Idea TestLab (Fall 2024)

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About Idea TestLab

Applications OPEN AUGUST 1, 2024 Have a business idea? Figure out how to turn it into a viable business. Idea TestLab is a "customer discovery" deep-dive designed to help you better understand the customer problem you're trying to solve and how to provide value in a differentiated way. No affiliation with Penn State is required for participation. Applications are welcomed from any Pennsylvania-based entrepreneur. Idea TestLab is free to participants and takes no equity.
  • September 12, 2024
  • A four week virtual program on Thursday nights from 6-8 PM.
  • 1:1 Coaching support for your idea.
  • Peer networking.
  • Continued support after program.
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Idea Test Lab

Welcome to the first step on your entrepreneurship journey! The course content will be delivered virtually via Zoom. Applications Open: August 1, 2024 Applications Close: August 31, 2024 Teams Announced: September 6th, 2024 Program Dates: September 12, 19, 26, & October 3, 6-8pm *Participants are required to attend all class sessions in order to participate in the final pitch session event. Please complete the application questions below to be considered for the Idea TestLab.

            2024 Fall Idea TestLab!

Thursday evening 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

September 12, 19, 26 and October 3, 2024

Applications open August 1, 2024

Click to apply – Fall 2024 Idea Test Lab

Idea TestLab Success Story

 

Idea TestLab, a program sponsored by the Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton and Lehigh Valley LaunchBoxes, has contributed to the success of two growing small businesses. The program is starting a new session in the fall at no cost.

Idea TestLab is an opportunity for members of the community to explore the viability of their business ideas. The program provides participants with instructors and expert coaches who guide them through five sessions, all held virtually. The coaches help participants determine if a customer market exists for their idea and develop a plan for how to move forward.

The Wilkes-BarreHazleton and Lehigh Valley LaunchBoxes are part of Invent Penn State, a commonwealth-wide initiative to spur economic development, job creation and student career success through entrepreneurship-focused academic programs, business startup training and incubation, funding for commercialization, and university/community/industry collaboration.

“Last year was our first time holding Idea TestLab, and it went really well. We got positive feedback from our participants,” said Stephanie Gresh, assistant teaching professor of business at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and coordinator of the Wilkes-Barre LaunchBox. “Tom Dubreuil and Michelle Mecham were two of last year’s Idea TestLab participants who have taken what they learned to a new level.”

Mecham worked to set up a food collective, Hinterlands Local Food, with small local vendors to help them distribute their products more widely, and Dubreuil’s idea was to start a Christmas shop in downtown Bethlehem, known as the “Christmas City.”

“Michelle and Tom both had some very creative, out-of-the-box ideas,” Gresh said. “They have taken what they came in with and have sought additional advice, making changes throughout the process. They’re using the tools we provided them as they continue to develop and grow their small-business ideas.”

Hinterlands Local Food

Mecham works part time as a medical receptionist and has spent the last 20 years of her career in the healthcare field. Prior to that, she worked in tourism and the local food industry.

“I’ve always shopped for local food and bought products from farms and small farmstands. When the pandemic happened, I did that even more, since I didn’t want to go into big grocery stores,” she said. “That’s when I noticed I had to go all around the Lehigh Valley to get the different things I wanted. I realized nobody had a selection of the best things from around the valley at one location. I decided I would like to be the one to do that.”

She and her wife, Arlene Kalkowsky, began researching products and visiting local farm stands that sold their own products.

“Every few days, we would head out in another direction to look for farm stands. We bought the products and tested them at home,” Mecham said. “But I really didn’t know how to take this idea and make it into something real. I was searching online for business incubator opportunities and found Idea TestLab. I didn’t think my idea was on par with others they might be presented with, but I decided to apply and was accepted.”

She hoped for some guidance on establishing a business and assistance with writing a business plan but found much more than she was expecting.

“The mentors and speakers helped me take all the ideas that were swirling around in my mind and focus them onto one path,” she said. “We were given helpful tools that helped us get to a place where our ideas made sense as a business.”

Since Mecham’s session of Idea TestLab concluded, Hinterlands Local Food has been established as a fully functioning small business. Mecham and Kalkowsky began attending festivals and vendor shows to sell the products this spring. Hinterlands Local Food also offers products on a website for wholesale customers. The items sold include an array of beverages, pasta, jams, pickles, condiments, spices, honey and more.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Idea TestLab,” Mecham said. “It gave me the tools to get my thoughts organized and the confidence to turn my ideas into something real. It allowed me to build a business from nothing into the functioning business it is now.”

She said another benefit of the program was being able to work with other entrepreneurs and hear their stories and feedback.

“By watching other people work through and change their focus a bit from where they were at the beginning, I didn’t feel like I was doing this all alone or like I didn’t belong. I think sometimes when you start something new like this, you question whether you belong in the field or whether you’re good enough to do this,” Mecham said. “But being with a lot of other beginners showed me I was at the same level as others.

Both Dubreuil and Mecham worked closely with Don Webster, executive director of TecBRIDGE, who coached them through Idea TestLab.

“Don was absolutely indispensable to me in all of this,” Mecham said. “He has been very inspiring and very helpful.”

Dubreuil said, “Don’s knowledge is amazing, and he is still serving as a mentor for me, even though I have completed the program. The great thing about Idea TestLab was not just working with Don and the other leaders, but also talking to entrepreneurs and people who are trying to be entrepreneurs. I’m not a business person, so to be able to hear from people who are also thinking about the same things is fantastic. Michelle was really impressive and had some interesting takes and thoughts.”

Christmas City Santa

Dubreuil, who by day is the director of student affairs at Penn State Lehigh Valley, applied for Idea TestLab to extend a business venture he was already involved in — moonlighting as Santa Claus.

“Years ago, when my son was in daycare and they needed someone to be Santa Claus, I put on a fake beard and suit and did the job,” he recalled. “My first year working at Penn State Lehigh Valley, I grew a real beard to be Santa for an alumni Christmas party. I loved it and discovered it’s something I really like.”

Within a year after he began operating his business, Christmas City Santa, he was booked every weekend during the holiday season. He also portrays the city of Bethlehem’s official Santa Claus, sitting downtown for visits with children every Saturday.

Dubreuil realized “the Christmas City” didn’t have an actual year-round Christmas store — especially with items for children — and felt it was a hole in the market he could fill, he said. He was familiar with Invent Penn State through his work at Penn State Lehigh Valley and decided to apply for Idea TestLab.

“Although I work at Penn State, that has nothing to do with it. It was just how I heard about the program,” he said. “I was hoping to gain a little more knowledge of business in general, to make some connections with other entrepreneurs and to see if my idea had legs by bouncing it off the coaches and other budding entrepreneurs. The program gave me lots of ideas and helped steer me in which way I should go.”

He said his original idea was to open a brick-and-mortar store for his business, called Dear Santa, as soon as he could, but he learned of other opportunities he could pursue before getting to that point. Those include participating in a popup shop for a “Christmas in July” event and in downtown Bethlehem’s Christmas Huts on Main, where he will offer products from his unique inventory.

“I’m going to have a hut for Dear Santa as somewhat of a test to see if there is a market for the things I am going to sell,” Dubreuil said. “On the advice of Don Webster, I plan to offer some different items each Christmas season.”

One of his signature products will be elf cards, with stories created by Dubreuil himself. Each card features a story about an elf who is part of Santa’s team at the workshop. Through a connection made by Webster, Dubreuil is working with someone who develops augmented reality to include that aspect on the cards.

“With augmented reality, you can scan a card with your device, see it in 3D, hear my voice telling a story and get reminders of how many days until Christmas,” he said. “I’m trying to make it about the magic of the North Pole and what comes from there. I want to focus on children and the magical aspect of Christmas.”

Other items Dubreuil has developed are bells from “retired reindeer,” commemorative Santa coins and a Santa Claus-themed stuffed animal stamped with the year. He said he also hopes to offer workshops where children can assemble and take home toys they created.

“Idea TestLab allowed me to explore my ideas and ask questions. My Dear Santa business started because of Penn State. From Idea TestLab to now, it’s all because of Penn State, and I couldn’t be more thankful,” he said. “These programs are really beneficial. They are a great service of Penn State at no cost, and that’s pretty amazing as well.”

Applications for this year’s Idea TestLab opened on Aug. 1 and will be accepted through Aug. 31. The program meets virtually for four weeks on Thursday’s from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Participants will work through the customer discovery phase of the startup process and test the viability of their business ideas and have access to one-on-one business mentoring. Any adult with an idea they would like to turn into a business is encouraged to register. Teams are also welcome.

Learn from your customer

Successful startups begin by spending time with potential customers to figure out exactly what the problem is and how much “pain” they are having.

As part of the Idea TestLab, you will:

  • Talk with at least 40 potential customers
  • Validate your customers’ needs/pain
  • Identify key customer characteristics
  • Determine where they hang out (physically and virtually)

Figure out where others fall short.

It’s critical that you understand where other solutions fall short from the perspective of your target customers.

The Idea TestLab helps you:

  • Evaluate current solutions
  • Identify the tangible results you provide
  • Draft a value proposition

We take no equity. We charge no fees.

Our programs are free. We take zero equity in your business.

Do I have to attend all 4 sessions of Idea TestLab?

Yes. At least 1 person on each startup team must attend all 4 sessions to be able to compete in the elevator pitch competition for seed funding. When you accept the invitation to join the cohort, you are committing to attending all 4 sessions of Idea TestLab and doing all the required homework.

What type of people/teams are the best fit for the Idea TestLab program?

The Idea TestLab is best for individuals who have identified a problem (or idea) they want to work on, but have not yet systematically collected data to validate the problem/need and who has it. We look for scalable ideas that have an unclear, or unknown business model. This program is not a good fit for individuals wanting to open a traditional business such as a restaurant or retail store.

We are looking for teams or individuals who…

  • have identified a problem (or idea) they want to explore as a potential business.
  • need help to clearly define their target customer and the value they can provide to them.
  • are willing to learn from others by working through the customer discovery process, which includes holding 10 business interviews (customers, experts, competitors) each week.
  • are looking to build their entrepreneurial skills by participating in a structured program that focuses on moving ideas from concept to potential viable businesses.
  • are struggling with identifying an appropriate business model.

Participants must be 12 years of age or older to apply and participates under the age of 18 must attend with a parent.

How do I figure out if Idea TestLab is for me?

Questions about the program?  Watch the Get Started Building Your Business with Lean Startup webinar from 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State.  Learn more about customer discovery and lean startup process and listen to Q&A about Idea TestLab.

I want to open a traditional business (i.e., retail, restaurant, as a sole proprietor), is the program right for me?

This program is best suited to non-traditional businesses where the business model is unknown or unclear.

If you are looking to open a traditional business, we do offer many resources to help you. You do not need to be affiliated with Penn State to utilize these services:

Do I have to have a team to apply?

No. We welcome individuals who are looking to better define an idea for their business.

How many entrepreneurs will be selected to participate?

Usually 12-16 teams are accepted into the cohort.

What is included in the Idea TestLab?

  • 4 virtual classes in which teams learn customer discovery techniques and guidance on how to test the assumptions behind their business ideas.
  • 1 Final virtual elevator pitch presentation, in which participants compete for small grants in seed funding.
  • Weekly 1:1 coaching
  • Text and video educational resources (i.e. homework!)

Will I have a business by the end of the program?

That’s hard to say. We can tell you, however, that by the end of the program, you will:

  • have verified your assumptions about the problem and who has it,
  • have a clear statement of the problem or job your customer is trying to accomplish and the root cause of that problem/need,
  • know what your customer is doing to try solve the problem today and how that’s working for them,
  • understand what motivates your customer to keep looking for a solution, and
  • be able to pinpoint how you can provide value with your solution.

With all that under your belt, you’ll be ready to start building a minimum viable product and start testing the market.

Will Penn State own any intellectual property I bring to the Bootcamp?

No, you own your own intellectual property (IP), unless you are a faculty member or current graduate student of Penn State who is commercializing your university research. Your IP safely stays with you! What’s more, Penn State can even help you protect your IP. The Penn State Law Intellectual Property Clinic provides free legal services related to intellectual property to Pennsylvania entrepreneurs. No affiliation with Penn State is required to work with the Clinic.

What is the time commitment?

It is our expectation that all participants are serious about, and will be dedicated to, testing their idea. Participants in the Idea TestLab should be prepared to spend between 7 – 12 hours a week during the program (2 hours a week in a weekly group class and 5- 10 hours preparing for and carrying out customer discovery).

If I have others working with me, does everyone have to participate?

Not required, but recommended.  If you have others that you are working with, or might want to work with, the program is a great way to get everyone on the same page and see how well you work together.

If you still have additional questions please contact LVLaunchBox@psu.edu with the subject:  Idea TestLab