MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mohr Davidow, a leading early stage Silicon Valley venture capital firm, announced today that General Partner Jonathan Feiber will be a faculty member for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) curriculum. The education portion of I-Corps will be based at Stanford University and directed by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). The National Science Foundation recently awarded a five-year, $10 million grant to launch a national center for teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in engineering.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20070702/AQM026LOGO)
Feiber first started teaching at Stanford last year with serial entrepreneur and author Steve Blank who created the Lean LaunchPad curriculum. It has since been adapted to the I-Corps program, which kicks off at Stanford October 10 with a workshop followed by five weeks of web-based lectures, and concludes with pitch presentations in December.
"This program will foster entrepreneurship within the ranks of the NSF grant recipients and help commercialize their research," Feiber explained. "We want to encourage participants to embrace experimentation and apply what they learn every step of the way. That's what leads to great companies."
Over a period of six months, each I-Corps team comprising a principal investigator, a mentor, and an entrepreneurial lead, will systematically identify and address knowledge gaps to ascertain the technology disposition. They will answer questions such as: What resources will be required? What are the competing technologies? What value will the proposed innovation add?
The I-Corps program will also pilot innovative merit review processes through which promising discoveries emerging from NSF-funded research projects will be identified quickly and efficiently for financial support as well as for mentorship through the national network.
"While the main goal of I-Corps is to build on NSF's investment in fundamental research, the program also seeks to offer academic researchers and students an opportunity to learn firsthand about technological innovation and entrepreneurship to fulfill the promise of their discoveries," says Errol Arkilic, NSF program director for I-Corps.
About I-Corps
The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) guides promising research with commercial potential out of university laboratories. The program will actively engage participation by U.S. faculty and students in helping to create the next wave of innovators and entrepreneurs who will build lasting economic growth. Learn more at www.nsf.gov/i-corps.
About Mohr Davidow
For more than 25 years, the Mohr Davidow team has invested in early stage startups and worked closely with exceptional entrepreneurs to create venture returns by developing and bringing to market new, technology-based products and services. The firm invests in companies that transform industries whether through better infrastructure for our rapidly evolving data-intensive digital world, more efficient power for our planet, or better, more personalized medicine. Category-leading companies funded by Mohr Davidow include: Agile (ORCL); AudienceScience; Brocade (BRDC); Coupa; Genomatica; Infusionsoft; Kabbage; Nanosolar; nLight; ONI Systems (CIEN); Pacific Biosciences; Panasas; ParAccel; ParAllele (AFFX); Proofpoint; OPXBIO; RainDance Technologies; Rally Software; Rambus; Recurrent Energy (acquired by Sharp Corporation); Rocket Fuel; Shutterfly; Simbol Materials; Ticketfly; Visible Measures; and ZeaChem. The firm has $1.85 billion under management. For more information, visit http://www.mdv.com.
SOURCE Mohr Davidow
Share this article