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FROM Booth Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship: Delivering Efficiency Inside the OR…There’s an App for That
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This fall, the Polsky Center announced the UChicago i-Corps Site Program, which supports university scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs working to commercialize research and technologies. The program is funded through a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation and focuses on entrepreneurial education and activities for promising early-stage ideas in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).Today, we meet ExlpORer, one of the teams participating in the program’s first cohort. Over the fall quarter, the team, run by Dr. Alexander Langerman, assistant professor of surgery and director of the Operative Performance Research Institute, a surgical think tank that studies operating room efficiency and safety at UChicago, participated in-depth workshops, conducted research and fieldwork, and more to help bring their app to life and ultimately help doctors and patient outcomes in the operating room.
Keep reading to learn more about the team and the i-Corps program!
Dr. Alexander Langerman and Dr. Marko Rojnica (left and center) work on refining their customer value proposition for their ExplORer app at an i-Corps Site Program cohort session on November 10.
Dr. Alexander Langerman is on a mission to improve operational efficiency in the operating room. As director of Operative Performance Research Institute (OPRI), the surgical think tank that studies operating room efficiency and safety, this topic is the central focus of his research. Dr. Langerman, a head and neck surgeon, came out of his fellowship inspired to provide excellent care for his patients. He quickly saw an opportunity to address a widespread problem that many surgeons face with managing efficiency in the operating room.
Dr. Langerman imagined: What if there was an app that displayed all the steps of a given procedure along with the surgeon’s specific preferences so that any staff member in the operating room could immediately act like a member of the A-team? The idea for a new app, nicknamed ExplORer, was born. It would create efficiency in the operating room by saving time, reducing costs, and generating surgeon performance analytics.
Inspired to bring his app to life, Dr. Langerman applied to the Innovation Fund and received a grant in support of the project. He partnered with University of Chicago Medical Center colleague Dr. Marko Rojnica, and current Chicago Booth MBA students Jennifer Fried and Raza Jafri. Together, they are one of eight teams enrolled in the UChicago i-Corps Site Program inaugural Fall cohort.
Run by the Polsky Center, the i-Corps program is another great opportunity on campus for university scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs working to commercialize their research. Participants dedicate time in this 7-week program to go in-depth and understand if their idea has commercial potential to pursue as a business venture. They receive business training, mentorship, access to resources and collaborators, micro-grant funding, and designation as an NSF-funded project.
When asked what has been most valuable about the i-Corps program, Dr. Langerman valued the regimented schedule and remarked, “This is about learning the science of building a business. The one-on-one guidance through the process of refining our value proposition and customer segment has been tremendously helpful.”
As the ExplORer team wraps up their participation in the i-Corps program on November 24, they are finishing up their second generation prototype of their ExplORer app and look forward to pursuing it as a business venture.
Stay tuned for updates on the i-Corps Program!
How to Apply to the i-Corps Program:
If you are working on a project and would like to explore its potential as a viable business, you should apply to the Spring 2015 i-Corps cohort. All UChicago faculty, students, staff, and alumni working on projects related to one of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields are eligible to apply. The application deadline for the Spring 2015 cohort is Thursday, February 12 by 12 p.m. For more information and to apply online, please visit: icorps.uchicago.edu or contact Meghan Fisher at meghan.fisher@chicagobooth.edu.
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