Studio
Overview
The Mines Innovate Studio is an intensive residency program for project teams to develop innovative solutions to opportunities, challenges or problems they have identified in a market or in their own organization – to launch their startup or innovation initiative and gain traction.
Innov8x Benefits:
- Supporting participants’ innovation initiatives and projects following coursework.
- Offering students opportunities to gain practical experience and develop a portfolio of deliverables.
- Incubate promising solutions to problems with meaningful societal impacts.
- Promote being more innovative and entrepreneurial, especially in the use of our resources.
- Sharpen your entrepreneurial (startup) and intrapreneurial (within an established organization) skills.
The focus of the program is to enable participants to develop the skills to solve important problems – in the community, in your company or in government – and apply your exceptional engineering and technical skills to develop innovative solutions.
What makes Innov8x different?
Unlike traditional university-based entrepreneurship programs, the Mines Innovate Studio is unique in the following ways:
- The studio setting emphasizes a learning-by-doing approach based on our proven pedagogy.
- Support for reality-based simulations for objective-driven hypotheses testing
- Access to Mines’ maker space and various shops
- Access to world-class Mines faculty and accomplished mentors and alumni. (Each team interacts with multiple mentors and advisors)
- Learn practical entrepreneurial and innovation skills while applying those skills to two different types of projects (startups and an organizational problem)
- Advance your startup or join one and accelerate its progress.
- Develop a solution for a challenging corporate/government or non-profit problem
- The contrasting tracks afford invaluable learning opportunities. Our graduates can innovate in any setting.
- No boring lectures, meetings or mind-numbing activities
- The ability to gain exposure to job and internship opportunities in addition to gaining great networking opportunities
- Co-working space in the Beck Venture Center
Join Our Growing Team
Contact Us To Use Innov8x Studio
Click the button below or email innovation@mines.edu with your request, detailing specifics about your planned use of the studio. We will respond as soon as possible.
Our Resident Members:
- Orbital Mining | Chris Tolton and Ken Liang
- Venvee | James Bauer, Torin Johnson and team
- AgriGates | Geoff McIntyre
- Arasmus | Ben Harrington
- Will Swegles and Ashle Jantzen (Removal of microplastics from freshwater)
- Sean Feeney (Chip architecture development)
- Mines Robotics Club | Nathan Woo, Dan Abel, Justin Davis, Chris Bain, Zac Stanton, Nat Crawford, Colin Brush, Alec Mallinger, Tristan DeVries
- Funtastic Engineering | Jalen Thomas, Myles Ruiz, Collin Romero, Max Nwokeukwu, Jazmine Cerezo
- ProtoGenesis | Vincent Lucich, Hayden Constas, Lucas Emery, Jessie Fehrenbach
- ADEPT | Tony Petrella/faculty, Mykola Mazur, Max Kephart, Delaney Meek, Shayn McHugh, Jordan Szigeti-Larenne
- The Mines Incubator of Neo-Entrepreneurship or “MINE” | Wyeth Summerford-Ng
- Haptic |Jack Walters, Benjamin Clay
Studio Information
Lab Title: Innov8x Studio (INNO598)
Instructor: Dr. Sid Saleh
Dates: Fall, Spring, Summer
Enroll: contact Dr. Sid Saleh
Eligibility - Students
- Currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate Mines students who have completed any of the following entrepreneurship and innovation courses:
- EBGN 360 Introduction to Entrepreneurship
- EBGN 576 Managing and Marketing New Product Developments
- EBGN 598/498 Innovate X (Defense, EMx, etc.)
- Currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students from accredited higher education institutions who have completed equivalent entrepreneurship and innovation courses (must apply).
- Any and all majors are encouraged to participate
- For-profit and non-profit innovation initiatives are welcomed
Eligibility - Participating Organizations
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- Organizations apply to submit innovative projects
- Non-directed projects – i.e. project sponsor is not a paying client
- Provide formal mentoring education opportunities for promising leaders who can spend time learning how to mentor others
- Organizations apply to submit innovative projects
FAQs
If you would like more information, please email your questions to Dr. Sid Saleh.
Opportunities, Challenges or Problems
Are you aware of a community or business problem you would like to solve in this course with a team of students?
Bring it to class! As a participant, you have a unique percpective on problems in our communities. This class was created to help students become agents of change and to make a difference in someone’s life. We welcome participants from any accredited higher education institution worldwide.
Can I suggest a problem I am passionate about?
Yes. Please email your suggested problem and/or its symptoms to Dr. Sid Saleh.
Do I have to be a US citizen to take this class?
No, all nationalities are welcome.
Do I have to have previous experience with entrepreneurship or innovation?
No prior experience is required. However, you must have a foundational understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset and creative problem solving. This is accomplished by taking one of our Mines entrepreneurship and innovation courses or equivalent courses at other institutions.
How do I find teams?
Please add yourself by filling out the team formation form. Also, make sure to go to virtual information sessions that are offered from time to time. The instructor will help match individual participants to teams. You are more than welcome to invite friends or colleagues who share your passion.
Do I have to choose an problem that a sponsor is providing?
No. You can come up with your own problem and teaching team will strive to find an industry sponsor.
What if I want to propose an idea I have to an organization or government agency?
Contact the teaching team and we will do our best to connect you with a potential sponsor.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Who owns the intellectual property that may be developed in this Studio?
If you’re working with a Mines related-technology (i.e. either research from one of the team members or University IP), you must check with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to understand Mines ownership rights in any resulting IP. You own the Intellectual Property (patents, hardware, algorithms, etc.) you brought to class/lab with you. No one (other than Mines potentially) has claim to anything you brought to class.
Will my Intellectual Property rights be protected when I discuss my ideas with the class?
This is an open class. There are no non-disclosures. At times you will learn from other teams. Keep in mind that successful innovative ideas are less about the original idea and more about the learning, discovery and execution/iteration. (That’s the purpose of this studio and all of our courses.) Therefore you must be prepared to share your ideas openly with the class. It is a forum for you to “bounce” your ideas off your peers.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
What kind of support will our team have?
The teaching team consists of the lead professor, other faculty, experienced alumni, and industry mentors. A mentor is an experienced investor, consultant or faculty assigned to your team. They’ve volunteered to help your team because they love hard problems. Their job is to guide you as you get out of the building and to interface effectively with your beneficiaries.
How often can we/should we meet with our sponsors and mentors?
Your mentors are expecting to meet with you at least every week face-to-face or online. You can email them or meet with them more often if they have time.
Can I talk to a mentor not assigned to my team?
We do not assign mentors to teams. No one mentor has enough knowledge or expertise to address all your needs over time. Besides, you need multiple perspectives on any issue. At Mines, we implement collaborative mentoring. This means you will be mentored by multiple experts.
I have a busy schedule and my mentor can’t meet when I want them to. Can you do something about it?
Mentors have day jobs. Asking them to meet or reply to you ASAP is not acceptable. So plan ahead to allow for a reasonable amount of time for a reply or meeting. Be concise with your request and be respectful of their time.
I need help now.
You first stop is your teammates. Otherwise, email your instructors.
TEAM DYNAMICS
What roles are in each team?
Traditionally, each team member is part of the “customer development team”. You have to figure out how to allocate the work.
What if my team becomes dysfunctional?
Prepare to work through difficult issues. If the situation continues, approach the teaching team. Do not wait until the end of the semester to raise the issue.
What if one of my teammates is not “pulling his/her weight”?
Try to resolve it within your team. If the situation continues longer than a week, please approach the teaching team. Final grades will also reflect individual participation and contribution.
What kind of feedback can I expect?
Continual feedback weekly. Substandard quality work will be immediately brought to your attention