Posted July 8, 2019 by Alyssa Amen
NUtech Ventures, the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Nebraska Business Development Center are leading a five-week customer discovery training program beginning Sept. 18.
“Nebraska: Introduction to Customer Discovery” is a free, non-credit program open to Nebraska faculty, postdoctoral scholars and students interested in learning strategies for connecting research with market applications. Sept. 13 is the registration deadline.
The program features three evening sessions at Nebraska Innovation Studio, led by a visiting entrepreneur. It also includes consultations with mentors and interviews with prospective customers.
“This customer discovery training will provide new perspectives for academic scientists and aspiring entrepreneurs,” said Mauricio Suarez, NUtech Ventures’ director of business development. “By talking directly to potential customers, researchers will gain firsthand experience in testing and refining their ideas.”
The training is based on methodology used by the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, program. It offers an opportunity for researchers to understand the needs of likely customers — individuals or companies — and use that feedback to guide decisions about forming a startup company or pursuing technology commercialization.
“We’re looking forward to offering a program that helps connect research with real-world applications,” said Brad Roth, executive director of NUtech Ventures.
Participants may sign up individually or in teams of up to five people. More information about the program is available online.
