ILT ACADEMY MNDoT Shared Mobility Virtual Cohort Winter 2024
ILT Academy’s Virtual Lean Startup Innovation Cohort is an ideal program for anyone looking to start or grow their business. Whether you’re an individual or part of a 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 around shared mobility, as well as non-profits.
Shared Mobility is a form of transportation in which transportation services are shared among users. Users may use the service at the same time or independently of one another. Examples include traditional public transportation, microtransit, and carpooling and vanpooling. Independently used transit includes forms of car-sharing, bike sharing, scooter-sharing, and some delivery services.
Jan 17th, 2024 — Mar 20th, 2024
DEC
8
Application Deadline
*Program cost: Full Tuition Scholarships Available
*Limited spots available
** Virtual Program
Startup Innovation Shared Mobility Workshop // (Online / Virtual)
Participants will learn how to use the ILT Innovation framework to unpack, explore and define the problem, solution, customer and the context of their idea.
MNDoT
Applications Open
10/16/23
Applications Due
12/08/23
Program Starts
01/17/24
Founder Showcase
03/20/24
MNDoT
Applications Open
12/21/22
Applications Due
01/31/23
Program Starts
02/13/23
Founder Showcase
04/17/23
“Moving Greater Minnesota Forward will help Minnesota’s rural, tribal, and small urban communities meet mobility needs through innovative solutions.”
Elliot McFadden
Greater MN Shared Mobility Program Coordinator
Program Details
Shared mobility has recently emerged as a more flexible alternative to more traditional fixed-route public transportation, as it enables users to interact with intelligent technology systems to travel throughout an area more efficiently. Project ideas eligible for admission into the Moving Greater Minnesota Forward program will include new shared mobility services, new business models for existing services, and technologies that improve service delivery, operational efficiencies, or financial sustainability of existing services.
Shared Mobility is a form of transportation in which transportation services are shared among users. Users may use the service at the same time or independently of one another.
Examples of services that may be used at the same time include:
- Traditional public transportation
- Microtransit
- Carpooling and vanpooling
Services that may be used independently include:
- Forms of car- sharing
- Ride hail
- Taxis
- Product delivery services
- Bikesharing
- Scooter-sharing
In this 10 week program, you will learn and practice how to unpack the customer discovery process, create solutions that people want, and validate your assumptions and ideas.
Session Dates //
Every Wednesday from 01/17/2024 to 03/20/2024
Session Times //
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Session Location //
Online (virtual meetings)
How much does this program cost?
The program is *FREE* to all participants. The program is subsidized through the generous sponsors above.
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?
Any one from can apply for our virtual program. Priority will be given to founders and startups based in MN area. There are a limited number of seats available; the acceptance rate will be very competitive. However, if there are additional spaces, the program will consider participants outside the priority areas. We encourage you to apply regardless of your current location.
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 around shared mobility, as well as non-profits.
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 you can deliver a 5 min pitch to startup founders, 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
Co-Founders // Ryan Graham (CEO), Cathy Nguyen (Director of Public Relations),
& Vassey Konneh (Director of Product)
“The magic of this course is that it works to build your ability to gather and decipher meaningful customer feedback. I learned new ways to share my idea and have a community of people provide new insights and feedback for me to take in.”
Ryan Graham
Co-Founder and CEO, Aromic
Co-Founders // Mattias Kostov & Jeremias Thiel
“The best part was learning about other MN entrepreneurs and building relationships with people you can learn from and support. This gives entrepreneurs a way to both develop their ideas and connect with other thinkers and makers.”
Jeremias Thiel
Co-Founder, Scobium
Co-Founders // Elaine O’Keefe & Tom Duenow
“This program provided a supportive and collaborative environment to get our startup idea off the ground. We had no idea there was a process to share our idea, get feedback from our peers and quickly test it in ways that aligned us for more successes from ideation to pilot launch.”
Elaine O’Keefe
Co-Founder and Transitions In Nature
Founder // Teri Market (CEO)
“This was a very unique learning environment that allowed me to grow as an entrepreneur and practice my startup skills. In a very short amount of time I learned new methods for idea generation, product and market exploration, and how to validate my idea with the confidence to move forward.”
Teri Market
Founder and CEO, Marketable Social Media
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
Co-Founders // Nhat Nguyen (CEO) & Lucas Cunha (COO)
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