How the ARC Life Cycle Works

The ARC process is unique. It consists of a yearly cycle that includes hiring, technology discovery, accelerator programs, real world to market experience, and of course fun. Roles are self-defined as fits a student’s unique skills and interests with the goal of moving the ARC team and ventures forward.

1. Summer: UVM Research Discovery

2. Fall Semester: Team Lead Hired

3. Spring Semester: Team Members Hired

We are grateful for our partners at the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) and Hula who have generously allowed us to work out of their coworking spaces throughout the year. The team’s meetings throughout the year are held in VCET and in the summer part time at Hula.

Summer: Hire Team Leads and Choose the Research for the Next Cycle

The summer is the beginning and end of the cycle. A team devoted to UVM technology discovery looks for possible intellectual property at the university through UVM Innovations that could have market potential. The technologies are rated by the technology readiness level referenced in the following image.

Simultaneously, the ARC team begins to look to hire for the “Team Lead” position for the next cycle. “Team Leads” are in eventually lead a team of students working to move a venture forward in the best way the team sees fit.

Fall Semester: Onboard Team Leads and Education

The purpose of the fall semester is to onboard the new team leads. Throughout this semester, the ARC team has weekly meetings to teach the new team leads about the entrepreneurial process. They also use this time to familiarize themselves with the chosen research and the research team.

ARC students presenting at a conference at UVM

Spring Semester: Hire the Full Team

In the Spring, the new team members are hired. On average there are two team members hired per venture within ARC. Once the team has been established, they experiment to find which position within their team would be best to use their skills to help progress their venture. During this portion of the cycle, the team also looks for accelerator programs, grants, and other business development methods.  Throughout this semester the team works around ten hours a week balanced with their schoolwork.

The full ARC team

Summer

Entering the Summer, the team begins to move the business forward at a rapid pace due to their full-time employment and their semesters of entrepreneurial experience. The team splits their time between VCET and Hula. The team has momentum to move the venture to the next level. Since the research enters the ARC cycle at various levels of readiness, the next level for each venture varies. Some team’s goals are to receive grants or funding to hire a full-time team to work on the venture and start a business by the end of the summer while others work to define the entry market for their technologies through accelerator programs.

During this time a new team is developed to search for new technologies for the next cycle to repeat as stated above.