UW–Madison’s Discovery to Product (D2P) is accepting applications for two summer programs that help campus innovators bring their ideas for groundbreaking products and services to the marketplace, Innovation to Market (I2M) and Igniter. All D2P programs are free and open to UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students. Applications are due on Wednesday, May 15.
Innovation to Market (I2M) is a five-week course that begins on Wednesday, June 5. I2M is ideal for individuals or teams that are just getting started with an innovation. Participants will learn how to avoid one of the main reasons startups fail: building something nobody wants. Minimizing this risk involves getting out of the lab and going out into the field to interview real people to refine what’s known as product-market fit.
Igniter is an intensive eight-week course that begins on Tuesday, June 25. Igniter is designed for teams that are further along in the process of developing their innovation, and includes practice on all the steps and strategies that increase the odds of success in launching a startup company. Funding to continue work on the startup after the course may be available to teams that successfully create and validate their business model.
UW–Madison has a passion for problem solving and a long history of transforming groundbreaking research discoveries into innovative products and services that change the world. D2P’s cohort programs give entrepreneurs hands-on practice with steps and strategies that improve the odds of success in translating a concept from idea to implementation. Both programs use the industry-leading Business Model Canvas framework to help teams learn how to assess their innovation’s value and develop an implementation strategy. Program instructors are veteran business developers, entrepreneurs, product managers, and start-up executives with specific industry experiences in engineering, life sciences, information technology, food science, and consumer goods.
The deadline to apply to join either summer program is Wednesday, May 15. If you have any questions regarding the programs, please contact D2P at engage@d2p.wisc.edu. The programs will be offered again in fall and spring semesters. Course dates and application details are available on the D2P website.