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Developed to provide CIAN students the basic
concepts needed to understand the process of
commercializing an idea/technology.
The concepts presented are basic to the process and
any CIAN student should be able to understand
them, even if they don’t currently have an idea.
If student does have an idea/technology, through a
series of small activities, presentations, and IAB
interaction, he/she will gain valuable information on
how to validate it for the market place.
Further development of the technology can lead to
its licensing or launch of a start-up company.

2. That depends …
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Students with ideas/technologies
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1 hour every week (until after the IAB, then it will
go to monthly)
Develop a few slides monthly applying the concepts
they have learned to their idea/technology
Students who currently do not have an
idea, but want this knowledge for future
opportunities
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Minimum time commitment: 1 hour every week
(until after the IAB, then it will go to monthly)

3. Commercialization: The process of turning a concept
into a product, or service that is sold in marketplace
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Come up with Innovative Idea: Transformative
 CIAN Projects provide unique Opportunity
Protect Your Idea: Patent disclosure, NDA
Take advantage of available resources:
 NSF I-Corps
 NSF PFI
Create your Start-up and prepare Business Plan
Get Funding for Prototype and Concept Development
 SBIR, STTR through NSF, DOD, NIH, DOE
 Angel Investors, Venture Capitals
Exit strategies: Strategic Alliance(merger) or Initial
Public Offering

4. Overview of Innovation to Market Seminar series
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CIAN is an NSF ERC
Commercialization of an Idea/Technology
Where is CIAN in terms of technologies:
 Within Workgroup I – Data Center
 Within Workgroup II – Aggregation Networks
 Silicon Photonics
 Materials/Devices
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Role of the IAB
Following the NSF I-Corps process

5. Intellectual Property
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Overview of the basic concepts of IP
Filing disclosures
Licensing
Confidentiality Agreements
Working with Tech Transfer Officers at universities –
identify them for students
What can a student do if they have an idea…who do
they go to?
Speakers: Amy Phillips (UA), Dave Gibbons (UCSD)

6. Customer Discovery and Lean Startup
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Overview of the Business Model Canvas
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Customers and Customer Segments
Value Proposition
Product Market Fit
How to identify customers
How to talk to customers
Speaker: Rosibel Ochoa (von Liebig Center)

7. Morning (8:00 - Noon)
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-Introduction, overall objectives
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-Review of the (Business Model Canvas) BMC, value
proposition, Product Market fit and basic concepts related to
Market size, customer and customer segments, competition.
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-Speaker on Market and Competitive analysis
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-How to interview customer. Exercise
Afternoon (1:00 – 5:00 pm)
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-Team members divided into groups, each group selects one
BMC, develops their BMC further and presents to all.
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Preparation: Build a Value proposition canvas for your
technology
http://www.franciscopalao.com/english/value-proposition-canvasget-to-know-your-customers-and-improve-your-valueproposition/

8. Opportunity and Market Analysis
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Basic concepts of market analysis and customer
identification
Sizing the market
 Total Addressable Market (TAM)
 Serviceable Available Market (SAM)
 How to calculate
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Where can student find the information
Provide examples and resources
Speaker : TBD

9. Competitive Analysis
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Identify the competition
Building a competitive matrix
Speaker : TBD

10. 
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Great idea? Pursue funding to develop ideas (startup, licensing, NCIIA, I-Corp National)
Not so great…issues identified? Begin process over
again with feedback and/or new idea
IAB interested in supporting?
(mentoring, fellowship, research)
Apply to NSF to go through the complete
I-Corps process (we will get priority over other
applicants because of our preliminary work
through the seminar series and follow up.)

11. “Foster entrepreneurship that will lead to the commercialization of
technology that has been supported previously by NSF-funded
research”
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To broaden the impact of select, NSF-funded, basic-research
projects by preparing scientists and engineers to focus beyond the
laboratory.
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Leveraging experience and guidance from established
entrepreneurs and a targeted curriculum, I-Corps grantees learn to
identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from
NSF-supported academic research.
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Public-private partnership program that teaches grantees to
identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from
academic research, and offers entrepreneurship training to student
participants.
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Create a stronger national ecosystem for innovation that couples
scientific discovery with technology development to address
societal needs.

12. I-Corp Team:
- Principal Investigator (PI): Academic researcher
Technical lead and project manager
- Entrepreneurial Lead (EL): Graduate student or
postdoctoral researcher
- Business Mentor: Brings entrepreneurial
experience and serves as the principal guide
Over a period of six months, each I-Corps Team
learns what it will take to achieve an economic
impact with their particular innovation.
All three members of the team participate in the I-corps
curriculum administered via online instructions and onsite activities through one of I-Corps Nodes.