Igniter is an intensive program for UW–Madison innovators committed to bringing a technology, device, app, consumer product or social impact solution to market.
Igniter will take you on a deep dive through the Business Model Canvas, where you’ll develop and test hypotheses related to desirability, feasibility, and viability as you work to reduce risk and create a roadmap to impact for your idea, discovery or invention. You’ll learn through group sessions plus individualized coaching and can apply for up to $5,000 to test business model assumptions.
Igniter is for you if you:
- Have a principal team member who is a UW–Madison faculty, student, staff (including UW affiliates)
- Have taken your idea through a Lean LaunchPad program or equivalent (e.g. D2P’s Innovation to Market, an NSF I-Corps program).
- Have done initial customer discovery.
- Can commit significant time to business development.
Igniter is led by D2P’s expert mentors – veteran business developers, product managers and entrepreneurs, all certified as NSF I-Corps Instructors, with industry expertise in life sciences, healthcare, IT, engineering, cleantech, energy, agriculture, food, consumer products and more. You’ll also be mentored by and network with key members of the local ecosystem.
After Igniter, you will have developed a solid commercialization plan and be ready for the next steps such as a business launch, an investment accelerator, initial fundraising, or SBIR/STTR grant application. Post-program, you can access ongoing support from D2P in each stage of your entrepreneurial journey.
Read about some of the startups and innovators who have participated in D2P programs.
All D2P programs are free and open to UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students, and employees of UW–Madison affiliate organizations.
Find out if Igniter is right for you! Sign up for a Mentor Chat! (required prior to applying if you are new to D2P)
Fall 2024/Spring 2025 program
Dates: October 8 – March 18
Tuesdays from 9-11 a.m.
Schedule:
• October 8 (in person at D2P)
• October 22
• November 5, 19
• December 3, 17
• January 7, 21
• February 4, 18
• March 4
• March 18 (in person at D2P)
Course includes 12 weeks of instruction plus regular mentor meetings, and spans fall and spring semesters with a break in between. The format mixes virtual and in-person meetings and includes interactive cohort sessions, self-directed learning and individualized coaching.
Igniter uses a “flipped classroom” approach. The format mixes virtual and in-person meetings and includes interactive cohort sessions, self-directed learning and individualized coaching.
IGNITER PROGRAM DETAILS
Prerequisites and Requirements:
- A well-articulated idea (innovation), i.e., a new product, service, technology or solution to a social problem that you have reason to believe is technically feasible.
- At least one active team lead must have a current affiliation with UW Madison (faculty, student, staff or affiliate employee).
- Completed at least one innovation training course such as UW Madison’s Innovation to Market, NSF I-Corps (local, regional or national), other similar “Lean LaunchPad” program, or demonstrated achievement of similar milestones.
- Already completed 20 or more discovery interviews with relevant ecosystem stakeholders.
- Set a pre-application meeting with a D2P mentor. Sign up for a Mentor Chat if you are not already working with a D2P mentor.
- Commit to:
- Attending all 12 sessions (two in person, 10 via Zoom).
- Completing work and meeting with mentors outside of class (on average, 3-4 hours per week).
- Active participation during sessions.
Benefits:
- Free admission (registration cost covered by D2P) for one person per team to the Early Stage Symposium (Madison, Nov. 13-14)
- Invitation to the Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Achievement Awards (April)
- Up to $5,000 grant (additional application required) for use in 2025 for testing business model assumptions.
- Individualized coaching from expert mentors
- Access to additional ecosystem events and networking opportunities
Igniter Learning Objectives:
- Dive deep into all components of the Business Model Canvas (create, test, and refine); Customer Segments, Value Proposition, Revenue Streams, Channels, Customer Relationships, Key Activities, Key Resources, Key Partners, and Cost Structure.
- Learn how to gather insights to validate or invalidate hypotheses via discovery interviews and other experiments to test business model assumptions.
- Learn to spend money resourcefully to de-risk assumptions in the business model.
- Develop key milestones, financing options, and overall business timeline to implement.
- Develop and refine pitches and presentations to partners or investors.
- Network with key stakeholders in the local innovation ecosystem.
Expected Outcomes:
- Developed a clearly defined business model roadmap with steps, informed milestones, and a timeline with identified funding options.
- Conducted 40+ additional in-depth discovery interviews and at least one business model experiment resulting in evidence-based actionable plans.
- Ready for the next steps, from business launch to investment accelerator, initial fundraising, SBIR/STTR, or other.
What participants are saying
"As someone who went through the program for several companies, D2P taught me to appreciate the Lean Start-up methodology. The program forced us to take a hard look at our business model assumptions and validate or invalidate these assumptions, which led us on a more fruitful trajectory toward commercialization."
Bryan Bednarz, co-founder and CSO, Voximetry
“D2P was very instrumental in the early stages. We worked with their mentors and participated in their training programs. This experience gave us an understanding of how to best commercialize our product. The programs gave us insight into how to construct a business plan, visualize the application of the product in the market, and anticipate who will occupy the customer base.”
Faraz Choudhury, co-founder and CEO, Immuto Scientific
“Thank you to the Discovery to Product team for nearly a year of lean-startup mentoring at UW-Madison—we are lucky to have such an experienced and passionate team of entrepreneurship mentors on campus! Through the Innovation to Market and Igniter programs, I was able to piece together our market, value proposition, and business model canvas in a way that even a chemist could learn.”
Patrick Sullivan, co-founder and CEO, Flux XII
“When Professor Huber and I first started Pyran, I took part in D2P’s Igniter program. It introduced me to methods of scaling up technology and intellectual property and customer discovery—the business side of startups. These learnings were vital to this young technologist getting into business.”
Kevin Barnett, co-founder and CTO, Pyran
"D2P has been particularly helpful for us. Our first dollars came from a D2P grant, which led to our first customer. D2P was also helpful as we formed the legal and financial structure of our business. The thoughtful programming was a wonderful springboard for our mission at ProPhounD. We are lucky to have D2P in our corner."
Alyssa Adams, co-founder, ProPhounD