The Austin Technology Incubator, part of the IC² Institute, will host the first annual 3 Day Startup cleantech startup event for the Southwest Regional Clean Energy Incubation Initiative (SRCEII) network and its partners June 3-5.
3 Day Startup (3DS) is a 72-hour learning-by-doing workshop that teaches entrepreneurial skills in an extreme hands-on environment. The 3DS program trains individuals across a range of core entrepreneurship skills, such as brainstorming, collaboration, customer discovery, rapid prototyping, mentor engagement, and investor pitching. ATI’s objective is to lead consistent and ongoing collaboration among research universities, innovation partners, and the private sector that will build and enhance the regional network of mentors, investors, and entrepreneurs poised to lead in the cleantech economy.
Aspiring entrepreneurs from across the southwest are invited to help solve the world’s biggest, messiest problems in clean energy, water, transportation/mobility, and waste/re-use.
The program is free but an application is required. 3DS is open to graduate and undergraduate students of all years, majors, and experience levels, as well as community members. Participants may apply as individuals or as part of an already established team.
Apply by May 13 at https://cleantech.3daystartup.org.
The cleantech startup event will follow the 3DS format:
Bootcamp (1-2 weeks before program date): Participating individuals meet, get introduced to key entrepreneurship principles, and learn best practices for maximizing the 3 Day Startup program experience.
Day 1: Participants arrive – with or without startup ideas – and a facilitator leads the group through dedicated brainstorming, preliminary pitches/feedback, and team selection modules. Some teams work late into the night and others prefer to rest up in preparation for day 2.
Day 2: Customer discovery (teams exit the building or hit the phones and talk to potential customers), structured mentorship, intermediate pitches and feedback sessions. Day 2 places heavy emphasis on business model generation.
Day 3: Continued execution (including pitch workshops) leading into final pitches/demos to an esteemed panel of mentors and investors.
For more information see the Cleantech 3 Day Startup site or contact Kathleen Baireuther at kbaireuther@ati.utexas.edu.