About Emergency Managers and Their Tools: What Emergency Managers Want from a Business Perspective

This paper presents findings emerging from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The aim of I-Corps is to aid in transitioning academic research into commercialized technology. Through this program, the authors developed and tested hypotheses in search of a sustainable and scalable business model for a potential future company. An element of the rigorous I-Corps curriculum included 133 interviews with emergency manager practitioners from around the country to determine the root of their immediate problems. The unbiased feedback from the industry professionals determined the outcome of our hypotheses, while validating our proposed business model.