ICAP helps companies get their new technologies and inventions to market. For each participant accepted into the program, ICAP delivers assessments created by subject-matter experts in the participant’s specific field, and provides guidance to help them as they develop and market their innovations. Developed by the Virginia SBDC Network in partnership with SHINE Systems & Technologies, ICAP is FREE.
Examples of areas in which we provide assistance include:
- Additive Manufacturing
- Autonomous Vehicles
- Biometrics/Forensics
- Clean Energy/Clean Technologies
- Cloud Computing
- Cybersecurity
- Internal Combustion Engines
- Internet Software Tools
- Electronic Shielding
- Embedded Systems
- Fuel Cells
- Medical Devices/Tools
- Microfluidics
- Modeling & Simulation
- Nanomaterials/Polymers
- Remote Health Monitoring
- Sensing
- Skin Probiotics
- Stem Cell Applications
- Wireless Communications
How It Works
Application Process
Companies must apply and be accepted into the ICAP program. It starts by filling out the ICAP Interest form (click on the “I am interested in applying for ICAP the program button”), which asks for your name, contact information, and which categories your invention falls into. Next, a four-part application about your invention needs to be filled out and submitted. It can be completed in one sitting or be partially filled out and saved for completion later.
Confidentiality
Information in the applications and during the entire ICAP process will be held in the strictest confidence. ICAP personnel are bound by very specific laws and codes of ethics. If your invention is used in any promotional material, such as success stories, we always ask for written permission from you in advance. Statistics, such new business starts, jobs created, capital acquired, etc., are collected, aggregated, and reported to our funding partners to demonstrate our effectiveness and impact on the local economy. You can trust your work to us.
Click on the image to see a sample CMA
Client Market Assessments (CMA)
Once accepted, the CMA is the first step in analyzing your company with SHINE’s proprietary PATES assessment methodology. It will give you guidance on several key factors for your business and your invention. The entire report includes:
- SWOT Analysis
- Summary
- Overall Grade
- Recommended Next Steps
When the CMA is completed, a conference call is held with you, your SBDC counselor(s), and your subject-matter experts SMEs to discuss the results. You will also get a copy, and the information and recommendations are for you to use as you wish.
Click on the image to view a sample Roadmap
I-Teams and Roadmaps
For clients who receive a high grade on their CMA, we will meet with you to develop a Roadmap and to create an I-Team, consisting of your SBDC counselor, your SMEs, and other advisors as appropriate. The Roadmap will provide:
- Recommended Actions
- Counseling Plan
- Follow Up
You and your I-Team will meet regularly to work on your Roadmap for the number of hours assigned to you. If you would like to continue working with your SMEs or other advisors after the ICAP process is completed, you are free to contract with them directly. Continued support from your SBDC counselor is on-going and, as always, free of charge.
Follow Up
If you would like to continue working with your SMEs and/or other advisors after the ICAP process is completed, you are free to contract with them directly. Continued support from your SBDC counselor is on going and is, as always, free of charge.
Outcomes
“ICAP helped us build a roadmap of ‘here’s where you are and here’s where you want to go,’ which was very helpful and really got us going,” said Sonny Meyerhoeffer, founder of Eastern Bioplastics, leading manufacturer and distributor of feather-fiber-reinforced plastic and the best oil absorbent commercially available.
HIS Energy, a 2012 ICAP client, was named the “Nation's Hottest Start-up." Co-founders James Hubbard, Sr., and James Hubbard, Jr., PhD, won $10,000 and gained national exposure for their Semper Cell™, an intelligent power-management and storage system that can store and use the clean energy that is abundant in the world around us. This game-changing technology looks to become the device to power the Internet of Things, according to Tech.Co, a media company for start-ups, entrepreneurs, and technologists, and founder of Tech Cocktail Week..
