Inside the Founder Lab: From Insight to First Customer
Twelve student teams spent the summer testing ideas, talking with users, and learning when to change direction.
Maya Thompson
Director, Summit Venture Studio
Start with a problem worth solving
The Founder Lab does not begin with pitch decks. It begins with observation. Each team spends two weeks interviewing potential users and mapping the workarounds people already use.
Only then do students build a first prototype, often discovering that their original idea addressed the wrong part of the problem.
A studio, not a competition
Weekly critiques bring together designers, engineers, business students, alumni, and legal mentors. Teams share unfinished work and receive direct, practical feedback.
The program values evidence of learning over fundraising headlines. A thoughtful decision to pause can be as important as a launch.
Building responsible ventures
Teams examine accessibility, data practices, labor impacts, and environmental costs before choosing a business model.
By demo day, each founder must explain not only who will pay, but who may be affected and how the venture will remain accountable as it grows.
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