You have an idea. A new technology or innovation that the world needs. But is it a viable business? Who exactly is your customer? And is that customer willing to pay to solve the problem? The Purdue Foundry offers introductory workshops, cohort-based programs and topic-specific articles and videos designed to help you find the answers you need to move from idea to startup.
The Purdue Foundry’s success in enabling startups is the result of strategically aligning startup teams with the programming and resources they need based on where they are in their lifecycle.
Ignite
A cohort-based program for founders looking to start a company in the next 3 -9 months. We teach founders processes to clarify the problem they’re solving and the value they are delivering – from the customer’s perspective. Working within a cohort to define problem-market fit, each founder or team will develop elements of their business model in each workshop and present to the cohort for feedback and pressure testing of both their ideas and presentation skills. Firestarter is the first step in derisking your startup.
What will you learn?
- Defining and communicating the problem statement
- Market segmentation – finding your first, best customer
- Creating customer personas
- Designing a value proposition
- Market sizing
- Developing an early go-to-market strategy
Who should enroll?
Innovators and Idea generators looking to start a company in the next 3–9 months.
What will you earn?
- Access to 1:1 coaching with Purdue Foundry staff
Discovery
This online workshop will help you explore the commercial viability of your deep tech innovation idea/IP. We teach the Lean LaunchPad approach (also called Lean Startup), a process to help you systematically test key assumptions about your technology and the customer problems it might be able to solve better than current alternatives. This assessment of “technology-problem fit” is the critical first step toward commercial success for any technology venture. The learning objectives are:
- Develop familiarity with Lean LaunchPad concepts and tools such as customer discovery, value proposition design, and business model canvas
- Understand customers’ problems (“pain points”) from THEIR perspective
- Map your customer ecosystem to understand customer roles, requirements and decision processes
- Identify modifications to your technology assumptions required to achieve product-market fit
- Build connections to the commercial ecosystem (i.e. customers, suppliers, funders) for your innovation
- Explore the size of your potential market, assess the competition, and identify a first target market
- Develop a commercialization roadmap identifying key milestones and required resources to move your idea forward
This course is for researchers and students with deep tech IP and a strong interest in commercializing their technology.
Course Benefits
- Gain valuable market insight to inform the next steps in your research and/or development
- Become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Teams program and $50,000 grant for qualifying technologies and teams
- Get prepared for application to SBIR/STTR or other commercialization grants
- Receive up to $500 in funding for customer discovery-related expenses including but not limited to virtual conference fees and premium LinkedIn accounts (NSF qualifying teams only)
- Develop network connections and receive mentoring from experienced industry experts and entrepreneurs
- Develop the entrepreneurial mindset and toolset needed for a career in academia, industry, startups, or government
In between the five webinars, you will conduct customer discovery interviews, complete online learning assignments, apply the tools to your own tech, and receive feedback and coaching from a team of experienced instructors/mentors.
Warning: This hands-on program takes work – 6-8 hours/week throughout the course. In addition to the course deliverables, you are expected to “get out of the building” (virtually or physically, if safe) to interview and observe customers and stakeholders. Direct market interaction is vital to fine-tuning your value proposition, commercialization pathway, and business model design assumptions.
Discovery+
This online workshop hosted by Purdue University will help you explore the commercial viability of your STEM-based innovation idea. The Lean LaunchPad approach (also called Lean Startup) is a process to help you systematically test key assumptions about your technology and the customer problems it might be able to solve better than current alternatives. This assessment of “technology-problem fit” is the critical first step toward commercial success for any technology venture. The learning objectives are:
- Develop familiarity with Lean LaunchPad concepts and tools such as customer discovery, value proposition design, and business model canvas
- Understand customers’ problems (“pain points”) from THEIR perspective
- Map your customer ecosystem to understand customer roles, requirements, and decision processes
- Identify modifications to your technology assumptions required to achieve product-market fit
- Build connections to the commercial ecosystem (i.e. customers, suppliers, funders) for your innovation
- Explore the size of your potential market, assess the competition, and identify a first target market
- Develop a commercialization roadmap identifying key milestones and required resources to move your idea forward
This course is for faculty, researchers, and students with STEM-based ideas or Intellectual Property and a strong interest in commercializing their technology.
Course Benefits
- Gain valuable market insight to inform the next steps in your research and/or development
- Become eligible for the NSF I-Corps National Teams program and $50,000 grant for qualifying technologies and teams
- Get prepared for application to SBIR/STTR or other commercialization grants
- Receive up to $500 in funding for customer discovery-related expenses including but not limited to virtual conference fees and premium LinkedIn accounts (NSF qualifying teams only)
- Develop network connections and receive mentoring from experienced industry experts and entrepreneurs
Develop the entrepreneurial mindset and toolset needed for a career in academia, industry, startups, or government
In between the webinars, you will conduct customer discovery interviews, complete online learning assignments, apply the tools to your own tech, and receive feedback and coaching from a team of experienced instructors/mentors.
Warning:
This hands-on program takes work – 8-10 hours/week throughout the course. In addition to the course deliverables, you are expected to “get out of the building” (virtually or physically, if safe) to interview and observe 30 customers and stakeholders. Direct market interaction is vital to fine-tuning your value proposition, commercialization pathway, and business model design assumptions.
Jet Packs
Time-of-need Online Courses
Moving from idea to impact is a daunting task and for first time founders, the path is riddling with concepts, topics, and challenges they have never encountered before. That’s why the Purdue Foundry has developed a series of self-paced workshops or Jet Packs as we like to call them. These virtual, content-rich workshops allow founders to find the information they need, when they need it.
Need to better understand ecosystem mapping? Want to iterate on your value proposition or business model and need some inspiration? Grab a Jet Pack and you’ll be flying in no time.
Firestarter
6-week cohort-based program designed to help founders avoid the #1 reason startups.
- Validate problem-market fit
- Customer archetyping
- Value proposition design
- Market sizing
Testing Business Ideas
Early-stage startup validation that reduces risk and attracts investors.
- Testing methodologies
- Iterative learning
- Metrics-driven
- Evidence-based
Apply for Upcoming Firestarter Cohorts
2023 Firestarter Cohort Schedule
We are currently accepting applications for cohorts beginning the week of January 16 2023
