Phase 0

Phase 0 is an exciting new initiative from the National Science Foundation to support technology teams in their customer discovery journeys.   You can get $25,000 to:

1) participate in the prestigious I-Corps customer discovery class, where you will interview 100 people in just 7 weeks;
2) travel to trade shows, meetings, and other locations to understand industry structure and meet your community of interest.  You will also participate in I-Corps Go, a new program to support teams beyond their customer discovery processes.

Prior I-Corps teams are disqualified from applying.

To qualify, teams should:
– Develop a deep technology (i.e., no apps unless you are developing novel algorithms and/or cutting-edge information science).  Preference will be given to teams who have their own intellectual property
– Be early in their customer discovery journeys
– Have raised minimal funds through federal or private sources
– Have a small team, with at least one lead technologist and one business development or entrepreneurial team.  Larger teams will be considered but the number of participants in the customer discovery course may be only 3 or 4
– Teams with mentors are strongly encouraged to apply, but IN-LA will help you find a mentor if you need one.

Not sure if this is a good fit?  Apply anyway!  Our team will be happy to help you find the right fit.