Important Announcement

Choose from Two Tracks

You and your team can choose a track that is most appropriate for the idea you’re working on. Not sure which track your idea falls into yet? That’s okay! Participants do not need to commit to a track until the Run stage.

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Four Stages to Guide Your Idea

You and your team will be guided by Innovate@BU staff and coaches as you work through each of the four stages at your own pace.

Get Inspired Verify that you are working on a problem that needs to be addressed.	Walk Verify that you have a compelling and feasible solution idea and business model (if applicable).	Run Verify that your solution is ready for launch and build the first version.	Fly Launch, scale, and create sustained impact with your project or venture.

The Innovation Pathway is structured in a way that provides participants with accountability and support while offering flexibility so teams can work around their academic commitments.

The programs’ key resources and benefits include:

• Curated and self-paced learning content and resources. New to entrepreneurship or need a refresher on key concepts? Check back soon for our library of on-demand resources.
  
  
• Innovation coaches, mentors, and office hours. 
  
  • When a team advances to the Walk stage, they are paired with an Innovation Coach who is invested in the growth of the idea and team members as individuals.
  • Office hours with staff and industry experts are available on a weekly basis.

• Priority access to innovation and entrepreneurship training programs. Teams will be offered priority access to day-long intensive training that are held once per semester.
  
  
• Progress funding. Teams can earn progress funding up to $3,000 total as they advance to the Run and Fly stages.
  
  
• Community and peer-to-peer learning. You will be part of a community of 250+ teams of Terriers who can share feedback, advice, and tips with you.
  
  
• Co-working and meeting space.* Innovation Pathway teams are given 24/7 swipe access to the BUild Lab. *The BUild Lab will not be accessible during the fall 2020 semester.

Which most accurately describes you/your team?	Stage to join:	Application Process & What to Expect:
At the beginning of defining a problem and hypothesizing a solution idea.	Get Inspired	Submit a short application. You will receive confirmation of your IP membership within one week of your application and unlock your first learning resources. Attend IP Orientation, held monthly and mandatory for all new teams. You will have the opportunity to RSVP for an orientation when filling out your IP application. Follow the four-stage process at your own pace. Will be paired with an Innovation Coach starting in the Walk stage. Annual renewal of IP membership is required. You will receive renewal details in late spring semester.
Have been working on an idea for some time and meet the criteria for stages beyond Get Inspired. Note: Having a prototype or a developed version of your idea  does not automatically qualify you for an advanced stage of the IP. See the Innovation Pathway Overview for details.	Walk or beyond.	Submit an application and indicate the stage you would like to begin the Pathway with. You will be asked to include a presentation that shows you meet the criteria for that stage. Please review the criteria for each stage in the Innovation Pathway Overview  before you begin your application. BUild Lab staff will review your application and determine if the team will be accepted at an advanced stage* or re-directed to the Get Inspired stage. Teams will be informed of decision by email. *Teams accepted at an advanced stage will: Present at a Feedback Forum, where a team’s entry stage will be finalized. Begin following the IP process and have access to the Pathway’s resources after Feedback Forum.

In addition to the Innovation Pathway’s coaching, mentorship, and educational resources, the program also provides funding to teams as they advance through the four stages.

Find out below what types of funding you can earn at different stages: 

Stage	Funding Incentives
Teams who advance from Walk to Run	Ventures: up to $1,000 Projects: Up to 75% of funding requested
Teams who advance from Run to Fly	Ventures: up to $2,000 Projects: Up to 25% of funding requested
Teams who enter the Pathway in Run	Not eligible to pitch for the up to $1,000 of funding for teams that successfully pitch to advance from Walk to Run. Eligible for the up to $2,000 of funding when you successfully pitch to advance from Run to Fly.
Teams who enter the Pathway in Fly	Not eligible to pitch for the up to $2,000 of funding that teams get when advancing from Run to Fly. Eligible to apply and pitch to the Investment Panel for a one-time, up to $1,500 of funding based on your venture’s financial need.

Program Application Deadlines & New Team Orientations	Innovation Pathway Orientations for new teams are held 9 times throughout the year. New teams that apply to the Pathway by the dates below will be invited to the corresponding Orientation session. Spring 2021 Orientation Sessions are 1–2:30 pm EDT on: Friday, January 8 Friday, February 5 Friday, March 5 Friday, April 1 Apply to the Innovation Pathway. Do not use this application to apply to Investment & Project Panel Pitches. Please see those applications under “Investment & Project Panels”
Feedback Forums: Advance from Get Inspired to Walk	Once you have a deeper understanding of the problem, people, and existing solutions, apply to present it at this casual roundtable with BUild Lab staff and your peers. After successfully presenting, you/your team can transition from Get Inspired to Walk. Spring 2021 Feedback Forums are 1–2:30 pm EDT on: Friday, January 15 Friday, February 12 Friday, March 12 Friday, April 9 Apply to present at a Feedback Forum. * Teams accepted to enter the Pathway at an advanced stage will be invited to present at a separate Feedback Forum, where the stage they enter the Pathway will be finalized. No separate application for Feedback Forum is needed for these teams.
Investment & Project Panels: Advance to Run or Fly	Investment Panels: Venture teams who apply to transition to the Run or Fly stage will present at a scheduled Investment Panel. Investment Panel fall dates are: Wednesday, January 6 (app deadline: 12/25) Wednesday, February 3 (app deadline: 1/25) Wednesday, March 3 (app deadline: 2/25) Wednesday, April 7 (app deadline: 3/25) Wednesday, April 28 (app deadline: 4/1) Apply to pitch at an Investment Panel. Project Panels: Project teams who apply to transition to the Run or Fly stage will present at a scheduled Project Panel. Project Panel fall dates are: Tuesday, February 16 (app deadline: 1/25) Tuesday, March 23 (app deadline: 2/25) Tuesday, April 20 (app deadline: 3/25) Apply to pitch at a Project Panel.

In order to enter the IP, you need to have identified a problem you want to address and a solution idea. If you do not have an idea on what problem you are interested in addressing and don’t have a solution hypothesis, we recommend that you read this blog post or join us at some of our events to spark ideas. We also recommend that you consider taking part in one of our challenges, where you could apply your creativity to develop solutions for problem areas that have been specifically defined and meet others who may be passionate about similar issue areas as you.

The IP is a valuable program for both people who have worked on their ideas for a while and people who have just started working on their ideas. The program will help you smooth the innovation and entrepreneurship process and optimize your success through providing coaching from experienced innovation practitioners, progress funding, curated learning content, expert network, and more. For venture ideas specifically, you can join IP at the any of its four stages that is most appropriate for the progress you have already made on an idea. For project ideas, we ask you to start at the first stage (Get Inspired) while providing you with monthly opportunities to move to more advanced stages based on the progress you have made.

Absolutely! As you need additional help to launch your idea, we recommend attending our Networking & Idea Open-mic Nights and posting on our Innovate@BU Community Slack Channel to find peers to work with.

We support students with any ideas that lead to impact. Beside the Venture Track, the IP has a Project Track that supports action-oriented ideas aimed at creating a positive impact on campus and beyond (ex: policy, advocacy, event, media campaign, creative content). See the IP Overview to learn more.

Yes. We welcome both non-profit and for-profit venture ideas, as well as project ideas.

Yes, as long as at least one of the founding members is currently enrolled at Boston University as an undergraduate or graduate student or is a BU alumnus who has graduated within the last year.

At Innovate@BU, we provide a collaborative space where you have the freedom to create to your heart’s desire. We rarely encounter any issues regarding idea theft but if you have concerns about confidentiality, copyright infringements, patents etc., we highly recommend you consult with the BU Law Clinic.

• The IP offers funding, resources, and guidance but no course credit. 
• We run two Hub Cocurricular learning experiences under the Creativity/Innovation capacity. Both Cocurriculars will prepare students for the Get Inspired and Walk stages, but students may not receive funding while still enrolled in the Cocurricular. 
  • Starting a Startup (HUB CC 161): Students apply the tools embedded in the IP process to create a product or service (non-profit or for-profit venture). 
  • How To Launch a Project (HUB CC 162): Students apply the tools embedded in the IP process to transform an idea into a meaningful and feasible project (policy recommendation, advocacy program, community event, media campaign, creative content, etc.)
• See here for more details on the two Hub Cocurriculars.

The Innovation Coach (IC) is a resource that teams unlock when they advance from Get Inspired to Walk. If you joined the Pathway at the Walk or a more advanced stage (applied and presented successfully), you will be paired with an IC after you successfully present at a Feedback Forum.

We recommend that you book an office hour with the IP Manager or the Projects Manager. You can find their office hours here. You can also book office hours with the BUild Lab staff or external experts if you have further questions.

Yes, all of the programming at the BUild Lab is open to graduate and undergraduate students from all of the schools and colleges  at BU. 

Absolutely! The IP welcomes all students at BU and any BU alumni who has graduated within the last year. The IP is location and industry agnostic.

• Yes. However, you still need to complete the IP Application Form.
• If you are receiving class credit for your idea, refer to the next question (“Am I eligible for IP funding if…”)

Students are not eligible to receive funding from the IP while they are concurrently receiving class credit or Hub units for their project/venture. While a team is still receiving class credit or Hub units, they can be on the Pathway, working through deliverables in the Get Inspired and Walk stages, but they cannot pitch to go from Walk to Run, and thus be eligible for funding, until they’ve completed the course.

We are a campus-wide initiative and welcome any current student ideas. The process will be the same and starts with the IP Application Form. In the application you will be asked to indicate if you started your project at one of these programs.

The timing completely depends on you and your idea.

We support a culture of experimentation to learn what does and does not work and we see many startups and projects pivot from their original idea. For this reason, there is no penalty but we expect students to take their ideas seriously.

Yes, you can start any time. However, you need to complete the IP Application Form in order to start the Pathway.

Yes! We offer regular pitching opportunities and our hope is that you leverage feedback to make improvements and address concerns.

• Venture teams are approved for funding through Investment Panels (between the Walk, Run, and Fly transitions) that happen once a month. Teams are awarded up to $1,000 when they successfully advance to from Walk to Run, and up to $2,000 when they successfully advance to from Run to Fly. 
• Project teams are approved for funding through Project Panels (between the Walk, Run, and Fly transitions) that are scheduled monthly. Teams are eligible to receive up to 50% of the overall project’s required budget and a maximum of $3,000 from the IP. Funds are typically distributed in multiple installments based on progress and project timeline (25% in the Walk to Run transition, 50% in the Run to Fly transition, and 25% after the Action Report is submitted). 
• To expedite funding disbursement, make sure the team leader has completed a W9 and submitted it to Lisa Lavina at lrlavina@bu.edu. After paperwork is submitted, it typically takes 3-4 weeks for payment to be processed. 

Students are not eligible to receive funding from the IP while they are concurrently receiving class credit or Hub units for their project/venture. While a team is still receiving class credit or Hub units, they can be on the Pathway, working through deliverables in the Get Inspired and Walk stages, but they cannot pitch to go from Walk to Run, and thus be eligible for funding, until they’ve completed the course.