Introduction to SUNY ZAP! May 15, 2019 12-1pm EST Instructors: Azar Nazeri, Senior Technology Strategist at UCLA’s Institute of Technology Advancement and IN-LA NSF I-Corps Node, and Tanya Waite, Partnership Manager at RFSUNY

Learning Objectives Understand the history of the NSF I-Corps Learn about ZAP! and BOOM and how it transforms commercialization of academic research Receive an overview of the business plan tool called the Business Model Canvas Understand what to prepare for the SUNY ZAP! Session on May 23

NSF I-Corps Training Instructional Webinars Proposal Development Support and Writing Curated One-on-One Mtgs with SBIR and STTR Program Managers Other Just-in-Time Training

Why do we do it?

University Startups Increasing * According to AUTM Licensing Activity Survey

#1 Startup Mistake Building something nobody wants

Why Is Customer Discovery Important? The above image is from Thomas Kuhn’s book  The Structure of Scientific Revolution  which introduced “Paradigm shift” in 1962

Definition: Pivot – A rapid change in direction and focus informed by reality https://twitter.com/Keithmarzs/status/487557980255027202

Reduce the risk

Approach – NSF Methodology Address the Top Reason: No Market Need Developed in 2011 Get out of the lab and the university Many other programs and agencies modeled a customer discovery program after the NSF I- Corps Program: NYSERDA NEXUS-NY DOE Energy I-Corps (National Labs only) I-Corps at NIH Accelerators and Incubators

I-Corps Network 9 I-Nodes 3,745 individuals trained 87 I-Sites $301M follow-on funds 1,315 teams 644 startups

NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Los Angeles Node at UCLA Azar Nazeri Melihe Bulu Taciroglu

SUNY ZAP!

“The most important thing we learned was to get out of the building — that is to gather information in person from similar businesses and potential customers,” - Ahmed Hussein, Doctoral Candidate, University at Albany “SUNY ZAP! taught us how to present our idea in a focused and non- technical way. We will keep working on this...” - University at Albany Assistant Professor Hany Elgala

“My primary takeaway from SUNY ZAP “My primary takeaway from SUNY ZAP! is defining value from the customer’s perspective,” Martin Arellano, Entrepreneur based at Stony Brook University’s Long Island High Tech Incubator. “You can’t assume that they see things the same way you do.”

Lean Startup Methodology

Can we find them and deliver? Business Model Canvas FEASIBILITY VIABILITY DESIRABILITY Who are your customers? Can we find them and deliver? Why will customers want it? What are its advantages?

Guess Guess Guess Guess Guess Guess Guess Guess Guess

Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact Fact

How to get from Guess to Fact? Scientific Method - Form hypotheses Get out of the building Interview Interpret: validate/invalidate Form new hypotheses / pivots

Questions?

How Do I Qualify? Have an NSF grant in the last 5 years Go through a regional I-Corps Program

NSF I-Corps Curriculum Regional Programs First step for qualifying for the National I-Corps program Offered at I-Nodes and I-Sites across the county Offered on a rolling basis Curriculum based on Lean Start-up Methodology Is designed and delivered by the Nodes and Sites LA Node offers: ZAP & BOOM

LA-Node Team Recruiting Process Invited to ZAP University recruiting and on-site education Must complete 5 interviews Invited to BOOM Only 2 online sessions Must complete 10 interviews Application to IN-LA sponsorship Committee includes national faculty Provide guidance on mentor-recruiting and team issues as needed Application to national I-Corps Our “sponsorship” = access to our grant as legacy Communication with NSF to fast-track team

NSF I-Corps Curriculum National Program Must have successfully completed I-Site or I-Node program Accepted to the National after recommendation of the I-Site or I-Node Have passed the NSF interviews Receive $50,000 grant 7-week Program offered by NSF and National NSF instructors Offered in each quarter of the year, at 3-4 I-Node sites

LA-Node I-Corps Team Process ZAP! 2 sessions Total of 8 hours In-person 1 week apart 5 interviews BOOM Total of 3 hours Online 10 interviews National I-Corps 10 sessions 7 weeks 100 interviews Combination of in-person and virtual $50 k!! LA-Node I-Corps Team Process

Homework SUNY ZAP! Dropbox folder Read SUNY ZAP! Syllabus and Course Materials Prepare a 2-slide introduction of your team

Homework Slide 1 Team name Pictures/names of your team members Logo (if applicable) Product picture/description (1 sentence)

The Business Model Canvas Homework Slide 2

More Information I-Corps website: www.nsf.gov/i-corps View a 28-minute video by NSF program manager at: http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/i-corps/webinars.jsp Steve Blank: https://steveblank.com/category/nsf-national-science-foundation/ Udacity: https://www.udacity.com/course/how-to-build-a-startup--ep245 Talking to Humans: http://www.talkingtohumans.com/ Venturewell: https://venturewell.org/i-corps/

Matthew Mroz Director, Enterprise Technology Transfer Tel: 518-434-7061 matthew.mroz@rfsuny.org Tanya Waite Partnership Manager Tel: 518-434-7048 tanya.waite@rfsuny.org Contact Info