ILT Academy (100 Series)

Minnesota – Virtual Winter Cohort 2025

ILT Academy’s Virtual Lean Startup Innovation Cohort is designed for anyone who wants to start or grow their business. ILT Academy provides scholarships to participants provided by statewide, regional and local partners. There is no cost to participants other than your time.  Whether you’re an individual or part of a startup team, have an existing product or just starting to shape your ideas, this program can help you succeed. We welcome High Tech, Low Tech, No Tech business ideas, as well as non-profits.

Over 10 weeks, you will learn and practice how to unpack the customer discovery process, create products that people want, and validate your assumptions and ideas. Using the ILT Innovation Framework, you will explore market opportunities and articulate possible marketable solutions. The program combines remote learning, remote collaboration, and coaching to help you test and refine your business ideas. The course has limited full-tuition scholarships available and will conclude with a virtual founder showcase where you can deliver a 5 min pitch to  startup founders, business leaders, and potential investors.

 

Week of January 16th – March 20th

DEC
2

Application Deadline

VIRTUAL
THURSDAY
6PM - 10PM (CDT)

Program Cost: No Costs to participants other than your time.
** Limited spots available
*** Virtual Program

Applications Open

10/01/24

Applications Due

12/02/24

Applicants Notified

12/20/24

Program Starts

01/16/25

Applications Open

10/01/24

Applications Due

12/02/24

Applicants Notified

12/20/24

Program Starts

01/16/25

“We are excited to partner with ILT Academy to support more entrepreneurs in Greater Minnesota.”

Elissa Hansen
President & CEO of The Northspan Group Inc.

Program Details

This 10-Week Lean Startup Program coaches, supports, and boosts entrepreneurs and soon-to-be-entrepreneurs on their lean startup journeys. While working on their business ideas, participants will learn and practice the skills needed to refine, explore, innovate, and develop a plan for their business ideas. Participants will connect with fellow entrepreneurs, coaches, and mentors to be a part of the ILT Academy community of startup entrepreneurs and business leaders.

Session Dates //
Every Thursday from 01/16/2025 to 03/20/2025

Session Times //
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM (CDT)

Session Location //
Online ILT Virtual Academy

How much does this program cost?
ILT Academy provides scholarships to participants provided by statewide, regional and local partners. There is no cost to participants other than your time.

Who should apply?
Participants do not need any startup experience nor a fully formed idea for a startup — just ambition, motivation and grit. The 10-Week Lean Startup Program will build startup skills as participants work on their business ideas.

Am I eligible to apply to the program?
Anyone can apply for our virtual program. There are a limited number of seats available; the acceptance rate will be very competitive. We encourage participants to apply regardless of your location and business stage.

Who Should Apply

The 10-Week Lean Startup Program is ideal for teams and individuals who are just starting to shape their ideas, or have an existing product or business that they want to develop and grow like a startup. High Tech, Low Tech, No Tech business ideas, as well as non-profits are welcome. The program combines remote learning, remote collaboration, and remote coaching to help participants test and refine their business ideas. Over the 10-week period, participants will learn and practice how to:

  • Explore and refine ideas
  • Assess the market potential
  • Reduce risk
  • Validate products, customers, and markets
  • Prepare for future development
  • Prepare for investment

The course will conclude with a virtual founder showcase where teams will have the opportunity to present to regional startup community, business leaders and potential investors.

Program Series Outline

Startup Innovation – 4 Sessions

Participants will learn and practice the ILT Innovation Framework, in order to focus on actual problems, explore market opportunities, and articulate possible marketable solutions.

  • Identify new startup opportunities
  • Deconstruct ideas, refine ideas, and explore new ideas
  • Develop a clear and concise 30-second pitch for each opportunity

// Benefit to Participants
Participants will learn and practice the processes and techniques to define and refine an idea’s core problem, solution, customer, and the potential opportunity surrounding that idea.


Customer Driven Innovation – 5 Sessions

Participants will learn and practice advanced customer interviewing methods to gather, analyze, and discover insights to ensure the right problem is being solved with the right solution for the right customer in the right context.

  • Start a lean business model canvas
  • Define target market, target customers, and customer segments
  • Interview target customers
  • Develop a strong 5-min customer thesis presentation

// Benefit to Participants
Participants will learn and practice advanced customer interview methods to ensure they are solving the right problem, with the right solution, for the right customer, in the right context. Participants will develop a strong customer thesis presentation, ensuring a fuller understanding of their lean canvas.


Founder Showcase

Participants will craft a 5 minute video presentation and share their lean startup concept and business idea with an actionable plan to move their business forward.

  • Iterate and finalize a lean canvas (business plan)
  • Develop a lean startup action plan
  • Develop and executive summary of your busines idea
  • Develop a business abstract for furture investment and grant opportunities
  • Develop clear and concise presentation for their lean startup concept

// Benefit to Participants
Participants will learn and practice lean startup action planning, develop their founder story and present a clear and concise pitch in front of local and regional community and business leaders.

Recent Graduates

Founder Stories

“Attending ILT’s customer discovery class was a game-changer for Otrafy. The skills that ILT shared with us helped us create our discovery funnel, which allowed us to find product-market fit and build a pipeline of priorities for our development.”

Lucas Cunha
Co-Founder and COO, Otrafy

Otrafy

Co-Founders // Nhat Nguyen (CEO) & Lucas Cunha (COO)

Virtuwoof

Co-Founders // Allison Borum (CEO) & Abby Henstein (COO)

“Having ILT Academy’s support in our business has been a great experience for Virtuwoof. We have gained so much useful knowledge we’re able to directly apply to our business strategy. The activities we completed built up our confidence and were critical to our success in launching our first startup!”

Allison Borum
Co-Founder and CEO, Virtuwoof

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