Programs

MIN-Corps offers many options to explore innovation commercialization.  Scroll down past the calendar or click on any of the following:  Lean LaunchPad 101- Innovation Commercialization Bootcamps - Value Proposition Design Workshops - STARTUP - Emerging Opportunities Forums - Strategy Clinics - Office for Technology Commercialization Startup Workshops - Women Innovators Conference 

NSF I-Corps: From Lab to Impact

This two-hour seminar introduces the Lean Launchpad methodology that was developed at Stanford to translate university innovations into successful licensed products and ventures and has been adopted as “I-Corps” by NSF, NIH, and other federal agencies. Includes an overview of MIN-Corps programs, as well as University of Minnesota commercialization resources.

Register here for any of the following seminars:

  • August 28 -11:30 am to 1:30 pm - Tate Hall Room 120 (East Bank campus)
  • August 30 - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm - Carlson School of Management Room 1-127 (West Bank campus)
  • August 30 - 11:30 am to 1:30 pm - McNeal Hall Room 310 (Saint Paul campus)

Or, contact Carla Pavone to schedule a customized session for your department or group. 

Innovation Commercialization Bootcamps

A one-day overview of commercialization principles and strategies. Topics include:  Identifying Commercializable Technologies, Intellectual Property & Tech Transfer, Product-Market Fit Intro, Market Assessment Intro, Commercialization Milestones, Inventor Roles in Commercialization, Commercialization Resources. Click the links below to register!

All bootcamps for fall semester 2018 are re-schedule. Feel free to contact us if you have more questions. 

Value Proposition Design Workshops

Four hands-on sessions:  product-market fit, customer discovery, pathway to commercialization, market assessment. NSF-funded grants (up to $3,000) available for customer research. Successful completion can lead to nomination to the I-Corps National Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant. These workshops are designed for participants interested in exploring the commercialization potential of specific innovations. Click on each workshop title for registration information.

StartUp: Customer Development and Testing

STARTUP: Customer Development & Testing (MGMT 5102) is an experiential 2-credit course for UMN undergrad and grad students interested in pursuing their own entrepreneurial ventures.  Students apply lean launchpad methods to test their value proposition and receive recurring feedback from instructors and mentors. Participating students are eligible to receive seed capital grants up to $3,000 to fund prototype development and customer discovery.

2018 Fall Session

Class Number: MGMT 5102 (MyU number 22911)

Date: 3:45 pm to 5:25 pm (Every Tuesday from September 4th to December 11th)

Location: Room L-118, Carlson School of Management

Apply for the Fall 2018 section of the course here.

Strategy Clinics

Monthly dinners where current and future science and tech entrepreneurs share a meal, hear from experts, share their challenges, and seek advice. Click below to register:

Emerging Opportunities Forums

2018 Fall Session

4:00pm-5:30pm, Oct 2nd: Securing Your Intellectual Property

4:00pm-5:30pm, Nov 27th: Early Stage Startup Funding

4:00pm-5:30pm, Dec 11th: MIN-Corps Projects Showcase

*All locations are TBD.

Monday, September 17, 2018 - 11:15am

Minnesota Innovation Corps Fellows

The University of Minnesota has scientists, engineers and medical practitioners who engage in breakthrough research and are strongly motivated to bring their breakthrough innovations to market, but lack business expertise.  The Carlson School of Management has business-savvy MBA and MS students who want meaningful entrepreneurial experiences.  Combining these talents and skills can help bring more inventions out of the lab to the market. 

The MIN-Corps Fellows program will start with SciPitch, when innovators will pitch their business concepts to a crowd of Carlson MBA and MS students curious about becoming MIN-Corps Fellows.  Each pitch will describe the technology, its commercial potential and the business issues that concern the innovator.  Carlson students will then circulate to meet the innovators and discuss how their business skills could add value.  Business teams will be formed around each innovator.

SciPitch will take place on Nov 6th at 4:30 pm at the Carlson School Management at the University of Minnesota.  Check back for registration information.

Medical Device & Manufacturing Minneapolis

Join us for the Industry Connect program at the Medical Device & Manufacturing event in Minneapolis, MN. The Industry Connect program will equip your team with the knowledge and best practices of how to be effective in presenting your team/company at tradeshows and networking events.

MD&M is the Midwest’s largest MedTech event. It is the place to source new trends and ideas, and it’s part of the region’s largest advanced design and manufacturing event, which offers 500+ suppliers, 5,000+ peers, and 30+ hours of education.

Join us from October 30th to November 1st. Click here to learn more and apply!

OTC

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OTC Startup Workshops

The University of Minnesota's Office for Technology Commercialization Venture Center offers seminars for UMN faculty, staff and students considering a startup based on inventions emerging from their research.  

  • Startup Workshop: More information will be provided once the fall semester starts!

    UMN researchers are invited to a free startup seminar and networking event to learn from peer faculty who have launched startup companies and hear from startup executives about their experiences identifying angel investors, working with venture capitalists, and learning how to pitch a new technology to investors.  

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - 12:30pm

Women Innovators Conference

The Women Innovators Conference is a professional development summit designed to help female innovators connect the dots between their ideas and achieving a positive, significant impact. This event will inspire, inform and connect women graduate students, faculty and business professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) to strengthen and extend the diverse talent pool of women innovators in the Twin Cities.

Learn more at mincorps.umn.edu/women-innovators-conference.