VENTURE LAB | Customer Discovery
Validate your innovation and accelerate to market
For faculty and graduate students/postdocs who have developed groundbreaking science or technology innovations, Venture Lab | Customer Discovery by NSF I-Corps offers essential training, funding, and mentorship for teams for early-stage ventures. This program guides teams through the crucial stages of customer discovery and solution validation.
Spring 2026
Note: March dates have been postponed. The next Cohort will take place April 1, 15 & 29
Venture Lab | Customer Discovery by NSF I-Corps is hosting a spring 2026 program consisting of 3 sessions held in-person at Yale Ventures from 4:30 to 6 PM; dinner will be provided.
- April 1
- April 15
- April 29
Who should apply?
Faculty and Grad Students/Post Docs who have developed a science or technology innovation. A team approach is recommended including a technical lead (typically faculty) and an entrepreneurial lead (typically a student).
What you'll get
- Training: Four sessions introducing the lean startup methodology and guiding teams through customer discovery research – customer, problem, solution and value proposition testing.
- Funding: Stipends of $1,500 are given to each team
Acceptable Expense Policy - Mentorship and networking: Teams will receive mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and innovators. Teams may also utilize many other programs offered by the Hub-affiliated institutions.
- Follow-on opportunities: Upon completion, Yale faculty-led teams are eligible for the national NSF I-Corps Teams program which provides an intensive 7-week training course and a $50,000 grant.
- Other benefits include:
- Attracting more innovative graduate students to your lab (for faculty).
- Reassuring potential investors that you have engaged the customer and have reflected their feedback in the development of your innovation.
- Identifying the first licensees or customers for your product.
When is the best time to attend I-Corps?
We encourage teams to apply early in the development of their innovation. While customer discovery work can be done as early as the idea phase, typically it is most efficient when the initial research is complete or when a prototype or MVP has been developed. Completing customer discovery before seeking outside investors is ideal.
