When a Georgia Tech research team sets out to explore the commercial potential of their breakthrough, they do not start with investors or business plans. They start with questions. Who needs this? How would they use it? Is it viable outside of the lab? 

Those questions, and the search for answers, are at the core of Georgia Tech’s VentureLab and the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, program. Together, they equip faculty and graduate students with the tools and mentorship to test their ideas in the real world. More than 70 Georgia Tech teams have advanced through I-Corps, many transforming discoveries into startups that attract funding, partners, and customers. 

What Is I-Corps? 

Created in 2011, the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program was designed to improve the quality of startups emerging from federally funded research while teaching researchers how to recognize and pursue commercial opportunities. VentureLab was among the first two NSF I-Corps Nodes that established the foundation for today’s regional Hub model, reflecting Georgia Tech’s long-standing leadership in entrepreneurship education. 

Georgia Tech now leads the NSF I-Corps Southeast Region Hub, connecting universities across the Southeast to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship. The program offers multiple entry points, beginning with a one-hour introductory workshop, followed by a two-week short course and a five-week regional program. From there, teams may advance to the national I-Corps Teams program, a seven-week intensive designed to help researchers refine their business models and validate market needs. 

The VentureLab Advantage 

VentureLab, a unit within Georgia Tech’s Office of Commercialization, is led by Keith McGreggor, executive director and chair of the NSF I-Corps Curriculum and Instruction Committee. VentureLab integrates I-Corps into the Institute’s broader mission of helping researchers move ideas from the lab to the marketplace while building programs and ecosystems that expand entrepreneurship support with academic and private-sector partners. 

“I-Corps and VentureLab work together to give researchers a clear, structured way to understand how their ideas can move from discovery to real-world use,” McGreggor said. “The program’s curriculum helps teams examine their assumptions, engage directly with users, and build a strong foundation for advancing their work into products, partnerships, and startups.” 

Under the direction of Nakia Melecio, principal at VentureLab and director of the NSF I-Corps Southeast Region Hub, the program delivers high-impact entrepreneurship training and mentorship across the region. 

Supporting this work are Melissa Heffner, associate director at VentureLab, who develops and delivers I-Corps curriculum across the Southeast, and Sara Martin Henderson, principal at VentureLab, who leads I-Corps training and builds partnerships that expand entrepreneurship support in Atlanta and beyond. 

Heffner emphasized the program’s effect on the researcher’s mindset. “Through I-Corps, researchers see their work through a new lens as they shift their mindset from invention to impact,” she said. “They learn to ask the right questions, engage with real customers, and discover how their work can create meaningful real-world solutions.” 

Together, the VentureLab team ensures that Georgia Tech researchers have the skills, mentorship, and networks to bring innovations to market and contribute to the growth of the Southeast’s innovation economy. 

Why It Matters 

Programs like I-Corps are central to Georgia Tech’s commercialization mission. They prepare researchers to take bold steps toward entrepreneurship, strengthen Atlanta’s innovation ecosystem, and accelerate discoveries that improve lives. By combining mentorship, market insights, and early funding, I-Corps and VentureLab help bridge the gap between research and real-world application, creating lasting impact for the Institute, the state, and the region. 

 Learn more at venturelab.gatech.edu and icorpssoutheasthub.org.