launch-in-9 a “lean start up” at portland state university* charla mathwick, associate professor...
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Launch-in-9 A “lean start up” at Portland State University*
Charla Mathwick, Associate Professor MarketingAntonie Jetter, Associate Professor Engineering & Tech Management
* Supported by Venture Well. Thank you!
PSU BackgroundOregon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Ranked 6th in US – per capita new business formation PSU Business Accelerator – among top 25 in world
Urban university many non-traditional students long tradition of community-based learning limited track record as an entrepreneurial university young engineering school, committed
to innovation in teaching
Grass-root faculty effort, gaining momentum
Launch-in-9
Launch-in-9Launch-in-9 is a branded curricular pathway, aiming to become a valued credential among employers
Diverse teams -- student-initiated projects Earn capstone credit Employs lean-start up methods University provides:
$2,500 per qualifying start-up project Mentors, community network, IP advise, faculty
oversight
Prepares students for careers in: Their L9 venture or other start-ups Intrapreneurial product development, R&D
Kickstart Weekend
Beta Project
L9
Ideate!
Founder Meet-up
Broader student reach, event formats?
Annual event and L9 integration
Initial Session
2011-2013 2013-14 2014-15 2016+ Interest?
Launch-in-9
Program Iteration
PSU Kickstart Weekend
Launch-in-9
Sources of Ideas 2014
Ideate! Workshop
½ day “charrette”, students brainstorm technology solutionsfor a pertinent social problem
Beta Project
Funding & support for student inventions (up to $1000 for prototyping material,
access to equipment, etc.)
Launch-in-9
Annual event and L9 integration
16 projects 4 funded teams
Initial Session
Soft Launch, Experiment,
Iterate
2nd L9 cohort 4 funded teams
Interest?
Launch-in-9
Program Iteration
Kickstart Weekend
Beta Project
L9
Ideate!
Founder Meet-up
2011-2013 2013-14 2014-15 2016+
Pitch & Seed Funding Clean Tech Challenge New Venture
Championship Three-Minute Thesis Noce Business Pitchfest Starve-up Pitch
No full-blown business launch
Employment: start-ups and related established firms
Launch-in-9
Program Outcomes
Annual event and L9 integration
Soft launch with 4 teams
Initial Session
Seed Project Pipelin
e
2nd L9 cohortwith 4 teams
Initial Session
Scale
Interest?Kickstart Weekend
Beta Project
L9
Ideate!
Founder Meet-up
2011-2013 2013-14 2014-15 2016+
Launch-in-9
Program Iteration
Tech. driven
Market driven
Design driven
Organic
Founder’s Meet-Up
Ap
ply to
L9
• Lean Start-up• MVP Testing• Tech/Mkt
Validation
Pitch
& F
un
d
Fin
al P
res.
• Prototype• Biz Model• Growth
Strategy
On to…
• Angel Funding,• Biz Plan• Competition,
Incubator, Crowdfunding, ….
Launch-in-9
Sophomore – Junior Years Senior or Final Grad Year Post Graduation
Launch-in-9
Culture &Ideation
$ 2,500 is not too little to move forward L9 does not put already existing ideas to work but triggers ideas Not everybody is in it for the start-up – many students simply
want the experience Business students do not outnumber engineering students Employers value L9 capstones, even those that do not succeed.
A 360 experience that develops independence, resourcefulness, and preparation for careers where the only certainty is change. William Newman, Mging Director
NW Technology Ventures
L9 never fully fits into the normal capstone sequence, requiring ongoing faculty involvement
Despite testing, judging, reviews: founders have difficulty abandoning their ideas for good
Launch-in-9Testing reveals wrong assumptions
Very early stage venture development Student-initiated ideas Broad acessibility with focus on degree completion
Launch-in-9
What’s different:
Further growth of project pipeline Employment credentials: create online badging system that
showcases students’ engagement with L9 (e.g. on LinkedIn) Systematically assess student outcome
What’s next:
John Maseda (engineering) 2013/14
“I find the launch in 9 program is the singular most valuable experience of my academic career.”
Jeremiah Scott (engineering) 2014/15
“This element--understanding not only what is feasible, but also what is needed by the market, and how to define that--has pushed me to go beyond the work of engineer into the realm of innovator and inventor. I will never regret choosing Launch-in-9.”
Emily Wooton (business) 2013/14
http://www.launchin9.com/
Launch-in-9
Student Feedback
Launch-in-9
Thank you!