IDEA Incubator (01:090:126)
Engage in practical, hands-on experiences fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Transform Your Vision into Real-World Impact
IDEA Incubator is a 3-credit practicum course that teaches students to become evidence-based innovators and entrepreneurs, blending perspectives from information science, communication, and entrepreneurship to help students launch their social innovations and startups.
The course focuses on the development of social innovation through community-centered research. Our goal is to strengthen the well-being of society by prioritizing critical thinking and creative problem-solving while keeping the practical aspects in mind
Who Should Enroll?
You should enroll if you already have an idea for a social innovation venture and are ready to put in the work to develop it.
While there are no formal prerequisites , we recommend having some experience in idea development through opportunities like:
- Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA)
- RBS Entrepreneurship Minor (or track)
- Digital Communication, Information and Media (DCIM) minor
- Innovation focused student organizations: RES, CreativeX, Blueprint, ENACTUS
- Honors College Forum
What You Will Achieve
Throughout this course, you will take an action-driven approach to:
- Validate Your Idea: Conduct primary and secondary research using design thinking methods to determine your audience and users.
- Develop Core Skills: Apply what you have learned through your coursework and club projects.
- Collaborative Problem-Solving: Apply tools that encourage collaborative problem-solving.
- Create Your Pitch: Develop a Pitch Deck to tell the story of your innovation.
- Secure Funding: Develop a Project Narrative that can be used for applying to the IDEA Discovery Fund or other opportunities.
Course Structure
Structured as a workshop class, the course blends several key innovation techniques:
- Design Thinking with the Lean Startup technique known as 'customer discovery' (interviewing people).
- Workshop Time: You are given dedicated time during the class meetings to work on your projects.
- The schedule includes Guest Speakers throughout the semester on key startup topics.
- The class community is structured around gaining knowledge through dialogue and exchange of expertise.
