Igniter Award Applications Due June 9

Applications Due June 9

Cohort Begins July 11, Every Tuesday for 5 weeks

D2P is pleased to offer a summer cohort of its Igniter program.  This program is designed to help commercialize UW-Madison innovations.  The program helps project teams develop the strategies and materials they need to move their product or service from the lab or dorm room out to the market.  D2P’s efforts have helped form some 13 startup companies with another 10 innovations currently on track for startup.
The Igniter program begins with an intensive 5-week sprint that includes a weekly series of 4-hour workshops. During this portion of the program, project teams focus on identifying their value propositions and target customer segments. In a group setting, teams learn to incorporate tools and techniques such as the Business Model Canvas, customer development, lean startup methodologies, desk research, in-depth customer interviews, and value proposition design.

Igniter project teams will also work one-on-one with D2P’s Mentors-in-Residence. The Mentor will work with each project team to address issues and challenges associated with the specific innovation and business opportunity. Mentors-in-Residence are experienced entrepreneurs, start-up executives, product development managers, and technologists with specific industry experiences.  D2P’s Mentors work with the project team for as long as needed to achieve commercialization—a depth of commitment not typical of startup accelerators.

For teams that successfully emerge from the initial Igniter program with a compelling “product/market fit,” funding is available from D2P through Igniter grants to pay for a wide range of commercialization tasks. D2P does not receive any equity in your company as consideration for Igniter funding nor for the help rendered by the D2P team.
The goal of D2P and the Igniter program is to mature projects on campus so that they are ready to receive equity, SBIR or other types of funding needed to form a startup. D2P adds market readiness to your idea or invention.

Qualifications for D2P’s Igniter enrollment:

1. Must have a current affiliation with the UW-Madison (student, faculty, staff, etc).

2. Innovation cannot be an incorporated legal entity legally incorporated entity (LLC or Inc.)

3. The innovation must be at technical proof of concept or beyond. (D2P has other workshops for idea stage projects).