Courses

DCSIL is an incubator, not a classroom. If you are sitting in this room, you have been hand-picked through a rigorous balloting process. If you want a seat in the future, you have to earn it. Our selection process is designed to filter for those ready to move beyond theory and into the trenches.

When you enter this space, you are no longer just a student—you are a founder and a strategist. We provide a secure, high-stakes environment with world-class mentorship, but the momentum is entirely yours to create. We expect our cohorts to operate with the same intensity and professional rigor required to win in the global tech ecosystem. If you are looking for a passive learning experience, you are in the wrong place.

In the real world, engineering and business logic are inseparable. Our curriculum reflects this reality through an integrated dual-track ecosystem designed to bridge the gap between code and commerce.

• The Strategic Engine: CSC454 - Business of Software is the mandatory core of the DCSIL experience. This is a customer development course designed to teach you how to engage prospective users and validate the high-stakes hypotheses regarding your customer personas, their "hair-burning" issues, and your unique value proposition.
• The Build Engine: CSC491 - Capstone Design is the optional, high-intensity companion to CSC454. It is built for those who refuse to stop at a pitch deck. This track is designed to take the business insights validated in CSC454 and forge them into a sophisticated, market-ready project.
• Because product development cannot exist in a vacuum, CSC454 is a mandatory co-requisite for CSC491. While the Business of Software track can be taken independently, the Capstone requires the concurrent strategic foundation of the business track.

We use a balloted system to select each cohort. This is your first test in following the standards of the incubator.

• The Window: Balloting typically opens in the summer for both Fall and Winter sessions.
• The Action: Check back in May or June when the link goes live.
• The Stakes: The application process evolves every year. Read the instructions with precision and submit your documents duly. Failing to follow the process signals a lack of readiness for the "big game." Do not miss your chance to be in the next cohort selected for the incubator.

We demand a level of commitment that mirrors the startup world. Participation is not a suggestion; it is the baseline.

• Have a Startup Mindset. This is a project-driven environment. Innovation does not adhere to a 9-to-5 schedule. If you aren't prepared to iterate and build outside of lecture hours, you are already behind.
• Practice Rdical Collaboration: Disciplinary diversity is our greatest strength. We expect ego-free communication where goals are set by the team's mission, not individual whims.
• Demonstrate Technological Fluency: Engagement happens where the industry lives. Whether you are a business lead or a developer, you are expected to be active on GitHub and maintain a constant pulse on team operations via Slack. Going "radioactive" or silent signals a lack of commitment that damages the entire team.
• Commit to Constant Sprinting: The tech landscape moves faster than any syllabus. You will not be spoon-fed. You must be prepared to hunt down new processes, master unfamiliar tools on the fly, and sprint toward delivery.

In the DCSIL incubator, we do not build in a vacuum. We collaborate with high-tier industry leaders who act as The Problem Architects, providing raw, unresolved industry pain points rather than pre-defined project specifications. These partners deliver high-level problem statements that serve as the foundational ground truth for the Dual-Track Ecosystem. Within the CSC454 track, it is your mandate to deconstruct these statements, validate customer personas, and ideate a sustainable business model and monetizable product strategy. For those enrolled in the CSC491 track, this strategic foundation transitions into technical execution, where you build the market-ready solution you have conceived.

• Our industry partners change each term, ensuring we only collaborate with organizations operating at the highest technological edge and within high-impact sectors (e.g., HealthCare AI, Cybersecurity, Fintech).
• Partners and themes are rigorously selected to ensure that teams are working on marketable, viable ventures with genuine commercial potential.
• Industry partners provide the problem, not the solution. They do not engage in "solutioning" or technical troubleshooting; their role is to help you deeply understand the problem statement.
• You are expected to operate as an independent founder. The partner defines the "what" and the "why," but the "how"—the architecture, the business model, and the final product—rests entirely on your team's execution.