I-Corps Sites: University of Washington - Center for Commercialization

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. This Site builds on activities at this institution during the past 5-6 years during which the University of Washington (UW) developed an ecosystem for technology entrepreneurship that provides integrated resources and also uses the business-model canvas as part of the planning around each commercialization opportunity. UW will apply I-Corps Site funding to qualified teams for the purpose of initiating and developing specific customer relationships. They will solicit Site teams from three overlapping pipelines of emerging start-ups at the UW: UW Center for Commercialization; the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship; and the Clean Energy Initiative, with overlapping pipelines of technology start-ups and of student-led start-ups. With a Site award, UW addresses customer development within the I-Corps framework. Broader Impacts: UW has been actively participating in state-level and regional entrepreneurial strategies for the past six years. Their involvement in the I-Corps national network expands their coherent effort to execute a national strategy. Also, to help drive the regional innovation economy around Seattle and the Puget Sound, UW has developed its own ecosystem for technology entrepreneurship. An I-Corps Site award will expand participant?s entrepreneurial experience, especially for students, by emphasizing the importance of early and frequent interactions with potential customers. This would directly improve the quality and momentum of the start-ups in UW's pipeline, which translates into healthier company starts in Washington State.