EnterpriseWorks Tenants

 EIR consulting meetings are available both in-person and virtually.  The Research Park Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) program provides free consulting to new startup ventures and prospective technology entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneur-in-Residence team features experienced entrepreneurs that have faced challenges in commercializing research/early stage technology. They provide advice on a wide variety of business topics like successfully attracting investment, building a team and communicating value proposition.   The EIRs are available via appointment for any Research Park client or University of Illinois faculty, staff, student or community technology entrepreneur to receive business consulting, strategy assistance, marketing and communication help, investor preparedness, or other startup consultation needed. Entrepreneurs may select an EIR or have one assigned by the EnterpriseWorks staff based on the subject matter and availability of the team. The EIR program also has monthly training events for technology entrepreneurs covering basic fundamentals most entrepreneurs face such as intellectual property basics, business development and sales, SBIR/STTR grant writing, and investor options and negotiations. For assistance, submit an online request form. [accordions id=”4886″]  

The I-Start Seed Funding Program benefits University of Illinois-affiliated entrepreneurs with strong potential for technology commercialization through new company formation. I-Start awardees have access to a suite of professional services including business development, legal setup, SBIR applications, bookkeeping, and marketing/branding assistance. EnterpriseWorks maintains a list of professional service providers and pricing for I-Start clients. I-Start award recipients are required to become tenants of the EnterpriseWorks incubator. Through the program, EnterpriseWorks competitively awards companies 80% of the cost of the services. Funding and resources are available for one year. Lastly, services are expected to be completed within the budget allocations for each category. Apply to the I-Start Program   Service Providers If your firm wishes to provide services for I-Start, please submit a one-page scope of services on any of the packages listed on the table, including prices and contact information on company letterhead, to research-park@illinois.edu.

AWARE (Accelerating Women And underRepresented Entrepreneurs) is programmed through the EnterpriseWorks incubator at the University of Illinois Research Park. The program exists to support entrepreneurship training, counseling, and networking.     AWARE offers resources and an enhanced infrastructure that make the current entrepreneurial ecosystem more accessible to all. Those resources include: a dedicated entrepreneur-in-residence familiar with the needs of those from underrepresented groups. small proof-of-concept grants for teams targeted mentorship, training, and networking opportunities AWARE events found on the Research Park calendar The AWARE program is led by Laura Bleill, director of  external engagement at the Research Park and EnterpriseWorks. For more information, please contact Laura Bleill at lwbleill@illinois.edu. Join the AWARE Mailing List Proof of Concept Award The AWARE program seeks to aid women and underrepresented entrepreneurs through a proof-of-concept award. The AWARE proof-of-concept award provides funding to potential SBIR/STTR applicants to enable prototype development and accelerate the path toward commercialization. Awardees may receive up to $1,500 in proof-of-concept funds. The second round of Proof of Concept award applications is now closed. Stay tuned for future award opportunities. See the video below for a presentation from proof-of-concept award winner Amanda Smith of KAS Automotive. AWARE Workshop Series The AWARE program hosts a four-part workshop series to introduce researchers to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Participants explore the commercialization process, engage with investment experts, and discover local resources for entrepreneurs. The spring workshop series is now complete. Please check our calendar for upcoming workshops and events. Workshop One: Visioning Impact from Research This workshop introduces the commercialization process and features successful women entrepreneurs at Illinois. Participants explore their own research programs, discuss potential ideas for commercialization and reflect upon the benefits and challenges of taking ideas to market. Workshop Two: Learning the Landscape This workshop introduces the entrepreneurship ecosystem at UIUC. Participants will learn of the entrepreneurial resources available within our community and engage with leaders within the ecosystem. Workshop Three: Building a Team Participants learn the importance of building an effective team to bring their innovation to market. They identify their role in the process and discover they don’t have to start a company or be the CEO. Workshop Four: Understanding the Funding Lifecycle Participants engage with experts from potential funding sources (public and private) to understand the available options that are most appropriate at each stage. (SBIR, Angel, Venture Capital etc.) History of AWARE The pilot program for AWARE was led by principal investigator Jed Taylor, director of operations at the Technology Entrepreneur Center, and co-PI Laura Bleill in a collaboration among the College of Engineering, the Office of Technology Management, and EnterpriseWorks. It was generously funded by a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation starting in late 2016 through early 2019. In the Fall of 2019, AWARE received a $50,000 Growth Accelerator Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration. AWARE was one of 60 accelerators and incubators to win the 2019 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The funds allow EnterpriseWorks to continue and strengthen the program by providing resources and support to female-founded tech companies. Read more about the SBA Growth Accelerator Award here. AWARE in the News Read what the University of Illinois Grainger College of Engineering wrote here. Read what The Daily Illini wrote here. Read the press release about the five winners of the proof of concept awards here.  

EntrepriseWorks has engaged Dr. Deana McDonagh, Professor of Industrial Design in the School of Art + Design at the University of Illinois, as a Designer-in-Residence. In this role, she assists University of Illinois inventors and entrepreneurs to incorporate empathic design and design thinking in their technology development to help improve user experiences and performance of products to meet customer needs. She is an Empathic Design Research Strategist who focuses on enhancing quality of life for all through more intuitive and meaningful products, leading to emotional sustainability. Her research concentrates on emotional user-product relationships and how empathy can bring the designer closer to users’ authentic need. Specifically, McDonagh works with startup companies in EnterpriseWorks to further support transforming their inventions into innovations for wider impact. Support can include user research, initial form exploration, mood boards, brainstorming, field research, user evaluation and design strategy. A recent article in Wired spoke of the need, “So instead of competing on technology, people are competing on design. And now everyone seems to be trying to out-design each other.” EnterpriseWorks companies can receive assistance from our Designer-in-Residence at no charge. DESIGNER-IN-RESIDENCE REQUEST