idealab

Idealab

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What is it?

The Michael ’59 and Ellen ’60 Opell IdeaLab is the Bozzuto Center’s starting point for turning curiosity into action.

Start with a problem, need, or possibility you care about. Over five weeks, students use creative problem-solving, feedback, and entrepreneurial tools to develop an idea they can test, refine, and pursue.

No business idea is required. No idea at all is required. Students might explore a new business or nonprofit, social innovation, app or invention, arts project, educational intervention, campaign strategy, policy solution, sustainability initiative—or something we haven’t imagined yet.

IdeaLab provides a creative, collaborative environment where students learn alongside peers, faculty, staff, and mentors. Come to one session, or come to them all!

Students who want to continue developing their ideas can move into other Bozzuto Center opportunities, including the 90-Second Elevator Pitch Competition, Opell Start-Up Fund seed funding, and the Todd Feldman ’89 and Family Pitch Competition.

Jones

student spotlight: Nick Jones '26

As a student leader for the Idea Lab, I shared my passion of entrepreneurship with peers who were equally as enthusiastic about the topic. Throughout the semester, we had lectures about entrepreneurial concepts, conversations to spark creativity and cultivate ideas, and my favorite - the empty chair activity. At the end of each weekly session, brave souls would volunteer to sit back facing the audience and have 30 seconds to share their most innovative ideas. After 30 seconds, the courageous volunteer received open-ended, constructive feedback from the audience - the caveat: they weren't allowed to respond to the feedback. Hearing these uniquely authentic ideas provoked the thoughts and imagination of myself and the audience members. My biggest takeaway from Idea Lab is that market-disrupting and world-changing ideas don't come from the mind of one individual, but from the community and rapport of ideas melding together. The Idea Lab is an incubator that allows ideas to become more remarkable than they were when they first entered the room, thanks to the collaboration of beautiful minds.

When is it?

Fall 2026 IdeaLab runs Wednesdays from 7–8:30 p.m., September 9 through October 7, in Stern Hall 103.

Students may join at any point during the five-week program.

No registration required.

Who is eligible?

Every current HWS student. Every major. Every class year. Every level of experience.

You do not need to identify as an entrepreneur or arrive with an idea. Bring your interests, experiences, questions, creativity, or a problem you think deserves attention.

No idea necessary. Just curiosity about how to make the world better.

What will I learn?

Across five weeks, students explore the process of moving from a problem or possibility toward an actionable idea:

Week 1 — The Problem
Identify a problem worth addressing and explore who experiences it, why it matters, and its underlying causes.

Week 2 — The Solution
Generate possibilities, challenge assumptions, and begin developing a thoughtful response.

Week 3 — Value Proposition
Ask who benefits from your idea, what value it creates, and why people or communities might care.

Week 4 — Landscape & Market
Explore what already exists, who else is addressing the problem, who your audiences or stakeholders are, and where your idea might fit.

Week 5 — Implementation & Responsibility
Consider what it would take to put your idea into action while thinking critically about social responsibility, sustainability, and potential impacts.