IU Launches Faculty Startup Accelerator Program
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Indiana University is launching a startup accelerator program to help faculty turn their research discoveries and professional insights into viable businesses. The IU Faculty Startup Accelerator Program is a collaboration between the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office and The Mill in Bloomington.
IU says the program is designed for entrepreneurs from IU who have early-stage, scalable business ideas.
“We are excited to partner with The Mill to offer this program tailored for IU inventors and entrepreneurs,” said Simran Trana, associate vice president of the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office. “Through this program, participants will improve the probability of success for their startups and accelerate technology commercialization for IU.”
During the six-week program, IU says participants will work to define their customer base, market, revenue models. Participants will create a business plan for their early stage startups with feedback and support from mentors at The Mill.
At the end of the program, participants pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs, founders, investors and community leaders.
“IU’s Innovation and Commercialization Office is committed to transforming lab discovery into market solutions through licensing and startup formation,” Trana said. “Our commercialization managers work closely with IU innovators and early-stage startups by providing access to clinical expertise and support for navigating the commercialization process at IU.”
The first cohort includes:
- Feng Guo, Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering
- Dan Tracey, Gill Center for Biomolecular Science
- Rudy Banerjee, Department of Geography
- Rachel M. Wheeler, Department of Religious Studies
- Janaiah Kota, Medical and Molecular Genetics, IUSM
- Weinian Shou, Department of Pediatrics, IUSM
- Aaron Ganci, Department of Visual Communication Design
- James Tagg, Jacobs School of Music