I-Corps Sites: Ventureprise Charlotte Launch Program

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Intellectual Merit:With this project, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte creates an I-Corps Site.NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Sites are NSF-funded entities established at universities whose purpose is to nurture and support multiple, local teams to transition their technology concepts into the marketplace. Sites provide infrastructure, advice, resources, networking opportunities, training and modest funding to enable groups to transition their work into the marketplace or into becoming I-Corps Team applicants. I-Corps Sites also strengthen innovation locally and regionally and contribute to the National Innovation Network of mentors, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors.The UNC Charlotte I-Corp Site, the Ventureprise Charlotte Launch Program, enables a substantial expansion of faculty and student customer discovery and startup participation by building upon programs and resources that are underway at the University. UNC Charlotte, through its Charlotte Research Institute and Ventureprise organizations, offers an integrated series of programs that directly address early idea identification, customer discovery, startup and growth stage guidance. The I-Corps Site funding at UNC improves visibility of entrepreneurship, incent broad student and faculty participation, and drives commercialization opportunities that leverage the University's major investment in innovation and entrepreneurship personnel and infrastructure. The Ventureprise Charlotte Launch Program is likely to yield insights into best practices applicable to a public university with a diverse student population that includes many first generation college students. The program operates in a region with strong corporate operations and modest venture capital presence and is designed to engage corporate partners in team evaluation and guidance. Broader Impacts:UNC Charlotte serves more than 26,000 students with a substantial population of underrepresented minorities (23% African-American and Hispanic) and numerous students from modest economic circumstances. The UNC I-Corps Site focuses on this population and on reducing the barriers to STEM entrepreneurial participation by all motivated and qualified UNC Charlotte students.The rapidly growing Charlotte region with 2.6 million residents and strong corporate presence participate in the Ventureprise Charlotte Launch Program through mentor engagement and community entrepreneur involvement. This creates linkages between the diverse student population and community resources, strengthening student network access. The I-Corps evidence-based customer discovery methodologies have broader economic impact as they infuse the region's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The I-Corps Site funding increases engagement of University faculty and students with corporate innovation executives located in the Carolinas. This program strengthens and expands partnerships among the University, industry, and the entrepreneurial community. These partnerships directly affect commercialization and are likely to lead to additional collaborative research and other positive outcomes.