The Fall 2024 Penn I-Corps cohort recently completed its program, featuring diverse teams from multiple schools, including the Perlman School of Medicine, the Dental School, the School of Engineering, the School of Arts & Sciences, Dental and Wharton. Eight teams completed the program, and 26 individuals received valuable training in entrepreneurship. Through rigorous customer discovery, teams refined their ideas and identified key challenges and opportunities. Below is an overview of their learning trajectories.

AI & Diagnostics
AInSights
Team Composition: Two faculty members from the Penn Perlman School of Medicine.
Description: An AI-driven software platform for preclinical disease detection in radiology IT systems, integrating directly with Penn Medicine’s health system.
Learning Outcome: Customer engagement revealed three major roles for AI in radiology: improving data acquisition, enhancing radiologists’ efficiency, and augmenting clinical decision-making. Adoption strategies include showcasing “wow” cases, integrating enhanced detection rates, and categorizing false positives.
RADHawk
Team Composition: A team of four undergraduates from Arts & Sciences, working with a faculty member from CHOP on a project sponsored by Penn HealthTech.
Description: AI-powered recommendation software that provides subspecialty knowledge to radiologists, improving diagnostic accuracy and efficiency for reading pediatric radiological scans.
Learning Outcome: Refined value proposition by identifying specific customer segments and understanding the adoption challenges of AI in hospital systems.

Medical & Therapeutic Innovations
Osteomics
Team Composition: Led a faculty member from the Penn Perlman School of Medicine and with the support of a member of the Penn HealthTech program.
Description: A blood test predicting abnormal bone healing, enabling earlier intervention for patients at risk of nonunion fractures.
Learning Outcome: Clinicians indicated strong demand for predictive tools, with accuracy thresholds ranging from 50% to 85%. Pre-operative planning and supplemental early interventions emerged as key applications.
Smart Dosimetry System
Team Composition: Faculty members from the Penn Perlman School of Medicine and Penn Dental School.
Description: A light-based therapy optimization system improving treatment for oral mucositis in cancer patients.
Learning Outcome: Initially the team was looking at various indications, including dermatology. Through the customer discovery process, they discovered a significant unmet need for dosimetry in photodynamic therapy for oral mucositis, improving treatment precision and patient outcomes.
OsteoArthritis (OA)
Team Composition: Composed of a licensing officer and a PCI Fellow from the Penn Center for Innovation, based on technology from the School of Engineering.
Description: A nanoparticle-based therapy designed to reduce inflammation and prevent joint degradation in osteoarthritis patients.
Learning Outcome: Identified the need for non-invasive interventions and advanced delivery platforms. Entrepreneurs in the space that were interviewed highlighted challenges in demonstrating market success due to time and cost constraints.

Advanced Technologies & Engineering
OneFiltr
Team Composition: Composed of two Ph.D. students from the School of Engineering.
Description: A frequency-tunable filter for wireless communications, optimizing connectivity for satellite, 5G, and 6G applications.
Learning Outcome: Interviews refined the team’s understanding of cost-effectiveness and technical parameters, shaping the filter’s design to align with industry needs.
Converged Public Safety Systems
Team Composition: Led by a Ph.D. student from the School of Engineering.
Description: A security authorization platform allowing first responders to access school buildings without master keys.
Learning Outcome: Unexpectedly discovered that many first responders lack access to schools, revealing a critical use case for their technology.

Biotechnology & Life Sciences
Chloropept
Team Composition: Undergraduate students from Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Wharton.
Description: An algae-based feed additive engineered to express antimicrobial peptides, reducing antimicrobial resistance in livestock.
Learning Outcome: Contrary to initial assumptions, most poultry producers already implement antibiotic-free programs. The team repositioned its solution as an early preventative rather than a replacement.

Each team in this cohort gained invaluable insights through the I-Corps process, refining their customer segments, value propositions, and commercialization strategies. Their progress underscores the importance of customer discovery in transforming innovative ideas into viable solutions.