For Companies

Build and test what’s next. With the people who will build it.

Test what’s next before you invest in it.

Most companies know AI and emerging technology will change their business. Fewer know where to start, which ideas are worth the investment, or how to find out without pulling their best people off core work.

That’s what the Lab is for.

Answers in weeks, not quarters. Student teams test your use case with real prototypes and real evidence, in a 24-hour hackathon, a four-week sprint or a semester project. You decide what to invest in based on what actually worked.
Low risk, low lift. Your team brings the problem and the context. Ours does the exploring, using sandboxed tools and synthetic or de-identified data where needed. Confidentiality and ownership terms are agreed up front.
Both sides of the question. Every team pairs business students, who make the commercial case, with technical builders, who make it work. You get a prototype and a business case, not one or the other.
Talent you’ve seen in action. Meet the students who will build what’s next by working with them first. It’s the best recruiting interview there is.
Shared learning across companies. Partners get early access to what we learn across projects, like our Exploration Brief on how AI agents really fail.

Backed by the Wisconsin School of Business and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, with dozens of campus and industry experts advising and mentoring student teams.

We’re early-stage by design. This isn’t advisory or theoretical work. Teams build, test and advance ideas in real time. You don’t need to have it all figured out. We’ll help you shape the question and guide the process.

Start here: join the Technology & Innovation Network

The Network is the easiest way to plug into the Lab: a community of industry leaders, founders and innovation practitioners who stay connected to what the Lab is building and learning.

Members hear about Lab programs, emerging needs and student ventures as they develop. We’ll reach out when there’s something worth sharing or a way you could help: a student team that could use your perspective, a challenge in your space, an event worth attending. You choose how and when to engage.

Membership is free and fits around your schedule.

Join the Network →

Ways to engage

Bring a problem

Partner with a student team through Applied Industry Innovation to explore a real challenge in your organization: a use case you want to test, a technology you want to understand, or a question you want answered. Teams apply AI and emerging technology to produce insight, early prototypes and evidence that helps you decide whether and how to move forward.

It’s structured experimentation: low risk for your organization, high learning for the team. Projects are scoped and priced to your needs. Partners have included American Design, Crystal Farms, Holos and Xorbix.

See our work and contact us to bring a problem.

Anchor a challenge or hackathon

Put your problem in front of hundreds of students at once. Through challenges, hackathons and focused sprints, cross-disciplinary teams take on your problem with applied AI and emerging technology, generating fresh ideas, testing solutions and building momentum. It’s a low-risk way to explore what’s possible while building a pipeline of talent and ideas.

Start with a real challenge: a problem, opportunity space or area of interest.
Student teams take it on: they explore, build and prototype solutions.
Test ideas quickly: short, focused engagements designed for speed and creativity.
See the results: early-stage solutions, new use cases and venture opportunities.

Sponsorship ranges from general event support to bringing a specific problem statement for teams to work on.

Recent challenges and events:

Badger BuildFest, Fall 2026: about 200 students built 48 projects in 24 hours, with more than 30 mentors, judges and sponsors. Google, the Wisconsin School of Business and the Lab sponsored three tracks. Xorbix, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, DoIT Academic Technology and Strato VC brought real-world challenges, from building agents on Databricks to helping pet owners make informed decisions about the cost of care.
The Art of the Break, Fall 2026: student teams stress-tested their own AI agents, judged with a Staff Software Engineer from Meta. The findings became the Lab’s first Exploration Brief for business leaders, Break It Before Your Customers Do.
Digital Health Challenge, Spring 2026: focused on brain health, teams explored how AI and digital technology can improve quality of life for patients and caregivers, with solutions ranging from neurological monitoring tools to emotionally intelligent AI companions.
Xorbix Hackathon, Spring 2026: students worked with real-world data and industry context to build practical solutions on modern platforms, producing high-quality prototypes and new use cases.
Google AI Startup School, Summer 2025: nearly 60 students in live online training, in-Lab workshops and a closing hackathon judged with Google.
BuildFest, Fall 2025: sponsored by Cursor, a build sprint that moved students from early ideas to working prototypes in AI and blockchain.

Example problem areas from industry projects:

Health & Wellness: delivering personalized experiences with AI
Manufacturing: using AI to optimize trade programs and retailer partnerships
Retail: engaging shoppers overwhelmed by choice, online and in store
AgTech: improving producer productivity in horticulture with AI
Real Estate: using AR and AI to improve trust and safety in short-term rentals
Consumer Goods: AI-powered customer experiences that build engagement and loyalty
Education & Training: using VR and AI to lower cost and widen access to enterprise training

Mentor, judge or become a design partner

Share your expertise where it matters most. Mentor student teams, judge at BuildFest or Demo Night, or become a design partner for a Founder Lab venture by opening your doors to an early pilot.

Sponsor innovation

Support student experimentation with funding, tools or data access. Sponsorship opportunities include Demo Night, the Lab’s student showcase each semester, along with Lab programs and specific initiatives, scoped to your interests and the Lab’s current priorities.

Who we work with

Companies of every size and sector, from startups to enterprises. Not sure if the Lab is the right fit? Reach out. We’re happy to talk before you commit to anything.

About the Tech Exploration Lab

The Lab is led by the Wisconsin School of Business in collaboration with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. We connect students, industry partners, researchers and alumni around real problems, applied AI and emerging technology.