COS Independent Work Seminar:
Invention and Innovation: Entrepreneurial Lessons for Computer Scientists

COS IW03
Spring 2024

General Information:
Instructor: Robert Fish (rfish at cs dot princeton dot edu) (office hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:30pm-5:30pm ET and by appointment, on Zoom or Corwin 037)
TA: Drew Curran (denisac at princeton dot edu) (Office hours: Friday 11:00-12:30 in CS 401 and Sunday 3:00-4:30 in TBD and by appointment on Zoom https://princeton.zoom.us/my/drewcurran)
TA: XXX (TB at princeton dot edu) (office hours: Friday mornings (10:00 AM - 11:30 AM) Sunday Evenings (7:00 PM - 8:30 PM) and by appointment on Zoom https://princeton.zoom.us/my/?????????)
Meeting time and place: Tuesdays, 3:00pm - 4:20PM ET, CS402
Links: Description, Schedule, Resources, FAQ, Ed
 

Description:

How does an idea for an invention actually become an innovation in the marketplace? You may be a computer programming wizard, but there is a lot more to it than just fingers on the keyboard. This seminar, in concert with you building an independent product of your choice, introduces some of the elements of thinking and developing an idea into a going concern. Your project will include a software and/or hardware prototype, a presentation, and a paper that explores the feasibility of your idea as a business. To help you frame and complete your project, we will discuss distinctions between invention and innovation, various brainstorming and invention methodologies, the DARPA methodology for idea screening, an introduction to intellectual property including patents, aspects of a simple business plan, project planning and management, and the elements of a “pitch deck.” Typically, we have some interaction with the Keller Center's program for entrepreneurial activities or we may invite an outside entreprepeneur to visit with the seminar. For the more adventurous, the possibility exists for you to share your idea in a real “virtual” startup pitch event and report on the results.

Students may pair up in these projects, creating a joint idea for an enterprise, with each student concentrating on some aspect of the software with a division of labor of frontend, backend, mobile app, data analysis, marketing, finance, etc. This IW seminar is complementary to COS 448 (Innovating across Technology, Business, and Marketplaces) and would be appropriate both before and after taking COS 448. If you’ve started a project with some entrepreneurial aspects in COS333, you might want to consider developing it further in this IW Seminar. Also, you might want to think about some entrepreneurial project that addresses issues of remote work and learning, pandemic responses, or using entrepreneurship to deal with social and economic issues.
 

Schedule:
Date Topic
Jan 30 Introductions and Brainstorming Exercise
Jan 30 Information meeting for all IW students 4:30pm ET - 5:30PM ET
Feb 06 Develop Project Plans
Feb 13 Informal proposal talks; Discuss Gantt chart and weekly project progress reports
Feb 20 Formal proposal talks with Gantt chart and weekly project progress reports
Feb 22 Written project proposals due
Feb 27 Weekly project progress reports, discussion, and feedback
Mar 05 Progress reports, discussion, and feedback
Mar 09 Submit Checkpoint Form
Mar 12 Spring recess
Mar 19 Progress reports, discussion, and feedback
Mar 19 Attend "How to Give an IW Talk," 4:30PM, Location: TBD
Mar 26 Progress reports, discussion, and feedback
Apr 02 Progress reports, discussion, and feedback, Meet with TAs this week for repository check and implementation issues
Apr 09 Attend "How to Write an IW Paper," 4:30PM Location: TBD
Apr 09 Intro to Pitch Decks, Project Presentations
Apr 14 Oral Presentation slides and recorded-video oral presentation are due
Apr 16 Pitch Deck Presentations
Apr 23 Eight page preliminary paper (optional) is due, Project Demos
Apr 28 Written final report due

 

Resources:
 

Frequently Asked Questions: