AI-powered. Alumni and Industry Connected. Multidisciplinary.
At the UW Tech Exploration Lab, we believe the best way to shape the future is to build it. This summer, students from across campus are diving into real-world projects, collaborating with alumni and industry mentors, and applying emerging technologies in high-impact ways.
We have nearly 75 students this summer working on things from early-stage startup concepts to rapid prototyping sprints, here’s a look at what’s happening:
Here are some example projects:
- AI Agent: Exploring the intersection of athletics, business, and AI for an alum-driven startup
- RFID Commercialization Pathways: Advancing a startup concept focused on logistics and tracking
- Entrepreneur Planning Bot: Collaborating with the SBDC to prototype a GPT-based business support tool for entrepreneurs
- Team Dynamics & Behavior Change Tools: Investigating leadership AI coaches and analysis models for the Wisconsin School of Business
- Operations GPTs: Building custom AI tools to streamline internal workflows and knowledge sharing to processes in corporate environments
Signature Summer Programs:
- Trendspotting + Playground: A sandbox for emerging tech experimentation, where students scout, test, and demo new AI tools
- Venture Discovery: Alumni-mentored sprints to validate and evolve early-stage ideas, with projects like DermaVision and Ember AI progressing from concept to venture readiness
- AI Startup School: A Lab-enhanced experience built around Google’s AI learning content, with weekly meetups, expert feedback, and a growing cross-campus community
Check out these events:
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July 9: Google AI Startup School Hackathon & Pop-Up Sprint
Spend the day building bold AI solutions in a 24-hour hackathon — or jump into the Pop-Up AI Sprint (1:00–5:00 PM) for a hands-on intro to AI tools, no coding required. -
July 10: Feedback Session with Google Advisors (Invite Only)
Select student teams present their prototypes to Google reps and trusted advisors for real-time feedback and next-step insights. -
August 18: Venture Discovery Salon + Networking Reception (co-hosted with D2P)
An invite-only salon plus an open community networking reception to connect founders, alumni, and industry partners during ForwardFest. -
September 10: Fall Kickoff
Meet the Lab team, preview fall projects, and plug in with student orgs, alumni, and industry collaborators.
Get Involved This Fall
For companies: Do you have an idea or challenge that students could help explore? We’re currently welcoming proposals for fall semester projects. Whether it’s a rough concept, a startup idea, or a real-world industry problem, we’ll work with you to shape it into a meaningful student-led innovation sprint. Submit your company’s challenge or idea
For students: Have your own idea you want to explore or launch? Fill out this form and let us know what you need. The lab can provide connections, resources, space, equipment and more to get you to the next place. Submit your student-driven project idea