MIN-Corps Blog: Summer Workshops and Bootcamps at MIN-Corps

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Summer Workshops and Bootcamps at MIN-Corps

Innovation Commercialization Bootcamp

Each bootcamp offers a one-day overview of commercialization principles and processes, including

Identifying and Defining a Commercializable Solution
Academic Roles in Commercialization
Product-Market Fit: Customer Segments and Value Proposition Design
Market Assessment
Getting Started: Commercialization Milestones
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer - Working With the OTC

The summer session of the Commercialization Bootcamp will be held June 15, 2017 from 10am-4pm, in Bruininks Hall room 530B. Register for the bootcamp here!

Value Proposition Design Workshops

Four hands-on sessions cover the breadth of value proposition design in a cumulative noncredit course. Sign up to learn how product-market fit, customer discovery, pathway to commercialization, and market assessment apply to your innovation.

Determine initial product/service application to a specific market, as well as longer-term market potential
Develop competence in customer discovery methods
Identify steps toward commercialization - scientific, market, and business
$3,000 NSF-funded mini-grants available for customer discovery and prototyping

The four sessions of the summer course will take place June 21, July 5, July 19, and August 2 from 1-4pm in Lind Hall 303. Register here!

STARTUP: Customer Development & Testing

Students interested in pursuing their own entrepreneurial ventures are encouraged to apply for a new course offering based on lean startup principles and tools. STARTUP: Customer Development & Testing (MGMT 5102) is an intensive 2-credit course in which students test business model assumptions and receive recurring feedback from instructors and mentors. Anyone taking this class must also get outside of the classroom to meet with potential customers and partners. The class meets weekly during September, with periodic presentations by students and updates from instructors and mentors for the remainder of the semester.

Application is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Minnesota. Participating students are eligible to receive pro bono legal assistance and seed capital grants up to $3,000 to fund prototype development and customer discovery. While individual students may apply, teams are encouraged to have sufficient capability to move a project forward. Apply here.

About MIN-Corps

MIN-Corps is the University of Minnesota site of the National Innovation Corps, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. We collaborate with technology commercialization initiatives across the University of Minnesota, including:

MnDRIVE - Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and Innovation Economy – is a landmark partnership between the University and the state of Minnesota that aligns areas of University research strength with the state’s key and emerging industries to address grand challenges.

MN-REACH - Minnesota Research And Commercialization Hub - is a joint effort between the University and the National Institutes of Health that provides the initial investment and resources to nurture innovators to develop high priority technologies within the NIH's mission.

Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC) - the University of Minnesota technology transfer office that oversees all aspects of technology commercialization at the University, including patenting, licensing to established companies, and startups spun out of the University.