Innovation is all about addressing a fundamental need or solving a problem to make the world a better place. Are you an innovator with a creative solution that has the potential for commercial and/or social impact? Come join a community of faculty, staff and students that see the Wisconsin Idea as an action plan that guides us to apply our work, research, creativity, ideas, and passion to impact lives locally and globally.
UW–Madison’s Discovery to Product (D2P) is now accepting applications for two spring semester programs, Innovation to Market (I2M) and Igniter (please see descriptions below). New this spring, D2P excited to announce a partnership with Jeff Snell in the Division of Continuing Studies to integrate support for social impact models into both programs. As innovators, seekers of creative solutions, designers of novel approaches to social problems or makers of impactful products, participants in these programs will take part in hands-on learning that helps them move beyond ideas to implementation. Applications for both programs are due on January 27, 2020.
Innovation to Market is a 5-session course ideal for individuals or teams that are just getting started with a kernel of an idea. You’ll begin by developing a hypothesis about who you want to reach and what problems your innovation will solve. To make the greatest impact with your idea, you will need to test your hypothesis by interviewing potential users and customers to determine how well your solution meets their needs—this is what’s known as finding product-market fit. I2M is like a compass that helps point your idea in the right direction—our instructors will teach you how to listen, learn, and pivot when necessary. Starts Wednesday, February 12. Learn more and apply for I2M.
Igniter is an intensive 8-week course is designed for teams that are further along in their journey. If I2M is a compass, Igniter is a roadmap. Once you have found product-market fit, it’s time to put your idea into action. What resources do you need to create your solution? How will it get distributed to the people that need it? How do you communicate effectively about your idea to catalyze support and engagement? How will you be funded and how will you grow? Participants in Igniter will get hands-on practice with a planning tool that helps answer these questions to create and validate all aspects of their innovation’s business model. Starts Tuesday, March 3. Learn more and apply for Igniter.
Not sure which program is right for you? Reach out to the Discovery to Product teaching team to discuss your idea and discover a community of the like-minded who believe that, working and learning together, UW-Madison is the right place to positively change the world.
Contact D2P with questions