“Where Research and Innovation Mean Business”

Brandon Cohen, Faculty Jessica Sattler, Project Manager  

Where We Began

•  The  University  of  Toledo  applied  to  the  NSF  I-­‐Corps  Site  Program  in  the  first  round  

•  We  were  selected  aAer  the  iniBal  awards  were  disseminated  

•  We  iniBally  applied  through  UT’s  commercializaBon  center,  InnovaBon  Enterprises  (UTIE)  

§  Moved  to  a  UT  run  program  before  we  launched  

§  UTIE  is  sBll  very  involved  

Initial Program Layout

•  Our  iniBal  program  involved  immersing  students  into  UTIE  companies  and  having  them  lead  the  Lean  Launch  process  

•  The  academic  lead  would  have  been  key  faculty  and  the  mentor  would  have  been  the  lead  of  the  UTIE  company  

•  Those  students  would’ve  been  paid  for  their  Bme  and  any  fees  incurred    

Immediate Changes

•  Moved  to  a  classroom  model  •  For  credit  classes  including    –  Business  Law  3570  –  The  Laws  of  Structuring  and  OperaBng  a  Business  

–  Entrepreneurship,  Family  and  Small  Business  3590  –  Entrepreneurship  &  Small  Business  Management    

–  Bioengineering  4410  /  4420  –  Bioengineering  Design  Project  I  &  II  

Immediate Changes

•  Using  Business  Model  Canvas  as  an  addiBon  to  standard  curriculum  

•  Students  work  together,  meeBng  in  person  monthly  

Current Activities

•  Running  12  cohorts  •  Approximately  106  students  in  first  round  •  Each  cohort  includes:  – EL  =  Student  |  This  includes  a  team  lead  – AL  =  Faculty  Teaching  Course  – Mentor  =  PI  of  Grant,  Other  Faculty  Members,  UTIE  Board  Members  

Team Structure

•  Each  group  from  each  class  has  a  student  leader.  – Student  Leader  is  responsible  for  channeling  the    discussions  and  making  sure  that  the  work  is  submieed  in    a  Bmely  manner.    

Team Structure

•  Students  will  construct  a  prototype    

•  This  can  take  many  forms  – design  – 3d  prinBng  – actual  funcBoning  prototype  etc.  

Changes Moving Forward

•  Expand  our  mentor  network    •  We  also  need  to  formalize  the  administraBve  process  for  the  students  to  make  purchases.        

•  Launch  a  secondary  training  geared  more  to  faculty  

•  This  would  also  make  up  for  the  8  teams  we  will  be  short  

Future  AddiBons  to  Program  

•  Adding  a  customized  simulated  training  program  using  a  entrepreneurship  gaming  program  –  allowing  students  to  learn  the    Lean  Launch  process  in  mulBple  modaliBes  

•  Would  like  to  allocate  addiBonal  funding  for  training  and  grant  help  for  SBIR  and  TVSF  applicaBons  that  would  result  from  this  program  

Engaging the Present…Creating the Future

Brandon  Cohen,  JD  Associate  Lecturer,  College  of  Business  and  InnovaBon  

Brandon.cohen@utoledo.edu    

Jessica  Sa2ler  Director,  Economic  Engagement  &  Business  Development  Programs  

Office:    419.530.6164  |  jessica.saeler@utoledo.edu