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, …
Year: 2026
BuildFest is Coming Sept 26–27
One weekend. Multidisciplinary teams. Real momentum. BuildFest kicks off the Lab’s fall season: a 30-hour, campus-wide build sprint with tracks spanning Entrepreneurship, Agentic Tooling, Hardware, Digital Health, and Sustainability. Teams of 2–5 pull together …
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 …
Spatial Intelligence Ideathon Recap
On Saturday, July 18, the UW Tech Exploration Lab hosted its first Spatial Intelligence Ideathon — a one-day student pitch competition built around two real technologies: SGA-AR, a spatially grounded AI framework developed by Professor …
Spatial Intelligence Ideathon | Student Pitch Competition
Saturday, July 18 | 1403 University Ave, 2nd Floor | UW–Madison Students What happens when you hand students a patented university technology and tell them to find a problem worth solving? That’s the Spatial Intelligence …
UW Tech Exploration Lab in San Francisco: Founder Lab Networking
The UW Tech Exploration Lab will be in San Francisco on June 25, bringing a select group of Founder Lab teams to engage with the broader Bay Area innovation ecosystem. Following a focused feedback session …
How Fundable Is Your Startup?
Thinking about raising money but not sure if you should? Or how ready you really are? Join us for a candid, student-focused networking session where you can: Get real feedback on your idea or startup …
Founder Lab Feedback Panel
As part of the Tech Exploration Lab’s Venture Pathway, Founder Lab brings together teams that are moving beyond exploration and into shaping real-world innovation and venture opportunities. On April 23 at 3:30 PM, Founder Lab …
Winners from the Lab’s Digital Health Challenge + Demo Night Spring 2026
Celebrating Innovation and Venture Momentum Last week’s Tech Exploration Lab Demo Night brought together a mix of students, industry partners, alumni, and the broader innovation community for an evening of showcasing applied innovation. Student teams …