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 of it, so come once or come every week.
All in-person events are at 1403 University Ave.
Every Week
- Mondays · Lab Office Hours, 4:00–6:00 PM, Second Floor. Drop in with questions, get unstuck or check in on your Sprint project.
- Thursdays · Build Night, 5:00–8:00 PM, Second Floor. Co-run with Transcend. A guest speaker opens the evening, followed by open project time, mentor office hours and co-working.
The Four-Week Sprint
Carry the BuildFest energy forward. Each Wednesday, students take an idea or project and find out whether it’s worth pursuing, with mentors in the room. You don’t need to have attended BuildFest or any earlier week to join. All sessions are 5:30–7:30 PM.
- Wed, Oct 7 · Week 2: Test Your IUP with Real Users. Bring what you heard and what broke. 👉 RSVP
- Wed, Oct 14 · Week 3: Value Proposition Workshop. Why would anyone pay for this? 👉 RSVP
- Wed, Oct 21 · Week 4: Learn and Pivot. Decide what to keep, change and drop. 👉 RSVP
- Wed, Oct 28 · Closing Week: Share What You Learned. 2–3 minute share-outs with peer and mentor feedback. Everyone is welcome to come listen. 👉 RSVP
Build Night Highlights
- Thu, Oct 1 · Build Night with Christian Kaczmarczyk. How builders create a competitive edge, from an investor looking for the next big thing. Pizza, networking and building. 👉 RSVP
- Thu, Oct 8, 15, 22 and 29 · Build Night. Guest speakers, open project time with mentors.
Also This Month
- Digital Health Challenge. The challenge kicked off Sept 30. Anyone can participate, with support throughout fall and spring leading up to the spring competition and cash prizes. [Learn More]
Coming in November
- Thu, Nov 19 · Demo Night. The Lab’s end-of-semester showcase at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, with teams from BuildFest, the Venture Pathway and the Sprint. Free and open to the public. 👉 [RSVP]
Want to help out? Volunteers staff tables and help host Build Nights, Open Labs and Sprint sessions. No application required. Contact us.
About the Tech Exploration Lab:
Led by the Wisconsin School of Business in collaboration with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the Lab connects students from across campus with industry partners, researchers, and alumni to explore, build, and commercialize ideas at the intersection of emerging technologies and real-world challenges.