Interested in Participating in Startup Lab? Learn More About the Program!
The Startup Lab is a CAH initiative to apply behavioral economics to startups in the health and finance domains through the application of existing research findings, as well as conducting original research projects. The academic incubator program aims to expose startups to behavioral economics, support the integration of insights in social science, and facilitate collaborative projects with CAH lab members to answer startup-specific research questions.
Below, find details on the program’s timeline, structure, and investment model.
The Startup Lab program is divided into three 3-month segments: October-December 2016, January-March 2017, and April-June 2017.
The Startup Lab’s Behavioral Economics Education Emphasis (Segment 1) will be open to up to 15 selected startups, which will receive an investment of $20,000 in exchange for 5% equity.
The Research Collaboration Emphasis (Segments 2 and 3) will be open to a subset of up to 7 selected startups from the pool, and will focus on the application of behavioral economics concepts through experimentation. During the Collaboration Emphasis, startups will deepen their partnership with the CAH through collaborative research projects that will push their products to the next level with tailored insights from behavioral science. For each of Segments 2 and 3, continuing startups will receive additional investments of $20,000 in exchange for an additional 1% equity. The partnership will be renewed upon mutual agreement with the CAH and each startup before Segment 3 commences.
Startups participating in the full 9-month program will receive, in total, an investment of $60,000 for 7% equity. The Startup Lab culminates with a Research Presentation Day at the end of June 2017 to share applied research findings and how they have influenced each startup’s development.
In addition to behavioral economics education, financial investment, and close partnerships with CAH researchers, the Startup Lab provides its participating startups with co-working space at the CAH’s downtown Durham office location, as well as access to American Underground, a vibrant startup hub just a short walk from the CAH. The Startup Lab surrounds startups with an ecosystem of field experts and mentors who serve to spark new ideas, wrestle through challenges, and push products forward alongside you and your team.
The program provides startups with a variety of activities to enhance learning, support development, and facilitate collaboration with like-minded entrepreneurs and world-class academics—workshops, talks, discussion groups, lab lunches, and collaboration sessions abound! Jump into the CAH’s dynamic environment– rich in diverse ideas and never short on inspiration.