An Intern's Report on I-Corps@Ohio

The I-Corp program was an eye-opening experience for me. Having only gone to school my whole life, learning how real business works is something that I desperately need to do in order to be ready to enter the job market upon graduation. This program was another key step in allowing me to do this. It was especially helpful to me as a business major because it focused on the business side of developing products rather than the technological side. Just having the opportunity to be in the room and hear the insight of all the instructors who have so much experience investing in as well as creating startups. That coupled with entering the program with a lot of other academics who also had limited knowledge about choosing their customer segment, how to price their product, and most importantly how to sell their product allowed me to learn and grow alongside them. Now, I am much more knowledgeable on sales and marketing, something that I was admittedly weak in before. Learning from the instructors helped me to see things from the side of a potential investor in startups, something that is a career goal of mine. The Medtech cohort also particularly interested me because the teams there were working on so many groundbreaking medical solutions, from mechanical to medicinal. Each team created something new that had the potential to significantly increase the quality of life for thousands of people, while also making money for themselves. Overall, the I-Corp program gave me insight into the world of startup companies, a world that I will hopefully break into on my own one day.

Author, Paul Bete