From Idea to Validation: A Practical Roadmap for Turning Innovation into a Business

Event description

Have an invention, app, product, technology, or business idea? Before investing significant time or money, learn how to determine whether customers will actually pay for it.

Many innovations fail because founders build before validating the market. This workshop will show you how to test assumptions, conduct customer discovery, evaluate demand, and reduce risk before moving forward.

Whether you’re developing a product, software, service, manufacturing process, or other innovation, you’ll gain practical tools to move from concept to commercialization with confidence.

Who Should Attend?

• Entrepreneurs with a new product, app, technology, invention, or service
• First-time founders
• Inventors exploring intellectual property protection
• Existing businesses developing new products or entering new markets
• Anyone considering commercialization, grants, or early-stage funding

What You’ll Learn

• Validate your idea before investing heavily
• Conduct effective customer discovery interviews
• Build and test prototypes and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs)
• Understand patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and NDAs
• Know when to consult an intellectual property attorney
• Identify Indiana commercialization resources and funding opportunities
• Estimate startup and product development costs
• Create an action plan for your next steps

Presenters

Logan Jenkins, Executive Director for the Indiana Center for Emerging Technologies and Circular Venture Lab

Steven T. Stump, Director at the Center for Applied Research at University of Southern Indiana

Additional Information

This event is being held in-person on the 4th floor at Innovation Pointe which is located at 318 Main St. Evansville, IN 47708. Street parking is free for 2 hours. You can also park at the Locust Street Parking Garage located at 416 Locust St, Evansville, IN 47708.

Fifth Third Bank is a sponsor of the Southwest Indiana SBDC and helps make workshops like this possible.