|
The UCF Venture Accelerator is located near the UCF campus specifically to assist any student,
both graduate and undergraduate, that is interested in launching a technology-based business. Some examples of ways we have assisted
students include:
- Helping engineering students understand how to determine the market value of research or projects they have conducted as students at UCF
- Helping students understand how to many intellectual property that they have created either at a university or on their own time
- Helping students analyze the potential of the markets that their technology or idea could address, and strategize on the best methods for taking a technical product to market
- Matchmaking business and technical students into cohesive entrepreneurial teams
UCF faculty members from a variety of departments have taken advantage of the UCF Venture Accelerator’s services. Faculty services offered by the Venture Accelerator include:
- Assessing the market viability of research conducted at UCF
- Assisting with understanding the intellectual property issues associated with commercializing research conducted as a faculty-member at UCF
- Providing educational workshops related to Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) federal grants, and helping faculty to participate in these grant opportunities
- Brokering introductions between UCF faculty and business executives interested in commercializing innovative research
- Assigning MBA student interns to conduct business feasibility analysis research on research and inventions created at UCF
While the UCF Venture Accelerator was initially founded to assist UCF faculty and students, we quickly expanded our services to support any early-stage technology entrepreneur in the Central Florida region. Some of the ways we have assisted our clients include:
- Brokering introductions between qualified technology startup firms and early-stage investors or venture capitalists
- Mentoring on the creation of thorough business plans that are able to attract funding and customers
- In-house assignment of Venture Accelerator interns to perform tasks as needed. Some of the tasks our interns have conducted for our clients include market research, sales calls, website content development, elevator pitch presentations
- Coaching on business processes include human resources, go-to market strategies, sales, business models and business planning practices
|
| |
