Do I need to have my own business idea to participate in the Product Builder Program?
No, that is not necessary. Every team will be provided with a challenge from one of our corporate partners.
Who are the partnering companies for the challenges?
The partners will be mainly larger companies from various industries. Your idea remains independent from their operational business but they support you as mentor for this project.
How do I chose a challenge?
Depending on the preferences you indicate in your application and during the interviews, we will assign you to one of the corporate challenges.
What is the expected outcome?
We expect a paper prototype, a value proposition and a pitch presentation during Challenger Day after 7 weeks as well as a working clickable prototype, a business model and a final pitch in front of an expert jury during Demo Day after 14 weeks.
Do I need to have my team members in advance?
No, that is not necessary. According to your preferences we will create teams of six to seven people with at least two HPI students per team. The teams will be announced during the kick-off on April 21.
Do I have to be in Potsdam during the seminar?
We highly encourage teams to use our facilities at HPI especially during the "Product Builder Day" every Thursday from 9am - 6pm. If you are not in Potsdam at all during the three months, we cannot accept you for the program as at least the Kick-off, Challenger Day and Demo Day are planned with onsite presence. We will not offer any hybrid or online session during the course.
Are the weekly input (90 minutes) and coaching sessions (30-60 minutes) during the program mandatory?
Yes, if you cannot attend due to severe reasons please sign off with your coach.
Who will be grading the final project?
The program management team of HPI Product Builder will assess your work with their grading criteria according to the requirements of the module.