Welcome to the MIN-Corps Toolbox

You need many tools to take an innovation from concept to market reality. In addition to our in-person programs, here is a starter collection of resources.

Homing in on product-market fit:

  • Value Proposition Design – What are customers trying to achieve? How can you help them?
  • Customer Discovery & Market Assessment – How do you "get out of the building" to learn from potential customers? How do you determine if you have a viable market?
  • Pathway to Commercialization – If you've achieved product-market fit, what are the steps needed to get out into the marketplace? 

Once you have a high-level commercialization game plan, you need to specify and attract the needed resources:

  • Planning – What does the comprehensive business model look like?  How will you document your business plan?
  • Pitching – How can you get decision makers intrigued in your idea?  How will you get them to take the conversation to the next step?
  • Funding – What’s your funding strategy?  What are some funding sources?

Intellectual property protection and licensing entails multiple considerations and processes:

  • Patentability & Public Disclosure – What IP protections are relevant to different types of innovations?  What does this mean for academic discourse?
  • Office for Technology Commercialization – What can you expect from a tech transfer office? What does the process look like?  

This tool box is just to get you started.  We also have included a portal to the following:

  • University of Minnesota – What are the U’s entrepreneurship, commercialization and translational research programs and centers?  Who do you contact?
  • Lean LaunchPad – How do you get an overview of the Lean Startup Process? What’s the latest?
  • Other Resources – Videos and other material from Kauffman Founders School and other respected sources.

We can’t help but offer our own observations, as well.  The MIN-Corps blog addresses technology commercialization, innovation and entrepreneurship. 

With funding from the National Science Foundation, MIN-Corps is a joint initiative of three areas of the University of Minnesota: the College of Science and Engineering, the Office for Technology Commercialization, and the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship at the Carlson School of Management. Our mission is to increase research-based technology commercialization capabilities and activities across the University of Minnesota.