the program
• Weekly check-in meetings with staff and mentors

Program Benefits

• Learn about the importance of customer discovery and finding a product-market fit.
• Become well-versed in basic business terminology and learn skills to help you connect with the industry.
• Guide your team through six interviews with industry contacts to learn their perspective on your innovation.
• Help you accelerate the commercialization of your invention.
• Better position yourself to win proof-of-concept grants and licensing partnerships, land a spot at an accelerator and attract startup capital.

Application

Unless noted, Starting Blocks takes place virtually via Zoom and is free for participants.

Who is eligible?

Our I-Corps programming is available to all deep tech innovators from any Colorado research or teaching institution. If you are in another demographic and would like to see if you are eligible, please contact us at vpcontact@colorado.edu.

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