Impressions
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Real Challenges. Real Products. Real Value.
Attention
The Product Lab program at HPI is your space to learn how to develop innovative tech products that truly resonate with customers. Over the course of the semester, you will work in agile teams to ‘hack’ an industry of your choosing and develop a solution for a relevant problem within it. The Product Lab is both a challenge and a space for experimentation that allows you to explore your ideas, learn how to create products and equip you with the business know-how to make it a reality.
Term(s)
Summer & Winter Term
Time investment
180 hours in total
ECTS
6
Module type
Elective module
Module selection at HPI
Module selection of the “Product Lab” at HPI (preliminary)
ITSE: HPI-MK, HPI-SSK-RW, HPI-SSK-ML
DE: HPI-PSK-EI
CS: HPI-DE-RWM, HPI-PSK-ML
DH: HPI-PSK-MLE
SSE: HPI-PSK-EI
ITSE BA: HPI-PSK
Grades
Yes
Enrollment deadline
Teaching format
Project seminar: Every week, we will meet on Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm with workshops, coaching sessions and guest speakers
Teaching language
English
Registration requirements and link
closed
Fee
Free
Team budget
500€
HPI Founder Scholarship
Participants
Maximum number of Participants
20 master's students
Room (Location)
HPI Campus, building E
Key dates
14.10.2026
Welcome & Info event from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
21.10.2026
Kick-Off from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
09.12.2025
Midterm Event
16.12.2026
Christmas Special
27.01.2027
Pitch Event
Learning and Teaching Methods
No idea yet? No problem - you’ll develop one during the first weeks.
No team yet? We’ll match you with like-minded innovators.
During this 15-week seminar, a group consisting of three to five students will find a relevant industry problem and set out to hack it through innovative tech. They will develop a real product and their own pitch deck.
The seminar kicks off with an orientation session on October 14th, 2026, 1:30 pm at HPI during which participants will connect and form teams, receive an overview of the semester and begin working on finding relevant problems in three industries of their choosing. In the subsequent weeks, they will apply systems thinking and innovation methods to identify ways to hack these problems and select the challenge that they will work on during the semester.
The Product Lab will guide them through targeted and purposeful experimentation and prototyping to create a product that truly resonates with customers.
Students will receive the chance to visit Berlin’s tech start-ups, meet founders and professionals to get inspired. They can expect to receive feedback from external experts, enjoy a special Christmas event and finally pitch their ideas to an expert jury at the end of the semester to showcase their ideas.
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A 15-week course of extensive ideation, engineering, innovation, and user interaction.
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Find relevant challenges and explore real solutions.
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Combination of theory and practical work by learning and implementing.
■ 04
Self-reliant interdisciplinary teamwork partnering with students from various universities in the Berlin-Potsdam area.
■ 05
Intensive tutoring within a creative space in dedicated project rooms.
■ 06
Opportunities to meet real teach founders and get inspired.
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The project seminar takes place every week according to the following schedule.
Sessions will take place in room E-U.01/02
Week 1
Day 1
14.10.2026, 1:30pm-3pm: Welcome & Info
Course overview
Week 2
Day 2
21.10.2026, 1:30pm-5pm: Kick-Off
Team Formation
Week 3
Day 3
28.10.2026, 1:30-5pm: Start-Up Visits
In Potsdam and Berlin
Week 4
Day 4
4.11.2026, 1:30-5pm: Problem Presentation
Student problems + tech exploration session
Week 5
Day 5
11.11.2026, 1:30-5pm: Research 101
Basics of interviewing + outreach
Week 6
Day 6
18.11.2026, 1:30-5pm: Research 102
Advanced research techniques for product
Week 7
Day 7
25.11.2026, 1:30-5pm: Lean Business Model
Studio + Business Track
Week 8
Day 8
02.12.2026, 1:30-5pm: Market & Competition
Studio + Business Track
Week 9
Day 9
09.12.2026, 1:30-4pm: Midterm Event
Product Council Featuring Expert Feedback
Week 10
Day 10
16.12.2026, 1:30-5pm: Christmas Special
Guest tbd + Retro
Week 11
Day 11
06.01.2026, 1:30-5pm: Go-to-Market
Studio + Business Track
Week 12
Day 12
13.01.2026, 1:30-5pm: Financials
Studio + Business Track
Week 13
Day 13
20.01.2026, 1:30-5pm: Pitching Prep
Studio + Business Track
Week 14
Day 14
27.01.2026, 1:30-5pm: Finale
Pitching in front of Experts
Week 15
Day 15
03.02.2026, 1:30-5pm: Feedback
Semester Review
Week 16
Day 16
Week 17
Day 17
Week 18
Day 18
Week 19
Day 19
Week 20
Day 20
Week 1
Day 1
Week 2
Day 2
Week 3
Day 3
Week 4
Day 4
Week 5
Day 5
Week 6
Day 6
Week 7
Day 7
Week 8
Day 8
Week 9
Day 9
Week 10
Day 10
Week 11
Day 11
Week 12
Day 12
Week 13
Day 13
Week 14
Day 14
Week 15
Day 15
Week 16
Day 16
Week 17
Day 17
Week 18
Day 18
Week 19
Day 19
Week 20
Day 20
The assessment takes place via a presentation and associated project documentation and is consists of three components:
Date: tbd
A brief portfolio documenting how you analysed the selected industries and a statement about the chosen challenge.
Date: 27.01.2027
Presentation, pitch deck, final prototype account for 40% of your final grade.
Date: 3.02.27
A documentation of hypotheses/opportunities mapped out and explored during the semester through experiments. (This will be created over the course of the seminars.)
All grades are recorded as individual grades. Please contact the study department if you do not want to participate in the performance recording(2-day rule).
Requirements
Program Structure
Data Rights
Please use the registration form
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