Timeline & Structure

October 22 | 10:00–22:00 | Forum, WU

12 hours. Tackle grand societal challenges. Find innovative solutions.

Explore megatrends, uncover pressing real-world problems, and find a challenge you’re excited to solve. Whether you come with an idea or start from scratch - this is where curiosity meets opportunity. Compete against other student teams and win your spot in the exclusive Idea Lab Program.

The Hackathon is your starting point. The best teams from the Hackathon get invited to the exclusive Idea Lab program.

In this workshop, you'll learn how to get your idea out of your head and in front of real people — fast. We'll cover how to design smart validation experiments, talk to potential customers without leading them to the answer you want, and separate genuine demand from polite encouragement. By the end, you'll know exactly what to test next, and how to read the results honestly.

A great idea still needs a business behind it.

This workshop helps you turn your concept into a working business model: who you're really solving this for, how you'll reach them, what you'll charge, and how the numbers actually hold up. Using hands-on frameworks, you'll map out your value proposition, revenue streams, and cost structure — and start spotting the gaps before an investor does.

Workshops give you the tools — mentoring makes sure you actually use them.

Alongside the workshop sessions, every Idea Lab team gets the chance to talk to experienced experts and entrepreneurs for ongoing, one-on-one mentoring. Bring your specific questions, blind spots, and roadblocks — your mentor has likely faced them before, and will push you to find your own answers rather than just handing you theirs.

December 16 | 16:00–20:00 | Clubraum, WU

This is where it all comes together.

The Idea Lab teams take the stage one last time to pitch their fully validated, sharpened ideas in front of a jury of founders and industry experts. Months of building, testing, and refining — condensed into one pitch that has to land.

The stakes: a wildcard into Venture Lab, our incubator program, with the chance to receive up to €50,000 in investment from WU Ignite Ventures.

One stage. One shot. One team walks away with the wildcard.