Time Commitment, Roles & Responsibilities:

The time commitment and expected level of involvement for Accelerate UConn participants varies by the role assumed by each member of the team:

Entrepreneurial Leads (ELs):

ELs are responsible for attending and representing the team at all in-person and online meetings during the program. ELs are also expected to lead the team’s customer discovery efforts and weekly presentations on the insights and progress made during this process to the rest of the cohort, and program instructors. ELs should expect to spend 8-10 hours per week on developing and refining their venture’s business model during this program. During the opening and closing weeks, this will be taken up by in-class time. During the interim weeks, 3 hours per week will be spent on group video calls, and an additional 5-6 hours per week should be dedicated to customer discovery and the recording of information gained through interviews.

Academic Leads (ALs):

ALs may have a variety of roles in the program, depending on the makeup of the team, and the relationship with EL. However, a key role of the AL is to support the EL in the identification of critical issues in the business model, and in the process of customer discovery. The Academic Leads who participate in program sessions and check in with their ELs frequently during the program will get the most value from the experience. The opportunity exists to learn effective ways to test and validate the market opportunity associated with your technology. Participating in some customer interviews and joining in the process of analyzing the results is the only way to do this.

Industry Mentors (IMs):

IMs are responsible for helping the EL and AL understand the context of the market that they are seeking to enter. They should assist the AL and EL by helping them to map the market and major players in the industry, and make introductions that will facilitate effective customer discovery throughout the program. Serving as an Accelerate UConn mentor is a voluntary role, and the mentor should not expect any ownership stake in the company or other form of compensation. Mentors are encouraged, but not required to attend in-person or WebEX meetings during the program. Mentors should expect to spend 1-2 hours per week outside of these meetings assisting the EL and AL during the program.