Entrepreneurship & Research Commercialization

Polsky Center I-Corps Program

Program Overview

The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is the central resource at the University of Chicago for transforming groundbreaking ideas and discoveries into new products, services, and ventures. We support students, faculty, researchers, and alumni through a variety of educational programs, venture support and funding, technology commercialization & licensing, and industry partnerships. The Polsky Center I-Corps Program is funded by the National Science Foundation and is specifically designed for participants working on projects in STEM fields. The program emphasizes experiential education to help researchers test the commercial potential of their ideas and gain insight into the entrepreneurial process by directly engaging with a specific customer segment or market. The 7-week program includes four educational sessions and requires teams to conduct at least 30 customer discovery interviews through the course of the program.

Externship Description & Responsibilities

This externship is designed to introduce graduate students to the commercialization process. Externs have the option to bring a project or idea that they are currently working on through the I-Corps program or to work directly with an I-Corps team that is exploring potential market applications for their research or technology. By the conclusion of the program, externs will have had the opportunity to gain insight into a specific industry, learn how to conduct the customer discovery process, and have the potential to continue developing or supporting an early-stage science-based startup.

Responsibilities include:

• Attend four virtual sessions facilitated by an I-Corps instructor.
• Participate in coaching sessions with a Polsky Center staff member.
• Conduct customer discovery interviews as part of the team’s overall customer discovery efforts.
• Complete additional assignments and curriculum materials.

Qualifications

• Current graduate student at the University of Chicago.
• Strong interest in learning about entrepreneurship and research commercialization.
• Able to commit 5 – 8 hours per week for the seven weeks of the program and attend four virtual sessions on designated Friday’s from 9:30 – 11:30am.
• Eager to collaborate with a team.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.

Questions: Ellen Zatkowski (ellen.zatkowski@chicagobooth.edu), Assistant Director, Polsky Center

Before submitting an application, please visit the Externships page for instructions regarding our new application platform: myCHOICE-Symplicity.