If your company is putting AI agents to work, or deciding whether to, this brief is for you. Companies are giving AI agents real permissions faster than they’re learning how those agents fail. So at …
Year: 2026
What’s Happening at the Tech Exploration Lab: October 2026
October is Sprint month. Every Wednesday, builders test their ideas with real users. Every Thursday is Build Night, and every Monday the Lab is open for office hours. No application is needed for any …
RSVP for Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night, Thursday, Nov 19
Come see what UW–Madison students have built this semester. [RSVP] Demo Night is the Tech Exploration Lab’s end-of-semester showcase of student-led innovation across emerging technologies. Walk the floor, meet student teams and get hands-on with …
The TEL Four-Week Sprint: Join Us Every Wednesday in October
With AI, anyone can build a product in a weekend. Building is no longer the hard part. Real learning is. The Four-Week Sprint carries the energy of BuildFest into October. Every Wednesday, students take an …
Celebrating the BuildFest 2026 Winners
Badger BuildFest 2026 brought about 200 students from across the UW-Madison campus for 24 hours of building. They produced nearly 50 projects across three tracks, with support from more than 30 mentors, judges and sponsors …
Build Night this Thursday, 10/1: How builders create a competitive edge
Co-hosted with Transcend, this week’s Build Night opens with Christian Kaczmarczyk, VC with Third Prime, from 5:00 to 6:00. As an investor looking for the next big thing, he’ll share how builders can create a …
Join the Douglas D. Bradley Digital Health Challenge + Competition: Closing the Gap in Women’s Health
Challenge Launch: September 30, 2026 (Kickoff at the Four-week Sprint. Join us every Wednesday in October. Jump in any time) Submission Deadline: April 5, 2027 Subscribe to the Digital Health Challenge interest list to be …
End of Summer Celebration Recap
On August 17, the UW Tech Exploration Lab and the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub co-hosted an End of Summer Celebration at 1403 University Ave, part of ForwardFest 2026. The evening brought together students, founders, industry professionals, …
Welcome Tom Yen, Ph.D., as the Lab’s new Associate Director, Emerging Technologies & Innovation Programs
The Tech Exploration Lab is thrilled to welcome Tom Yen, Ph.D., as the Lab’s new Associate Director, Emerging Technologies & Innovation Programs! Tom has spent over 30 years leading human-centered product development for major medical technology …
Join us at the Tech Exploration Lab this Fall
Applications for our fall programs open in late August across three tracks: Venture Pathway, Industry Innovation, and Innovation Translation. But here is the important part. You don’t need to be in a formal program to …