For Entrepreneurs
GW Sponsored Workshop @ AAAS
The Innovator’s Journey: An Introduction to Lean Innovation
Saturday, February 17, 11:30 - 12:30 pm MST
City Park (Expo Level, Colorado Convention Center)
Presented by Bob Smith, Director of I-Corps at GW
For more than 10 years, George Washington University's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship has helped guide faculty, researchers, startups and other budding entrepreneurs in the U.S. and internationally along the innovator’s journey. We invite anyone interested in solving a global problem, tackling a new research question, starting a new business, or developing a new product to join us for this Introduction to Lean Innovation.
*Smith will also be available at the GW booth on Saturday, February 17, from 1:00 - 2:00pm. Check out GW programming below for more details.
NSF I-Corps
The National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps) curriculum breaks down entrepreneurship into concrete and specific milestones and promotes techniques which identify customer segments, validate value propositions, and build successful go-to-market strategies for researchers. GW has served as a leader in the NSF I-Corps program for over 10 years, and, in 2021, became part of a new $15 million NSF I-Corps Hub, the latest evolution in the federal agency’s decade-old I-Corps program.
Learn more about the I-Corps program at GW.
Learn more about NSF’s I-Corps program and see if your university is part of a regional I-Corps Hub.
Resources for Budding Innovators
Webinar: Introduction to Lean Innovation
This free, virtual webinar offered by GW’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is available to anyone interested in solving a global problem, starting a new business, or developing a new product. Offered monthly, the introductory workshop will help you learn how savvy innovators take the first step–by talking to humans! It may sound simple, but this method is central to Agile Software Development, Design Thinking and Lean Startup concepts.
Find out when the next webinar is scheduled and register to attend. (A Zoom link for the event will be sent to all registrants a few days prior to the session.)
Book Recommendation: Talking to Humans
Winner of a special award from the National Science Foundation, “Talking to Humans is a practical guide to the qualitative side of customer development, an indispensable skill for vetting and improving any new startup or innovation. This book will teach you how to structure and run effective customer interviews, find candidates, and turn learnings into action.”
Learn more about how you can get the book.
International Partnerships
GW has worked with over 1,500 teams, generating 350 ventures and $1.4 billion in follow-on funding. GW has also conducted 45+ international programs with research teams from Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Georgia, India, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sudan and more.
GW’s curricula can be tailored to audiences interested in either entering the U.S. market, or in applying commercialization methods in their home markets. For several years, GW has worked with the National Research Foundation of Korea to build the Korean equivalent of the I-Corps program among South Korean universities.
GW’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship can provide:
Ecosystem Development
Assistance to countries or regional institutions in the development of training and mentoring networks for startups.
Lean Startup Trainings
Virtual, in-person, or hybrid training programs, designed based on partner needs.
Instructor & Mentor Training
Custom trainings in Lean Startup methodology and GW's structured mentoring with ongoing support and integration into GW's international community of mentors.
"Soft Landing" Support
Access to GW-Linked facilities and services; Guidance and support for navigating the FDA or other regulatory hurdles; Exposure to top venture capital resources in the U.S.; Assistance with creating legal entities and partnerships; And assistance with visas.
*Learn more about international partnership opportunities or stop by the GW booth (#216) on Saturday, February 17, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm to meet with GW’s I-Corps Director, Bob Smith. You can also email Kerry Slattery, Program Manager for International Entrepreneurship, at [email protected] for more information.
About GW's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
GW’s Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE) is housed under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. The Office provides programming around innovation, education, venture creation, and making connections to support GW entrepreneurs and the mid-Atlantic startup community.
Founded in 2010, OIE has worked with thousands of students, faculty and alumni, and serves as a focal point for entrepreneurship at GW. It leverages the unique strengths of our university’s schools in the nation’s capital to serve society at large through the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship.