Abstract
This chapter describes how the Lean Startup approach has been applied at the George Washington University to enhance the technology transfer function. The nascent Lean Startup approach, as embodied in the National Science Foundation's Innovation Corps (NSF I-CorpsTM) program, presents an exciting new platform for universities and their Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) to build scalable launchpads for research-based startup efforts. Traditional university technology transfer techniques have yielded mixed results in commercializing inventions of their researchers. The NSF I-CorpsTM program is fostering a new generation of researchers who can better understand and bridge the gap between lab and market. It provides an intensive boot camp that guides researchers through an interview-based customer development process to determine whether there is an appropriate product market fit for their inventions. These Lean Startup-savvy researchers are better able to work with their TTOs, entrepreneurs, and industry to improve the prospects for startup success. Their future research initiatives also benefit from being informed about what commercially relevant problems exist in their areas of expertise.
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