Aggie I-Corps

NMSU's I-Corps Site

Aggie I-Corps is a training program to test the feasibility of your business idea. The goals of this program are to spur translation of research, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train students to understand innovation and entrepreneurship. Through the program you will receive mentorship, coaching and $2,000 for participant support.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Team must include a student Entrepreneurial Lead (EL), a faculty Principal Investigator (PI), and a Business Mentor (M). Detailed information about these roles is available here. You don’t need a full team to apply, although preference is given to complete teams.
The student Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) must be a current NMSU student. Students from Studio G Sites are eligible as well.
Availability to attend one three-hour and four two-hour workshops:
- Spring 2019 Cohort will meet Thursday mornings 10am-noon, April 4, 2019-May 2, 2019
  - Applications Due March 17, 2019
To successfully complete Aggie I-Corps, teams are expected to conduct thirty (30) interviews with potential customers for their product or service.
Projects can originate from student work, research (funded or unfunded), institutional, or industrial projects. The topical focus of a project must be in an area(s) of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) normally supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). For more information about what NSF funds please visit: www.nsf.gov/funding/aboutfunding.jsp

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Reach a go or no-go decision for your project.
If decision is go, project may receive eligibility for the National I-Corps program, which includes a $50,000 award.
Numerous follow-on funding opportunities SBIR/STTR in addition to National I-Corps.

If you have any questions please contact Studio G at studiog@nmsu.edu.

APPLY FOR THE SPRING 2019 COHORT

Applications for Aggie I-Corps Spring 2019 Cohort is now open! Apply by March 17, 2019 to be considered for the Spring 2019 Cohort.

Please apply early, especially if you need help finding a team.

Teaching Team

Dr. Kramer Winingham

Director & Instructor, Aggie I-Corps

Dr. Kramer Winingham serves as a Program Director for Arrowhead Center and is the Director of NMSU’s National Science Foundation I-Corps Site and Director of Studio G – NMSU’s Student Business Accelerator. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with specializations in Finance and Information Systems, and a Doctorate of Economic Development from NMSU. His doctoral thesis “Economic Development through Technology Transfer” developed a novel approach to technology transfer incorporating design thinking – this approach is applied to commercializing NMSU technologies at the Arrowhead Center. He currently serves as CEO/President for two companies commercializing technologies. He also owns and operates a property management company.

Kramer can be reached at jkramer@nmsu.edu or at (575) 646-7151.

Alex Gorsuch

Manager & Instructor, Aggie I-Corps

Alex Gorsuch is the manager of the Foster Innovation Exchange Prototyping Lab, prototyping products and technologies for clients throughout New Mexico and Texas. He is also the Senior Program Coordinator for Studio G, bringing with him 3 years of experience as a Studio G entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has won the Launch technology commercialization competition, the UNM Business Plan Competition, participated in multiple Aggie I-Corps programs, AgSprint, and NM Small Business Assistance (a technical assistance program). In addition, he serves as an Enterprise Adviser for Arrowhead Center, mentoring other entrepreneurs in automation, blockchain, and microelectronics. He completed his MS in Industrial Engineering in August, focusing on discrete optimization and mathematical modeling; he is considering a PhD after.

Alex can be reached at agorsuch@nmsu.edu or at (575) 646-1859.

Aggie I-Corps is supported by the National Science Foundation as an Official NSF I-Corps™ Site