During early summer 2024, the NY I-Corps Hub and NYC Innovation Hot Spot hosted the first Discovery Bootcamp for I-Corps graduates in advance of the June 2024 TechConnect World Innovation conference. The inaugural pilot bootcamp began with a virtual kickoff session, then sponsored 10 New York State-based companies to attend TechConnect in National Harbor, MD, after which they reconvened for a virtual Lessons Learned final workshop where companies shared their insights and next steps.
The ten participating companies all previously completed a Regional I-Corps between 2022 and 2024, attended a SBIR/STTR full-day workshop held by the NYC Innovation Hot Spot, and received funding of up to $3K to support developing prototypes.
In the virtual bootcamp kickoff session, the teaching team, including NY I-Corps Hub and NYC Innovation Hot Spot leadership, John Blaho, Ariella Trotsenko, Cira Cardaci, and Arber Ruci, explained the TechConnect conference format and how to best maximize time there given the huge schedule and number of events. They also taught participants how to create a “quad chart,” a visual summary of a project divided into four quadrants used for communication and planning purposes. The quad chart can be particularly useful for teams planning to speak with representatives from the US Department of Defense and other agency SBIR/STTR program directors.
Participant companies had to prepare a kickoff assignment about which TechConnect sessions they hoped to attend, and how they planned to approach customers, service providers, potential partners, and others. The bootcamp teaching team was available for office hours before and after the TechConnect conference, with Ruci and Cardaci providing office hours on site at the conference as well.
“I am thrilled with the outcomes of this initial bootcamp,” said Cardaci, executive manager of the NYC Innovation Hot Spot. “It enabled our teams to maximize their time and experiences at TechConnect, gaining agency-specific knowledge that will continue to build as they develop their companies. Ultimately, we hope to see an increase in SBIR submissions from participating teams.”
The bootcamp equipped these participants for the opportunity of TechConnect by helping them to build upon their commercialization plan for SBIR/STTR submission for any federal agency and preparing them to meet key innovation players and stakeholders from their sectors who commercialize, adopt, buy, resell, and invest in technologies. The bootcamp also provided structure and requirements for tracking and reporting on learnings while getting feedback from I-Corps instructors, and prepared companies on how to conduct customer discovery while attending conferences.
At TechConnect, participant companies connected with a network of leaders in advanced materials, advanced manufacturing, energy innovation, sustainability innovation, biotech and medical, electronics and microsystems, AI innovation, and innovation and business, along with representatives of every federal agency that awards SBIR/STTR grants.
“The bootcamp was a cohort full of other successful I-Corps participants, and for all of us, the next step was to see how we could push ahead and further penetrate the market,” said Erina Vela, founder of far-field electronics startup BeamFeed. “The structure of the bootcamp enabled us to make the most of participating in TechConnect—thanks to the bootcamp, I knew which agencies and which program managers to target so I could get the most out of the conference.”
“As a founder, maintaining momentum can sometimes be challenging,” Vela added. “The experience at the bootcamp finale of hearing how other startup leaders were doing reignited my own efforts to move forward in a strategic way. It was great to see how the NY I-Corps network supports startups committed to making meaningful societal impact.”
Tyree Williams, founder of Kratos Technology Inc., a maker of a novel quick-drying cement compound for stabilizing fractured vertebrae, concurred with Vela. “I had just finished my PhD before going to the bootcamp and TechConnect,” he said. “I had some jitters about moving my startup forward, but the bootcamp and TechConnect reinspired me. I gained so many insights from the stories of other New York area founders. The bootcamp was in perfect alignment with where I am in my career, and the Hub team really helped me to game out my goals for the next five years and finalize my business model canvas. Of course, the TechConnect conference was also fantastic—it was helpful and timely to get more specific insights about SBIR and STTR grant opportunities.”
Another bootcamp participant, Julie Hetey, is CEO of Aerovec, a wind turbine company working to make significantly smaller rotors to reduce the size of the turbines, providing portability and temporary renewable energy solutions. She emphasized the value of the bootcamp in preparing her to make the most of her participation at TechConnect.
“We focused on who we were hoping to meet with and researching and preparing for those opportunities,” Hetey said. “Instead of just stopping by a booth, I had scheduled meetings set up in advance. Doing that was a huge takeaway I will do again and again. It’s had a remarkable impact already—I’ve received letters of support for grant applications, which helped us to secure a grant from the Department of Energy, and we are several stages into conversation with an agency I met there. It’s been a phenomenal start that stemmed from the meeting prep.”
Participants sought to maximize the connections made at the conference. For example, Williams shared that he met the founder of a platform dedicated to helping entrepreneurs scale their ventures. Vela shared that she is now familiar with the process for collaborating with prime contractors and is moving forward with introducing her innovation to their technology portfolios.
The Hot Spot and Hub intend to host the Discovery Bootcamp again in Summer 2025; applications for participation should open in March 2025. The TechConnect World Innovation Conference and Expo will take place in Austin, TX on June 9-11, 2025.
