IDEAinstitute
IDEAinstitute is an idea-stage accelerator program that introduces innovative entrepreneurs and aspiring startup founders to the tools they need to turn an idea into a scalable venture.
Founders will walk away from the program with a plan to build a business following the Lean Startup Methodology and meet a community of like-minded founders along the way. This program is run in a hybrid format with each week’s session running virtually and with opportunities to engage in person in the final week. IDEAinstitute is led by Professor Felipe Massa, Ph.D.
Interested in participating in the upcoming cohort? Stay tuned for the 2025 Spring Cohort application launch!
Thank you to our IDEAinstitute sponsors!
OUR TEN-WEEK PROGRAM TEACHES YOU HOW TO…
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Weekly learning modules that include engaging videos, actionable worksheets to help scale your business, and thought-provoking articles
Weekly Zoom calls every Tuesday evening with your fellow entrepreneurs
One-on-one coaching opportunities with local startup founders, business leaders, investors, and the Idea Village team
Several weekly sessions will begin with a guest speaker that is an Idea Village alumni, an entrepreneur, or a local industry leader
The program’s hybrid format allows founders from across the country to participate in this program with an option to join in-person components in New Orleans
The program ends with the IDEAinstitute Pitch Night where select entrepreneurs have the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a panel of diverse judges with the chance to win a prize
PROGRAM TIMELINE
+ WEEK 1– FINDING YOUR FIRST CUSTOMER
Successful startups are built to wow a well-defined set of customers. Trying to be all things to all people or targeting the wrong customer segment can spell an early end for a great idea. Our focus in this session will be on creating a customer profile that will guide how you make decisions as you grow your startup.
+ WEEK 2– OPPORTUNITY VALIDATION
Viable businesses solve problems, fill an existing need and tackle jobs customers need to get done. In this session, you will learn a tried and true method for how to make sure that the customer pain points your startup addresses are both real and pressing.
+ WEEK 3– DESIGNING CUSTOMER JOURNEYS
It’s time to step into the shoes of your target customer and design an experience that they will remember and share with everyone they know. In this session, we will use Design Thinking tools to model how your customers will interact with your product or service.
+ WEEK 4– MODELING YOUR BUSINESS
Modern startups are asked to adapt quickly to changing environments and offer customers attractive value propositions that will keep them coming back. We will turn our attention to mapping out the nine building blocks that will constitute your business.
+ WEEK 5– POSITIONING YOUR SOLUTION
A good founder is constantly tweaking their business model as new trends emerge and old ones fall away, as new rivals enter the fold, and regulations change. This week we will put the work of scholars and practitioners who created and improved external environment scanning tools to good use as you shape a comprehensive view of your dynamic.
+ WEEK 6– Solution Validation
Now that you have a working business model canvas and an idea of what your minimun viable product (MVP) will look like, let's talk about how validating both are essential to obtaining Product-Market Fit.
+ WEEK 7– PROJECTING FINANCIALS
Time to start thinking about money. Savvy founders start thinking about , (1) How to charge for the solution, (2) How much to charge, (3) How big the market for the solution will be, (4) What the first few months of revenue might amount to, and (5) What costs will be accrued in the first months of the business’s existence. This week will use information gathered from customer interviews and other data sources to construct a rudimentary startup financial projection based on a set of well-reasoned assumptions.
+ WEEK 8– PITCHING YOUR STARTUP
In this session, we will put all the work you have completed together into a compelling presentation designed to attract investor attention to your startup. You will then have the option to pitch for a cash prize at our culminating networking and Mini-Demo Day event.
+ WEEK 9– COACH WEEK
Coach Week is an opportunity to meet for 1:1 coaching sessions with mentors in The Idea Village network. These subject matter experts can provide strategic guidance and feedback on the cohort’s ventures.
+ WEEK 10– PITCH PRACTICES + PITCH NIGHT
Meet with an Idea Village staff member to help you better pitch your startup and to discuss the next steps for your business. The IDEAinstitute Pitch Night takes place in-person in New Orleans, and it is an opportunity for select founders to showcase their startups to the community and to pitch to a diverse panel of esteemed judges. The winner of Pitch Night walks away with a cash prize.
MORE ABOUT:
COACH WEEK
This week gives founders the opportunity for 1:1 coaching sessions with mentors in The Idea Village network. Coach Week also involves presentations and panels from founders and industry leaders as well as ample opportunities for peer-to-peer networking. Coaching sessions will be made available for participants in both a virtual and in-person format.
PITCH NIGHT
Pitch Night is the in-person culmination of Coach Week. The IDEAinstitute Pitch Night is an opportunity for select founders to showcase their startups to the community and to pitch to a diverse panel of esteemed judges. The winner of Pitch Night walks away with a cash prize. Pitch Night is set to happen on November 21st.
Do you have a music business that you’re ready to scale?
The METRONOME track is specifically geared towards entrepreneurs who seek to solve problems or create new opportunities in the music industry.
In addition to participating in the full 10-week IDEAinstitute program, METRONOME entrepreneurs will have access to:
a dedicated, industry-focused mentor
specialized workshops
coworking space
highly curated coaching sessions
ongoing peer-to-peer connection opportunities.
More to come in the Spring 2025.
MUSIC INNOVATION AREAS
METRONOME is seeking founders who aim to disrupt and support innovation in the music industry, including but not limited to the following challenge areas:
Recording Industry
Music + Gaming
Legal
Software
Radio
Music Publishing
Audience & Fan Attention
Hardware
Consumer Products
Digital Music Distribution
Streaming &/or Live Streaming
Live Performances & Touring
Booking & Artist Management
Licensing, Sync &/or Royalties
& more!
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Expanding IDEAinstitute Across the Gulf South
In partnership with leading regional organizations, The Idea Village is committed to growing access and support for entrepreneurs across Louisiana through a network of local satellite programs. Founders across the region will have the opportunity to take part in world-class startup training and learn the fundamentals of growing an idea into a scalable business, while also connecting locally with mentors, peers, and resources to support their entrepreneurial journey.
OUR PARTNERS
We’re thrilled to be working with our partners at Startup City Launch (LSU, BRAC, & NexusLA), St. Tammany Corporation, Bayou Region Incubator to bring IDEAinstitute to entrepreneurs across Louisiana.
Ready to bring IDEAinstitute to your Gulf South community? Email programs@ideavillage.org for next steps.
The IDEAfuel Program
In an effort to increase the diversity, equitability, and inclusivity of the region’s startup community, The Idea Village is excited to partner with AT&T to launch a new program called IDEAfuel. The IDEAfuel program will provide a select number of BIPOC-founded startups a grant (or non-dilutive capital) of up to $15,000 to continue working on their venture beyond the IDEAinstitute Program. In addition to these funds, our pilot program also includes an extra 6 months of intensive mentorship for the program participants. Participation in IDEAinstitute is required for applications to the IDEAfuel program.
CREATING THE PIPELINE TO VILLAGEx
IDEAinstitute is a great entry-point into a larger network that exists to support high-growth startups. Several alumni of IDEAinstitute have gone on to participate in VILLAGEx, an accelerator for founders of technology-enabled startups that are rapidly scaling. Check out some notable IDEAinstitute alumni that have completed both programs below.
+ SAFEPUSH, LLC.
"Dr. Massa and Idea Village offered an excellent program that focused on identifying goals, customers, markets and ways to get my device to market. Very informative and interactive."
– Tonia Aiken , CEO
About SafePush
SafePush, LLC is a biomedical product development company based in New Orleans, Louisiana. SafePush develops biomedical products to prevent catastrophic and lethal patient outcome results with worldwide application in critical care settings.
+ Rx INTERACTIVE, INC.
"Participating in IDEAinstitute was an important part of my business development as an early stage startup. I was able to advance my business through mentorship, education and connections to other startups. IDEAinstitute helped me clarify my business model, customers and pitch."
– Del-Metri Williams , Founder & CEO
About Rx Interactive, Inc.
Rx Interactive, Inc. uses gamification technology to make patient education engaging. We are devoted to increasing adherence by improving health literacy of patients dealing with chronic diseases.**
LinkedIn
Facebook
+ FALAYA
"The IDEAinstitute pushed Falaya back to the basics by embracing the Lean Startup Method. We had a bunch of great ideas, but the course helped us to nail our ideas down to exactly what our target customer is actively seeking. We participated in the Mini Demo Day that tasked us with pitching our platform in less than five minutes, even further instilling the need for a concise and clear vision forward. I know that after IDEAinstitute, Falaya is ready to launch and excited for what the future holds for our organization."
– Barret Blondeau , Founder & CEO
About Falaya
Falaya is redefining how real estate is sold by connecting buyers directly to sellers and walking them through the entire sales process saving them thousands in Realtor commissions.
LinkedIn
Facebook
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+ SPOT2NITE
"IDEAInstitute stretched our initial business model and pushed us to think beyond our immediate hurdles, while guiding us to build a scalable model for Spot2Nite""
– Sam Bruner , Co-Founder and COO
About Spot2Nite
Spot2Night is an app that offers users the ability to find and book vacant RV camping spots that meet their needs and criteria.
LinkedIn
Twitter
Instagram
IS IDEAinstitute RIGHT FOR ME?
Your application will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Are you a founder or aspiring entrepreneur starting a scalable venture?
Do you see problems in society or in your industry that can be improved through an innovative, repeatable technology?
Are you working to create a unique solution to that problem that can grow to a regional, national, or global level?
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
In an effort to increase the accessibility of this program and the larger startup community, we proudly offer scholarships for IDEAinstitute, which are available to anyone whose current situation would prevent them from paying the $285 program fee. You will be directed to apply for the scholarship after applying to IDEAinstitute and if you are admitted to the program. Please note that scholarship opportunities are limited and are awarded on a rolling basis, so we recommend submitting your program application for review as soon as possible.
MEET FELIPE MASSA, Ph.D.
Felipe Massa, Ph.D. has served as the IDEAinstitute's lead instructor since 2019, working with hundreds of aspiring founders who have come to The Idea Village seeking guidance as they develop startup ideas. He is an Associate Professor and Steven Grossman Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship at the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business (UVM). Prior to joining UVM, he spent 11-years at the Loyola College of Business (2012-2023) where he founded the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development – an entity tasked with making Loyola a regional leader in entrepreneurship education through the support of stakeholder engagement in entrepreneurial activities, as well as through the creation of innovative programs that enrich the gulf coast entrepreneurial ecosystem. He also developed undergraduate and graduate programs in Entrepreneurship and shepherded the school’s recognition as the 14th top Graduate Entrepreneurship Program (US News and World Report, 2022).
Dr. Massa received his Master’s of Science and Ph.D. in Organization Studies from Boston College after garnering several years of experience in the banking, software and translation industries, including as a founder of his own successful tech startup. He is also the author of Entrepreneurship in the Wild: A Startup Field Guide, a learn-by-doing guidebook for founders that has been adopted by over 30 university and independent accelerator programs. He has been nominated to the Silicon Bayou 100, a list of the 100 most influential and active people in technology and entrepreneurship in Louisiana several years in a row (2013-2019).