Nycrin I-Corps course syllabus Sept 2014

NYCRIN I-Corps Course Syllabus
Instructors: John Blaho, Lindsey Gray, Ivy Schultz
Adjuncts: Gwen Effgen, Michael Ehrlich, Sandra V. Furnbach, Micah Kotch, Roman
Lubynsky, Chris Reim, Frank Rimalovski, Mike Shimazu, Boris Shor
Course Manager: Christina Pellicane
TAs: Risa Cohn, Amali Nasserddine
Days and Times
Kick-off workshop: September 29 – October 1 (with a reception on September 28), 2014
5 online classes: Thursdays, 1-4 PM Eastern – October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6
Storytelling session: Thursday, 1-4 PM Eastern - October 13
Final workshop: November 17-18
Texts: The Startup Owner’s Manual, Steve Blank and Bob Dorf
Business Model Generation, Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
This course requires in-depth preparation and significant effort outside of the lab.
Requirements for Enrollment in NYC Regional Innovation Node (NYCRIN) I-Corps
1. Attend as a NYCRIN-selected team consisting of a Principal Investigator,
Entrepreneurial Lead, and Mentor. The NYCRIN I-Corps course is open to pre-approved
NYCRIN I-Corps teams only.
2. Each team member must commit to class time plus at least 15 additional hours per week
for Customer Discovery.
Pre-class Assignments
x Read pages 14–51 of Business Model Generation
x Read pages 22–84 and 195–199 of The Startup Owner’s Manual
x Read Talking to Humans booklet by Giff Constable with Frank Rimalovski and Steve Blank
x You are also encouraged to review and reference presentations from previous I-Corps
teams to assist you in your own preparation:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7m9q7DhigbZenJhb08yTV9iZTQ&usp=sharing
(note also the number of customer contacts each team made over the course)
x See also http://steveblank.com/category/lean-launchpad/ for background and blog posts on
the Lean LaunchPad method and classes.
NYCRIN I-Corps Course Syllabus, September-November 2014 1

Come prepared for the 1st day of class with:
1. A 2-slide presentation to present your team to the class (3 minutes). See below for the
How will we
Keep and Grow
customers?
What Key
Activities do our
Value
Propositions
require?
template.
a. Slide 1: Team name, University logo, Product picture/product description (one
sentence), Pictures/names of your team members.
b. Slide 2: Populated Business Model Canvas
2. 15 or more customer/industry contacts at the institution and surrounding area. Set up
local (NYC-area) meetings in advance for the “Get out of the Building” sessions during
the kick-off workshop (see enclosed schedule). Be sure you have a substantial number
of your meetings on the first day. We strongly recommended you involve at least 2 team
members in each customer contact.
Slide 1: Title Slide
x Team name
x University logo
x Product picture/product
description (1 sentence)
x Pictures/names of your team
members
œ Save your presentations to Google
Drive using this naming convention:
TeamNumber_TeamName_Date
e.g., 195_DataComm_MMDDYYY
Slide 2: Populated Business Model Canvas
Who are our Key
Partners?
Which one of our
customer’s
problems are we
helping to solve?
Or, Which customer
needs are we
satisfying?
What is the specific
product/service?
What are the
features that match
customer needs?
For who are we
solving a problem
or fulfilling a need?
Who are the
customers?
Does the value
proposition match
their needs?
Is this a single-sided
or multi-sided
market?
Through which
Channels do
our Customer
Segments want
to be reached?
What Key
Resources
(suppliers, etc.)
do our Value
Propositions
require?
What is the revenue model? What are
the pricing tactics? For what vale are
our customers willing to pay?
What are the most important costs in
our business model?
Team 26

Course Goals
1. Give the NYCRIN I-Corps team an experiential learning opportunity to help determine
the commercial readiness of their technology.
2. Enable the team to develop a clear go/no go decision regarding commercial viability of
the effort.
3. Develop a transition plan to move the technology forward to market, if the team decides
to do so.
Course Description
This course will provide NYCRIN I-Corps teams with real-world, hands-on learning experience
with how to successfully transfer knowledge into products and processes that benefit society.
The entire team will engage with industry. You and your team will learn from talking to
customers, partners and competitors, and from encountering the chaos and uncertainty of
commercializing innovations and creating ventures.
This course is not about how to write a research paper, business plan or grant. It is not an
exercise on how smart you are in a lab or a classroom or how well you use the research library.
The end result is not a paper to be published.
This course is about getting out of the building. It is not about the lectures. You will be spending
a significant amount of time in between each of the lectures, outside the building, talking to
customers and testing your hypotheses. If you cannot commit the time to talk to customers, the
NYCRIN I-Corps program is not for you.
Teams
This is a team-based class. You will work in teams to turn your research and technology idea
into a product, service or process that benefits society. You will learn how to use a business
model to brainstorm each part of an enterprise and customer development. You will get out of
the building to see whether anyone other than you would want/use your product.
All three members of the team—Principal Investigator, Entrepreneurial Lead and Mentor—must
participate in all out of the building customer discovery activities. Each week will be a new
adventure as you design experiments and test hypotheses on each part of your business model
and customers. Finally, you will see how agile development can help you rapidly iterate your
product to build something potential customers will use and buy.
As part of this process, you will encounter issues on how to build and work with a team. We will
help you understand how to successfully build and manage your startup team. We encourage
teams to recruit any and all resources. Others, including students and non-students may serve
as extra members of the teams.
Mentors have additional duties as described in the Mentor Guide. Mentors, please read and
review the document which will be sent to you separately.

Class Culture
The startup culture is dramatically different from the university culture most of you are familiar
with. Startups communicate much differently than inside a university and lab. The class culture
can feel brusque and impersonal, but it is intentionally oriented to simulate the time- and cash-constrained
environments in which startups operate. We have limited time and we push,
challenge, and question you in the hope you will quickly learn. We will be direct, open, and
tough – just like the real world. We hope you can recognize that these comments aren’t
personal, but part of the process.
We also expect you to question us, challenge our point of view if you disagree, and engage in a
real dialogue with the teaching team. This approach may seem harsh or abrupt, but it is all part
of our wanting you to learn to challenge yourselves quickly and objectively, and to appreciate
that as entrepreneurs, you need to learn and evolve faster than you ever imagined possible.
Attendance and Participation
1. All team members must attend the kick-off workshop, 6 online classes, and final workshop.
2. If you anticipate missing more than one online class, we recommend that you reapply to
the NYCRIN I-Corps Program when you can commit the time to the course.
3. Getting out of the building is what the class is about. If you cannot commit 15 hours a
week to talk with customers, don’t enroll in the course.
Class Roadmap
Each class is organized around:
1. A lecture on one of the 9 building blocks of a business model as described in Business
Model Generation.
2. Team presentations on your “Lessons Learned” from getting out of the building and
iterating or pivoting your business model.
3. Using LaunchPad Central to log your Customer Discovery process.
Deliverables
1. A record of your customer discovery progress using LaunchPad Central to capture the
narrative, contact information, learning and insight. This is also how progress is monitored.
2. A weekly, 10-minute presentation on your progress. Your weekly and final slide decks
should not contain any proprietary information. They should focus on your business
model and customer discovery. You will learn from looking at the presentations from past
classes, and future teams will learn from yours (final videos will be posted to YouTube).
3. Minimum Viable Product (MVP): An MVP is a prototype that captures the minimum
functionality. The Customer Discovery Process, a central element of the Lean LaunchPad
approach to technology commercialization, requires development of a MVP so the team
can clearly communicate the product capability and value proposition. This process also
helps focus the team on what is and is not essential. For physical products, developing an
MVP may be challenging and various approaches will be discussed during the first class
sessions. For a web based services, or other software applications, it is best to having a
working demo or even a working site. In either case, the team should think through what it
will cost for product development and for physical products, on a per unit basis. This last
point is essential to understand the gross margin profitability and therefore the business
viability of the product. This will require thinking through a product bill-of-materials.

COURSE OVERVIEW
Kick-off Workshop
Your entire NYCRIN I-Corps team (Principal Investigator, Entrepreneurial Lead, Mentor) will
attend the kick-off workshop. During this three-day workshop, your team will be introduced to
the Lean LaunchPad approach, the teaching team and your peers. You will learn the business
model development and customer development process, and you will get out of the building to
meet with customers. You will present what you learn to the class and record your progress on
LaunchPad Central. During each team’s presentation, the teaching team will offer observations
and guidance. When not presenting, you will be offering input to your peers using a real-time,
interactive peer review window on LaunchPad Central.
5 Online classes
Five, weekly online classes will convene on WebEx. During this 7-week period, your team is
also required to get out of the building and test your business model assumptions, meeting with
about 15 customer contacts each week (with the objective of conducting at least 100 total
contacts). Record your progress on LaunchPad Central. Update your first slide each week to
include the total number of customers you talked to.
Each WebEx class will have two parts:
1.5 hours: Team presentations - Each team will present a 10-minute weekly progress
report to members of the teaching team and your peers. This is how we monitor
your progress and give you guidance. When not presenting, you will be offering
input to your peers using an interactive peer review sheet.
1 hour: Class discussion of the weekly lecture - You are expected to watch the online
weekly lecture in advance of this discussion.
Final Workshop
The entire NYCRIN I-Corps team will attend the final workshop. At that event, the teams will
present to lessons learned in their exploration of commercial feasibility to the teaching team.
Office Hours
The teaching team is available for regular office hours. Your team is strongly encouraged to
make use of this knowledge resource. Meet with teaching team members during office hours to
receive individualized responses to your questions and comments. You may sign up for office
hours through the Office Hours Google doc, which can be accessed through LaunchPad
Central.

Detailed Course Schedule
Monday, September 29 – Class 1
Time Session
8:45 - 9:15 am Introduction
x Teaching Team Introductions
x Class Goals
x Teaching Philosophy
x Expectations of You
9:15 – 9:45 am Lecture 1, Part 1: Business Model/Customer Development
What’s a business model? What are the 9 parts of a business model? What are
hypotheses? What is the Minimum Feature Set? What experiments are needed to
run to test business model hypotheses? What’s “getting out of the building?” What
is market size? How to determine whether a business model is worth doing?
9:45 – 10:45 am Team Introductions
Teams present their business model canvas to the entire classroom. Each team
is allotted 5 minutes total, to include 3 minutes presentation and 2 minutes for
teaching team comment.
10:45 - 11:15 am Lecture 1, Part 2: Business Model/Customer Development
11:15 - 11:45 pm LaunchPad Central Training: A Tool for Customer Discovery
11:45 - 12:45 pm Presentation: Best Practices for Customer Discovery
How to call on people you don’t know. How to get the most out of people you do.
Expectations, speed, tempo, logistics, commitments. How do I protect my IP
when I speak to partners? Does Lean work for non-software efforts? How do I
interview? How is an interview different than a sales call?
12:45 - 6:00 pm Get out of the building!
Meet with potential customers in the area. Schedule these meetings prior to
coming to the kick-off workshop. You will be presenting your results tomorrow
morning in your updated business model canvas.
5:00 - 6:00 pm Office Hours
6:00 - 7:30 pm Panel: How to Succeed in the Innovation Corps
A panel discussion with prior participants in the I-Corps program
7:30 - 8:00 pm Mentor Workshop (Mentors only)
The role of Mentors in the Lean Launchpad process
A schedule of Office Hours throughout course will be made available. You are strongly
encouraged to use these opportunities to seek teaching team support.

Assignment for Tuesday, September 30
READ:
x Business Model Generation, pp. 86–111, 135–145
x The Startup Owner’s Manual review pages 53–84
x Steve Blank, “What’s a Startup? First Principles,”
http://steveblank.com/2010/01/25/whats-a-startup-first-principles/
x Steve Blank, “Make No Little Plans – Defining the Scalable Startup,”
http://steveblank.com/2010/01/04/make-no-little-plans-–-defining-the-scalable-startup/
x Steve Blank, “A Startup is Not a Smaller Version of a Large Company”,
http://steveblank.com/2010/01/14/a-startup-is-not-a-smaller-version-of-a-large-company/
PRESENTATION FORMAT:
Slide 1: Cover slide (team member names, team name, 1 to 2 sentence description of your
product and the number of customer contacts you’ve made)
Slide 2: Current business model canvas with any changes marked
Slide 3: Tell us about your Market size (TAM/SAM/Target)
Slide 4: What type of business are you building?: startup, unknown, etc.
Slide 5: What are your proposed experiments to test customer segment, value proposition,
channel and revenue model of the hypotheses: What constitutes a pass/fail
signal for each test (e.g. at what point would you say that your hypotheses wasn’t
even close to correct)?
Upload your presentation to Google Drive by 7:00 am EST
ASSIGNMENT:
x If you haven’t completed 5 customer interviews, get out of the building some more
x Start to identify your market size
x Identify your type of Business (startup/unknown/etc.)
x Propose experiments to test your customer segment, value proposition, channel and
revenue model of the hypothesis
x What constitutes a pass/fail signal for each test?
x Talk to potential customers

Tuesday, September 30 – Class 2
Time Session
8:45 – 9:00 am Day 2 Introduction
A brief introduction by the NYCRIN Teaching Team
9:00 – 10:00 am Lecture 2: Value Proposition
Lecture: What is your product or service? How does it differ from an idea? Why
will people want it? Who’s the competition and how does your customer view
these competitive offerings? Where’s the market? What’s the minimum feature
set? What’s the Market Type? What was your inspiration or impetus? What
assumptions drove you to this? What unique insight do you have into the
market dynamics or into a technological shift that makes this a fresh
opportunity?
10:15 – 11:30 am Team Presentations
Teams present their business model canvas in two concurrent tracks. Each
team is allotted 12 minutes total to include 10 minutes for presentation, 2
minutes for teaching team comments.
11:30 – 12:00 pm EL Workshop (EL’s only)
12:00 – 12:30 pm PI Workshop (PI’s only)
12:30 pm -
Get out of the building!
ongoing
Meet with potential customers in the area. Schedule these meetings prior to
coming to the kick-off workshop. You will be presenting your results tomorrow
morning in your updated business model canvas.

Assignment for Wednesday, October 1
READ:
x Business Model Generation, pages. 146–150, 161–168 and 200–211
x The Startup Owner’s Manual, pages 85–97
Slide 1: Cover slide (team member names, team name, 1 to 2 sentence description of
your product, number of total customer contacts AND number of customer
contacts since yesterday)
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about your value proposition from talking to your first
customers?
Hypothesis: Here’s What We Thought
Experiments: So Here’s What We Did
Results: So Here’s What We Found
Iterate: So Here’s What We Are Going to Do Next
Upload your presentation to Google Drive by 7:00 am
ASSIGNMENT:
x Get out of the building and talk to as many people as you can
x Generate a value proposition hypothesis
x Ask potential customers what they think about your value proposition. You may consider
online survey tools* as a secondary means by which to generate more data.
x Update your business model canvas based on your findings
x Start to populate customer discovery tool (your blog on LaunchPad Central) Identify your
type of business (startup/unknown/etc.)
* Survey tools are not means to conduct customer interviews, and survey responses may not be counted
as unique customer contacts. Surveys are most useful for collecting quantitative data on subjects for
which responses are finite and follow-up minimal. Surveys cannot, however, compare with live
interviews, wherein respondents’ answers to open-ended questions can drive follow up that digs deeper
and ascertains a deeper understanding of respondent pain-points, needs, priorities, etc.

Wednesday, October 1 - Class 3
Time Session
8:45 – 9:00 am Day 3 Introduction
A brief introduction by NYCRIN Teaching Team
Teams present their business model canvas in two concurrent tracks. Each team
is allotted 15 minutes total to include 10 minutes for presentation, 5 minutes for
teaching team comments.
10:45 – 11:45 am Lecture 3: Customers/Users/Payers
Who’s the customer? User? Payer? How are they different? Why do they buy?
How can you reach them? How is a business customer different from a
consumer? What’s a multi-sided market? What’s segmentation? What’s an
archetype?
11:45 – 12:15 pm Presenting Insights Learned using WebEx and Send off
Learn the expectations and protocol for the 5 online classes. Preflight and
checkout of your computer and headset for use in remote lectures. Configuration
support for hardware and software.

Assignment for Thursday, October 9
READ:
x Business Model Generation, pages 127–133
x The Startup Owner’s Manual, pages 98–111, and 189–255, 406–412
WATCH:
x Sign in and watch Lecture 4 – Distribution Channels
(Use the link under Resource Hub to access the video on LaunchPad Central)
contacts since you last presented)
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about your customer segments from talking to your
customers?
ASSIGNMENT:
x Talk to ~15 customers face to face. Draw a customer diagram
x Describe your customer archetypes. What were your hypotheses about who your users
and customers were? Did you learn anything different?
x Did anything change about your Value Proposition?
x What do customers say their problems/needs are? How do they solve this problem(s)
today? Does your value proposition solve it? How?
x What was it about your product that made customers interested? Excited?
x If your customer is part of a company, who is the decision maker, how large is their
budget, what are they spending it on today, and how are they individually evaluated
within that organization, and how will this buying decision be made?
x Update your blog and canvas

Thursday, October 9- Class 4
Location: WebEx
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Eastern Standard Time
Test WebEx
The online classrooms will be open for a half hour prior to Team Presentation
time begins. Log on during this time to test video, sound and troubleshoot
technical issues.
1:00 – 2:30 pm EST Team Presentations
2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Lecture Discussion: Distribution Channels
Teams will join a single WebEx classroom for lecture discussion. What’s a
channel? Physical versus virtual channels. Direct channels, indirect channels,
OEM. Multi-sided markets. B-to-B versus B-to-C channels and sales
(business to business versus business to consumer).

READ:
x The Startup Owner’s Manual pages 227–256, 332–342
x For web teams: The Startup Owner’s Manual page 211–217
WATCH:
x Sign in and watch Lecture 5 – Customer Relationships:
FOR WEB TEAMS:
x Get a low-fidelity web site up and running. (Relevant reading: See The Startup Owner’s
Manual page 211–217)
contacts since you last presented)
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about your channel from talking to potential channel
partners?
ASSIGNMENT:
x Talk to ~15 channel partners and/or customers. Draw channel diagrams
x Draw distribution complexity
x Get out of the building and talk to ~15 potential channel partners face-to-face (Salesmen,
OEM’s distributors, etc.)
x What were your hypotheses about who/what your channel would be? Did you learn
anything different?
x Did anything change about Value Proposition?

Location: WebEx
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Test WebEx
technical issues.
2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Lecture Discussion: Customer Relationships: Get/Keep/Grow
How do you create end user demand? How does it differ on the web versus
other channels? Evangelism vs. existing need or category? General
Marketing, Sales Funnel, etc. How does demand creation differ in a multi-sided
market?

READ:
x The Startup Owner’s Manual, pages 277–331
WATCH:
x Watch: Mark Pincus, “Quick and Frequent Product Testing and Assessment”,
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2313
x Sign in and watch Lecture 6 – Revenue Models
Slide 1: Cover slide
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about how to Get, Keep and Grow your customers?
ASSIGNMENT:
x Talk to customers
x Build demand creation budget and forecast.
x What is your customer acquisition cost?
x Did anything change about Value Proposition or Customers/Users?
x What is your customer lifetime value? Channel incentives – does your product or
proposition extend or replace existing revenue for the channel?
x What is the “cost” of your channel, and its efficiency vs. your selling price?
x Update your blog and canvas.

Location: WebEx
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Test WebEx
The online classrooms will be open for a half hour prior to Team
Presentation time begins. Log on during this time to test video, sound and
troubleshoot technical issues.
2:30 – 3:00 pm EST Lecture Discussion: Revenue Model
What’s a revenue model? What types of revenue streams are there? How
does it differ on the web versus other channels? How does this differ in a
multi-sided market?
3:00 – 3:30 pm EST Mentor Meeting (Mentors only)
This is an opportunity for mentors and the teaching team to check in. How
is your team progressing? How can we support one another?

READ:
x The Startup Owner’s Manual, pages 257–270 and 429–459
x Business Model Generation, pages 212–225
WATCH:
x Sign in and watch Lecture 7 – Partners
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about your revenue model?
ASSIGNMENT:
x Talk to customers
x What’s the revenue model strategy?
x What are the pricing tactics?
x Draw the diagram of payment flows
x What are the metrics that matter for your business model?
x Test pricing in front of 100 customers on the web, 10–15 customers non-web

Location: WebEx
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Test WebEx
technical issues.
2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Lecture Discussion: Partners
Who are partners? Strategic alliances, competition, joint ventures, buyer
supplier, licensees.

Assignment for Thursday, November 6
READ:
x Business Model Generation pages 200–211
x The Startup Owner’s Manual pages 406–412
WATCH:
Sign in and watch Lecture 8 – Key Resources
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about partners?
ASSIGNMENT:
x What partners will you need?
x Why do you need them? What are risks?
x Why will they partner with you?
x What’s the cost of the partnership?
x Talk to actual partners/potential partners.
x What are the benefits for an exclusive partnership?
x Did anything change about Value Proposition or Customers/Users, Channel, Demand
Creation?
x What are the incentives and impediments for the partners?

Thursday, November 6- Class 8
Location: WebEx
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Test WebEx
technical issues.
2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Lecture Discussion: Key Resources & Costs
What resources do you need to build this business? How many people?
What kind? Any hardware or software you need to buy? Any IP you need to
license? How much money do you need to raise? When? Why? Importance
of cash flows? When do you get paid vs. when do you pay others?

Assignment for Thursday, November 13
READ:
x Business Model Generation pages 200–211
WATCH:
x Watch videos on Storytelling: “Getting your story straight” David Riemer on
Storytelling
Story Narrative and Product Narrative (10:24)
Story & Storytelling (4:35)
The Power of Story (10:24)
Story Structure (10:24)
The Main Character (9:27)
The Main Conflict (6:13)
Story Challenges & Solutions (2:03)
Telling a Great Story (13:16)
Slide 3 - n: What did you learn about Key Resources?
ASSIGNMENT:
x What types of Key Resources will you need?
x What will be your Key Activities?
x What will be your Costs? What type of Costs?
x What are the metrics that matter for you?
x Do you need Intellectual Property protection?
x Did anything change about Value Proposition or Customers/Users, Channel, Demand
Creation?

Thursday, November 13 - Class 9
Location: NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Time Session
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Test WebEx
For remote teams: The online classrooms will be open for a half hour prior to
Team Presentation time begins. Log on during this time to test video, sound
and troubleshoot technical issues.
2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Storytelling Presentation
Lecture: How do you tell a compelling story about your product and process?
How do you effectively convey who you are and what you are about?
3:30 – 4:00 pm EST Q& A
Teams have an opportunity to ask what’s expected of them at the finale and
any other questions they may have before the Lessons Learned presentation.

Assignment for Monday, November 17
READ:
PRESENTATIONS:
A 10-minute Lessons Learned Presentation
A 2-minute Lessons Learned Video
A 1-minute Technical Video (PI to complete this)
See next page for presentation & video specifications
Sharing:
1. Final videos should be < 50 MB each (sizes can be reduced in editing software)
2. Upload your presentation and videos to Google Drive
3. As back-up, please also A) upload your videos to YouTube and include links to the
videos in your PDF, and B) e-mail links to Course Manager and TA at
christina.pellicane@mail.cuny.edu; rsc255@nyu.edu
ASSIGNMENT:
x Talk to customers
x Assemble a resources assumptions spreadsheet: people, hardware, software,
prototypes, financing, etc.
x When will you need these resources?
x Where is your cash flow break-even point?
x What are the key financials metrics for costs in your business model?
x Costs vs. ramp vs. product iteration?
x Roll up all the costs from partners, resources and activities in a spreadsheet by time
* Load video editing software to your laptop so your team can make edits to your Lessons
Learned videos during our video editing workshop

10-minute Lessons Learned Presentation
Slide 1: Team Name & a few lines of what your initial idea was and the size of the
opportunity
Slide 2: Team members – name, background, expertise and your role for the team
Slide 3: Business Model Canvas, Version 1. Here was our original idea.
Slide 4: So here’s what we did (explain how you got out of the building)
Slide 5: So here’s what we found (what was reality) so then, …
Slide 6: Business Model Canvas, Version 2. We iterated or pivoted… explain why and
what you found.
Slide 7: So here’s what we did (explain how you got out of the building)
Slide 8: So here’s what we found (what was reality) so then…
Slide 9: Business Model Canvas Version 3. We iterated or pivoted… explain why and what
you found.
Slide 10: Etc., etc., etc.
Penultimate slides should be all the canvas slides, repeated one after another
Final Slide: Should clearly convey your “Go” or “No Go” decision and should include links to
your Story and Technology videos on YouTube.
For the purpose of this course, these are the definitions to be utilized:
GO: We’re ready to form a company and seek outside investment, which may
include SBIR funding.
NO-GO: At this time, we are not prepared to form an entity and seek funding.
Somewhere in your slide deck, you need to touch on the following:
x Market Size diagram
x Customer Archetypes diagram
x Customer Workflow diagram
x Distribution Channel diagram
x Competitive Players
x Revenue Model diagram
Your presentation should also contain links to your videos (Lessons Learned and Technical)
on YouTube.
Sample presentations from previous cohorts are available for your reference at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRX3wcBZeQRtaYkkFC-yHe6gx6gsr5AV9

2-Minute Lessons Learned / Story Video
Create a two-minute video that tells a story. This is not a demonstration of scientific prowess.
We want to hear about your journey through the NYCRIN I-Corps as it relates to your business.
The more specific you can make it, the more specific details you can include, the more
specifically you can describe answers to the question below, the better. Here's a quick outline
that should aim you in the right direction:
x What are your names and what is your teams' name? Introduce yourselves. Pan the
camera around your office so we can see where you work.
x What scientific discipline are you working in?
x When you started the class, what was the most important thing you thought you would
have to do to successfully launch a scalable startup? How do you feel about that now?
x Thinking back across the class, who was the most interesting customer you met and
where did you meet them? What happened?
x Now that the class is over, what was the most surprising thing you learned in the class?
Please do not spend any time thanking the teaching team. This video is about your company
and about you. Time limit is 2 minutes, so keep it short and to the point. And no need to get
high tech. Grab an iPhone and shoot with the camera.
Note that everyone should have video editing software on their laptops so that we can
make edits and adjustments to your video during our time together, and so you can work
on this in the evening too.
Sample videos from previous cohorts are available for your reference at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRX3wcBZeQRtaYkkFC-yHe6gx6gsr5AV9
1-Minute Technical Video
The NYCRIN I-Corps teaching team would also like the team’s PI produce a short, technically
focused video appropriate for a technically educated audience. This assignment challenges you
to use what you have learned to concisely describe the technical aspects of your project with
the value proposition and customer archetype in mind. The ability to do this effectively will be
critical when applying for SBIR or making future pitches.
This will not be part of your final presentation, but you will make them publicly available for
viewing. NYCRIN will also retain this video as a record of where the technology stands today.
Consider the audience for this video to be people who are technically well versed enough to
understand your project, your process, your lab, your equipment, and your approach at a
general level; perhaps like someone you might meet at a technical conference focused on your
general area of expertise. This video is a great place to include hero shots of your testing
apparatus, your lab filled with bubbling chemistry experiments, or awesome computer graphics
simulations of your experiments running on the International Space Station in zero gravity.
Sample videos from previous cohorts are available for your reference at nciia.org/i-corps.

Basic Video Production Tips:
Your videos do not require high production value. You need not purchase fancy recording
equipment or expensive editing software. You DO need to adequately convey your message.
Here are a few things you can do – for free – to improve the quality of your video.
Audio:
x Find a quiet space or reduce competing noise before recording (listen for ventilation
systems, machinery humming, wind, background activity)
x Get the microphone as close to your subject as possible
x Have subjects speak toward the camera as much as possible
x If you add background music, make sure that it complements, not distracts from, your
presentation (and if it’s too loud, it will definitely distract!)
Lighting:
x Make sure there is adequate light where you are recording. When in doubt, go brighter.
x For interview subjects, alter the lighting, or identify an interview location, where the
subject will be lighted equally on both sides (otherwise one side of the subject will be in
shadow and the contrast enhances the perception of darkness)
x If you shoot outdoors, make sure that the sun doesn’t shine directly in your subject’s
eyes or directly into the camera
Presentation:
x Smile and show your enthusiasm for your subject
x Before you start talking, take a deep breath, pause and smile – this not only will prepare
you for recording but will provide a natural spot to trim off any excess video during
editing
x Speak slowly and clearly.
x Use hand gestures if you like, but not too wildly.
Other production tips:
x Use a tripod, or rest the camera on a stable platform to ensure that the video is steady
and not crooked
x Consider recording some segments twice – once close up and once farther away, so in
the “editing room” later, you may cut together the shots to provide some variety, or you
can select the version for which picture and audio turned out best
Looking to use free editing software?
x iMovie comes free with Apple hardware
x PC users can download a free, 30-day trial of Camtasia: www.camtasiasoftware.com

Monday, November 17- Class 10
Time Session
9:15 – 9:30 am Welcome back
9:30 – 10:00 am NYCRIN Presentation
Teams will learn how they can utilize the NYC Regional Innovation Node (NYCRIN)
resources and how they can stay connected.
10:00 – 12:00 pm Video workshop
Workshop your 2-minute Lessons Learned/Story video with feedback from the
experts.
12:00 – 1:30 pm SBIR 101 / Lunch
The basics of the SBIR program and how the funding process works.
1:30 – 4:00 pm Practice Presentation
Teams will workshop their Lessons Learned PowerPoint presentation (10 minutes),
receive comments, and learn from other teams’ presentations. You will learn what
you are missing, what you should take out, and what you should do more of to get
ready for your final presentation.
4:00 – 5:00 pm What's Next?
How does venture capital funding work? How to raise money from a VC?
Tuesday, November 18 – Final Presentations
Time Session
8:45 – 9:00 am Welcome
Teams present to the entire class. Each team is allotted 15 minutes total, to
include their 2-minute Lessons Learned Video, 10-minute Lesson Learned
Presentation and 3 minutes of teaching team comments.
12:00 – 12:30 pm Closing session

Teaching Team
John Blaho – Director for Industrial-Academic
Research, CUNY
john.blaho@cuny.edu
646.758.7921
John Blaho is the CUNY Director for Industrial-Academic Research.
He has been responsible for creating/maintaining productive
Sponsored Research Projects between Industrial entities and CUNY
research faculty and is currently working to increase the amount of
faculty entrepreneurial activities. Dr. Blaho was trained as a chemical
engineer, received his Ph.D. in biochemistry, and was the PI of an
academic research lab for over 25 years. Subsequently, he served a
CSO function at a biotech company in Princeton, NJ. Since joining
CUNY, he has led the creation of two new NSF IUCRC centers at the City College of CUNY and
has served as the Industrial Mentor for 3 CUNY NSF I-Corps teams. All three of these teams
have gone on to form companies and are all currently supported by NSF SBIR/STTR grants.
Lindsey Marshall Gray – Program Director, NYU
Entrepreneurial Institute
lmarshall@nyu.edu
Lindsey Marshall Gray is the Programs Director of the
NYU Entrepreneurial Institute, where she develops
educational programs and events to inspire, educate, connect, and
accelerate entrepreneurs across NYU. Prior to joining NYU, Lindsey
worked for Innosight, an innovation firm founded by Clayton
Christensen where she worked with Fortune 100 companies to help
them identify strategic growth opportunities and build and invest in
new businesses. She has worked with companies across a wide range of industries, and has
helped clients establish a number of new high growth ventures. Before joining Innosight,
Lindsey was a Director for the marketing analytics consulting firm, Kantar Retail, where she
helped develop and sell new technology solutions for the consumer packaged goods industry.
Lindsey received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a
Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Connecticut College.

Teaching Team, Continued
Ivy Schultz – Associate Director,
Entrepreneurship Programs, Columbia
Engineering
ischultz@columbia.edu
Ivy Schultz is the Associate Director of Entrepreneurship Programs at
Columbia’s School of Engineering, where she works on initiatives to
foster entrepreneurship in Columbia engineers, linking them to the
ecosystem of the university, the city, and beyond. This includes
preparation for pitch and venture competitions, including the NYC Next
Idea Competition, a global venture competition managed in partnership
with the New York City Economic Development Corporation. She also
helped develop and deliver an innovation course in partnership with Microsoft that provided
consulting services for startups focused on social entrepreneurship. Ivy has actively consulted
with startups and larger organizations since 2009, helping them communicate technical ideas
and describe their brands to customers, partners, and investors. Ivy is also interested in
technology policy and law as it relates to startups. As the Research Manager at the Columbia
Institute for Tele-Information, she co-authored several reports, including one used by the FCC
for the development of the National Broadband Plan. Ivy continues to take on new projects in
the areas of communication technologies, business models, and market structure, most recently
presenting at the State of Telecom conference at Columbia Business School (September,
2013). She has a MA degree in Communications (Georgetown), focused on technology and
international business and a BA in International Relations (Reed College).
Adjunct Faculty
Gwen Effgen – Programs Manager,
Harlem Biospace
ge2121@columbia.edu
Gwen Effgen is Programs Manager at Harlem Biospace, where she
develops and executes special programming for member companies
related to investment, legal, regulatory affairs, and business
development as well as the New York City-wide discussion on life
science entrepreneurship in NYC, Riverside Chats. She has worked
on research commercialization and marketing strategy as a Fellow for
Columbia Technology Ventures and Associate at the Harlem Biospace. As a founding member
of the Entrepreneurial Scientists Advisory Panel for NYC Tech Connect, Gwen has represented
Columbia University for the Partnership Fund, advising scientists and entrepreneurs on small
business development and NYC-based resources for start-ups.
Gwen’s doctoral studies at Columbia University investigate repetitive mild traumatic brain injury
and blast-induced neurotrauma. Her work informs understanding of the pathobiology as well as
treatment strategies for those who suffer concussion. Previously, Gwen studied physics at
Barnard College and completed a master’s in biomedical engineering at Columbia.

Adjunct Faculty, Continued
Michael Ehrlich – Co-director, New Jersey
Innovation Acceleration Center, New Jersey
Institute of Technology
michael.a.ehrlich@njit.edu
Michael Ehrlich, PhD, had an international business career before joining
NJIT’s School of Management as assistant professor of finance. He
spent his last Wall Street years at Bear Stearns as Senior Managing
Director of the Emerging Markets Fixed Income Business. Earlier stints
included positions of increasing responsibility at Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb and Salomon
Brothers, where he worked in the Government Arbitrage Group with John Meriwether.
Today, along with teaching and research, Ehrlich uses his experience in business and as an
entrepreneur to work with NJIT’s small business incubator program, the Enterprise
Development Center which is home to over 90 small companies. Ehrlich, who belongs to the NY
Angels, enjoys working with start-up companies and is a board member of some startups.
At NJIT, Ehrlich founded and co-directs the New Jersey Innovation Acceleration Center which is
dedicated to helping innovators and entrepreneurs throughout New Jersey accelerate their time to
market and revenue. With grant support from the US Economic Development Agency, he led a
training program for entrepreneurs throughout Northern New Jersey. He established and is the
advisor to the Innovation Acceleration Club, a student club at NJIT.
Ehrlich received his doctorate from Princeton University in economics with a specialty in
finance. His bachelor’s degree is from Yale University.
Sandra Furnbach - Program Manager, Office of
Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Stevens Institute
of Technology
sfurnbac@stevens.edu
Sandra Furnbach is the program manager for the Office of Innovation &
Entrepreneurship at Stevens Institute of Technology. Sandra’s in charge of
the planning, steering and executing of major events and programs such as
the Innovation Expo, which includes the Elevator Pitch Olympics for Seniors,
the Senior Projects Expo, the I&E Summer Undergraduate Research
Program, and the I&E Doctoral Fellowship Program. Sandra regularly works
with the Senior Design Program participants and is involved with the effort to incorporate
entrepreneurship and innovation into the senior design program workshops. Additionally, Sandra
mentors faculty and students in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
Before coming to Stevens, Sandra worked as a consulting engineer with Stantec and T&M Associates
specializing in Urban Land Redevelopment and Municipal Engineering. Sandra is currently working
on her first entrepreneurial endeavor, she is the co-founder and CEO of Periodyc Designs, LLP which
specializes in merchandise imprinted with unique designs based on chemical symbols.
Sandra holds a B.S. Degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering, an A. B. degree in Art History, and
a Master of Engineering degree in Engineering Management from Stevens Institute of Technology.
She also holds a Professional Engineering license in NJ.

Micah Kotch – Director, NY Prize and
Strategic Advisor for Innovation, NYSERDA
micahjason+next@gmail.com
Micah Kotch is the Director of NY Prize and Strategic Advisor for
Innovation, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA). NY Prize is a first-in-the-nation $40 million competition to
engage communities in advancing plans for local power infrastructure to
reduce costs, promote clean energy, reliability and resiliency.
Previously, Micah was Director of incubator initiatives at NYU-Poly and
Director of the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and Renewable
Economy (NYC ACRE) initiative, where he helped develop New York City's
emerging Cleantech sector. His work assisting startup tech ventures
has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Scientific American, and NPR
Marketplace.
A Chinese major at Colgate University, Micah graduated with distinction and wrote his first
business plan while working in Ningbo, China. He has developed new business for wireless
telecom carriers and device manufacturers, brokering licensing deals with large media
companies and game publishers. Micah was the first green initiatives coordinator for Pratt
Institute, helping grow the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard and establishing The Center for Sustainable Design Studies and Research (funded
by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Federal DOE). An internationally sought-out speaker
on Cleantech innovation and economic development, he was named by GE Ecomagination as
one of their Top 11 Sustainability Innovators of 2011.
Roman Lubynsky – Principal,
Venture Mentoring Service,
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
rml@mit.edu
Dr. Lubynsky has been a member of the leadership team at the MIT
Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) since 2002. In addition to leading
the creation of many new programs and initiatives at VMS, he has
worked with hundreds of faculty, students and alumni to help advance
their ideas. His key interests concern students who seek to commercialize discoveries and
inventions from MIT and he has mentored dozens that have launched new companies reaching
successful outcomes. He holds an MS in management of technology from MIT and a doctoral
degree in management from the University of Maryland University College. Roman has over 30
years of experience in startups and with growing technology companies.

Christopher Reim – Managing Director, Community
Development Venture Capital Alliance; Managing General
Partner, Innovate NY Fund, L.P.
creim@cdvca.org
212.594.6747 ext. 15
Christopher Reim brings a blend of venture capital and public policy
thought leadership to the commercialization of research. His approach to
economic growth derives from his work in managing venture capital
investments for family office and a private equity funds. Within these funds,
Mr. Reim has also launched and managed several technology businesses.
He is currently the Managing Director of Community Development Venture
Capital Alliance, a national association of developmental venture funds, where he addresses
structural issues for the formation of for-profit funds that invest into distressed communities. On
behalf of CDVCA, he is also the Managing General Partner of New York State’s Innovate NY
Fund, L.P. His policy analysis focuses on the intersection of innovation and job creation.
He holds an MPA in Economic Policy from Columbia University, an MBA in Finance from the
University of Colorado at Boulder, and a BS in Economics from The Pennsylvania State University.
Frank Rimalovski – Executive Director, NYU
Entrepreneurial Institute
Fbr4@nyu.edu
Frank Rimalovski has over 20 years of experience in
technology commercialization, startups and early-stage
venture capital. He is executive director of the NYU Entrepreneurial
Institute, managing director of the NYU Innovation Venture Fund and
an Instructor in the NSF’s I-Corps program, having trained over a
hundred entrepreneurs in customer development and lean startup
methodologies. Previously, he was a founding partner of New Venture
Partners, a director and entrepreneur-in-residence at Lucent’s Bell
Labs, and has held positions in product management and marketing at Sun Microsystems,
Apple and NeXT. Earlier in his career, he was an M&A banker at Bear Stearns and Rodman &
Renshaw. He lives outside of New York City with his wife, two daughters and his increasingly
mellow mutt.

Michael Shimazu - Associate Vice President,
Business Partnerships and Economic Development,
University at Albany, SUNY
mshimazu@albany.edu
518.956.8177
Michael Shimazu is Associate VP for Business Partnerships at the
University at Albany with responsibility for the university’s Emerging
Technology and Entrepreneurship Cluster. Prior to joining UAlbany, he
initiated and managed several programs in the Innovation and Business
Development group at NYSERDA to increase the opportunities for clean
technology companies to commercialize new products and grow their
business. These include the nationally recognized and award-winning Clean Energy Business
Incubator program, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program, several investor outreach initiatives,
and direct funding to innovative companies with promising plans for growth and manufacturing
in New York. He has 30 years of experience in technology commercialization in startup
companies, universities and government. He was a co-founder and VP of Business
Development of MOEC, a venture-backed optical components company, where he led product
strategy and customer development. He has also advised several technology startups as an
independent consultant and Business Development Director at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He holds the S.B. from MIT and M.S. from Rensselaer.
Boris Shor - Group Leader, Oncology Research
Unit, Pfizer
boris.shor@pfizer.com
Dr. Shor has over 15-years of experience in basic and applied scientific
research, including extensive background in both biologics and small
molecule drug discovery across oncology and immunology. He is
currently a group leader at the Oncology Research Unit of Pfizer in New
York. His team focuses on the discovery and early development of new
antibody-drug conjugates and supports translational research efforts for the late stage ADC
programs. From 2003 to 2008, he was a Senior Scientist at the department of Oncology
Discovery at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for the kinase inhibitor
programs. Before joining Wyeth, Boris performed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Inflammation
Research team at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical R&D. He received an M.S. in Genetics
from the St. Petersburg State University in 1995 and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology at
the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in 2001.

Course Manager
Christina Pellicane – Manager, NYC Regional
Innovation Node
Office of Vice Chancellor for Research, CUNY
Christina.Pellicane@cuny.edu
Christina Pellicane serves as the Manager of the NYC Regional
Innovation Node (NYCRIN), a $3.74M consortium of CUNY, NYU, &
Columbia funded by the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps
(I-Corps). In this position, she manages the daily operations of NYCRIN
and its other collaborative programs including helping form startup
teams and increasing the impact of I-Corps Innovation Ecosystem through regional trainings and
interacting with key partners in industry, government and academia. She is the key strategic
relationship manager between the three core universities, as well as between the Node and its 25+
network schools in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Since May 2013, she
has helped form over a dozen I-Corps teams, brought in over $1M of commercialization grants to
the region, coached several life science startups, and participated in multiple NSF I-Corps cohorts
as a Teaching Assistant, Adjunct Faculty, and National Teaching Team Faculty trainee.
Prior to joining NYCRIN, Ms. Pellicane served as the Clinical Business Administrator and Study
Monitor at AlcheraBio, a veterinary CRO. As a Research Associate at the biotech startup
Venenum Biodesign, she worked with scientists to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutics.
Ms. Pellicane is an experienced biotechnologist and is listed as co-inventor on industrial
patents. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Animal Science from the
University of Georgia as well as a Master of Business and Science with a concentration in
Biotechnology and Genomics from Rutgers University.
Teaching Assistant
Risa Cohn - Program Coordinator, NYU Entrepreneurial
Institute
rsc255@nyu.edu
Risa Cohn is a Program Coordinator at the NYU
Entrepreneurial Institute. She graduated with her BS in the
Material World of Architecture and Dress from the University of
Delaware and shortly after pursued her MA from Hunter College in
Adolescent Education-History. Risa Cohn worked at New Visions for
Public Schools, a school support organization designing, planning and
hosting professional development workshops for teachers, librarians,
principals and mentors for schools across New York City. During her time at the Frances
Hesselbein Leadership Institute, she worked on relaunching a program that worked with social,
public and private sector organizations guiding them through an organizational self-assessment
process known as, "Peter Drucker's, The Five Most Important Questions," in order to reevaluate
their mission and goals according to their customer base. Most recently, she consulted on a
start-up venture for an education management professional seeking to establish their own
personal tutoring agency, focusing on Social Studies content for adolescents as well as the NYS
Regents.

Nycrin I-Corps course syllabus Sept 2014

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