Your idea. Sharpened by the real world.
The Venture Pathway is the Lab’s track for students turning an idea into a venture. You’re never working in a vacuum. At every stage, your idea is tested against the real world: real users, mentors who’ve built companies, alumni who’ve faced the problems you’re facing, and industry partners who can turn a promising concept into a live pilot.
We specialize in the early stage: the uncertain, high-potential space before a venture is fully formed. We help you move from curiosity to evidence, and from evidence to a venture worth pursuing.
Founders come from every major. Bring the technical build, the customer insight or both. With today’s AI tools, anyone can build a prototype, and we’ll connect you with the teammates and skills you’re missing.
Move through the stages in order, or start at the one that fits where you are. Teams with equivalent experience can join Venture Build or Founder Lab directly.
Stage 1: Explore/Discover
Is the problem real?
This is where the work begins, and where you find out whether your idea holds up outside your own head. Talk to the people who have the problem. Find the assumption that could sink your idea, and test it before you spend a semester building.
You bring the idea. We bring mentors, frameworks, build resources, teammate connections and direct access to industry and alumni advisors, plus a community of students working on real problems.
You leave with: evidence from real users, a clear answer on whether your idea is worth pursuing, and your next step.
Offered fall and spring. Fall 2026 applications are closed. Spring applications open in January 2027.
Stage 2: Venture Build
Is there a business?
Venture Build is where a validated idea or early prototype becomes a credible venture. Over the semester, your team works with MBA students in the Wisconsin School of Business’s New Product Innovation course, alongside industry mentors and alumni advisors who bring live market context.
Together, you sharpen the market, strengthen the value proposition, shape the go-to-market strategy and prepare for early customers.
You leave with: customer validation, a sharper value proposition, a go-to-market plan and a business case you can take to partners and investors.
Who’s eligible: founders from any background with a clear problem and a prototype or proof of concept. The earlier the stage, the better: it leaves the most room for mentor and MBA input to shape your direction.
Offered in fall. Fall 2026 applications are closed. Applications for Fall 2027 open next September.
Stage 3: Founder Lab
Will it work in the real world?
Founder Lab is a selective cohort for student ventures that have moved past the idea stage. Each semester, five teams are chosen based on progress, not a pitch: a validated problem, a working product and early signs that customers want it.
Founders run pilots with design partners who open their doors to testing, and get ongoing mentoring from people who have built companies.
Twice a year, in January and June, two founders from each Founder Lab team travel to San Francisco for investor feedback sessions, meetings with venture firms and angel networks, and a reception with UW alumni founders and investors in the Bay Area. The trip is part of the program, not a prize.
- Selected for traction. Five teams a semester, chosen for what they’ve built and validated, not a single pitch.
- Pilots, not just pitches. Founders test with real customers and design partners before they ask anyone for money.
- A cohort, not a contest. Founders build alongside committed peers, with a workspace and mentors.
- The whole Badger network, no strings attached. The Lab takes no equity, and no single fund is behind it. Teams meet a range of investors, operators and UW alumni, and the feedback is about what’s best for the venture.
You leave with: results from real pilots, investor feedback and relationships across the Badger network in the Bay Area.
Next cohort: January 2027. Express interest or refer a founder by noon CT on October 9, 2026.
Express interest or refer a founder →
Demo Night
Every Venture Pathway team can show its work at Demo Night, the Lab’s student showcase each semester for student ventures, industry projects and research-to-market work. Judges visit every station, and teams compete for a share of more than $5,000 in prizes.