It was a great pleasure to see all the teams presenting their work for our fall 2023 prototyping fund showcase on November 28th at the Haddad Institute in Nova SBE.
The prototyping fund Is a collaborative program offered by the DESIS Lab @ Nova SBE and Nova SBE Entrepreneurship Institute. The program provides teams of students mentorship and funding to build and test prototypes.
The six projects selected for this first edition explored various topics from upcycling, waste and energy consumption to intergenerational housing and community garden.
It was great to see the iterations and learnings the teams developed during the fall semester. The diversity of the projects and prototypes illustrates our philosophy: we can prototype everything. Prototyping is about doing research, testing, and iterating.
Talking with the teams, a few key ideas emerged:
Doing is the only way to learn
The Circle team who had spent a lot of times learning how to make physical prototypes at FabLab Lisboa were glad that they decided to prototype with a wooden mold: “we knew that the result would not be perfect, but at least, we now know that it’s possible.”
Constraints can be generative
The Rehome team stressed how being part of the program made them accountable: “It gave us deadlines and that really helped us push our idea forward.”.
Being ready to iterate and pivot
The Obelix team started focusing on creating a service focusing on small construction companies. Through their research, they realized that it might make more sense to focus on municipalities and developed a prototype using satellite-based images.
Not all teams might continue but the process allowed the teams to test assumptions and make informed decision. As one of the participants told us: “We learned a lot about the importance of testing our assumptions and building something [in their case a digital prototype], and this will be useful in our future projects even if we don’t continue this one.”
We are also happy to celebrate the launch of three projects: AGOJI studio and Rehome launched their ventures, and the Community Garden @Nova SBE will be officially open in the spring.
Looking forward all the ongoing projects evolve and what new projects emerge.
The DESIS Lab team
Acknowledgement: The Prototyping Fund was created under the project Shaping the World by Innonexus, funded by the European Union.
REHOME
An app subsidy finder for energetic renovations, which immediately shows homeowners all available subsidies.
How we built it
Mockups with Figma, built a database with Excel, and developed the question flow with Storyblok.
Top lesson learned
Get into the making and try not to make it perfect straight away.
Team
Lea van den Berg – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2024
Henning Löbbert – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2024
AGOJI
Studio sewing workshop
Sustainable fashion workshops on DIY sewing and upcycling cultivate appreciation for the effort behind clothing creation, promoting awareness of sustainable and fair fashion.
How we built it
Development of DIY projects that fit a beginner target group, reached out to multiple audiences and held a test run of two sewing workshops.
Top lesson learned
– It is hard to reach a substantial diverse audience willing to commit to a workshop.
– There’s an extensive interest once people are involved.
Team
Charlotte Kramer — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
Luis Link — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
Linda Reitberger — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
Hannes Tamme — CEMS & Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS Cultivating Sustainable Connections
Two dynamic workshops – “Art in Nature” and “How to Homegrown Mushrooms” for community participation in the construction of Nova SBE’s community garden to foster cohesion, education and health.
How we built it
Direct interaction with local residents and Nova SBE’s community to know activities’ preferences; Creating partnerships – Nova Mindspace Club, NAM Mushroom Farm and DESIS Lab – to build and promote the selected activities.
Top lesson learned
– Continuous adaptation, responsiveness, and flexibility for successful development.
– People have a strong desire for a community garden to promote community aid, connection, and creating positive impact.
Johanna Pfeffer – Master in Management, 2024
BLOOMERS
Platform matching students seeking affordable housing with elderly homeowners for companionship and help with daily tasks.
How we built it
We validated our idea with elderly individuals and students. We used a workshop, personal interviews and a survey.
Top lesson learned
Focus not only on international students but Portuguese students. Partner with universities as mediators.
Team
René Müller — Master in Management, 2025
Pranta Kumar Saha — Master in Finance, 2024
OBELIX
An app that automates the identification and streamlines the management of illegal CDW dumping sites for municipalities by leveraging satellite data.
How we built it
Our “Click-Dummy” Prototype captures public satellite data & data from on-site visits, visualizing illegal dumping sites for municipalities.
Top lesson learned
– Illegal CDW dumping is a multifaceted problem.
– Resource-efficient identification lays the foundation of positive change.
– Co-creation with stakeholders is key
Team
Emma Fromell – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Lena Henke – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Luis Warkentin – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Lucas Obermeier – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
CIRCLE
Eco brand that transforms tire rubber into surf pads, enhancing grip and sustainability. Repurposing tires for a greener future and brand image.
How we built it
Mold and coating: Wood, climbing powder, EVA n25, and rubber. This resulted in good flexibility, solidity, & water resistance of the prototype pad.
Top lesson learned
-Vital insights on guiding material selection and pros and cons.
– Improvement of the understanding of performance, durability, and compatibility.
– Clearer vision for product enhancement and refinement.
Team
Alice Maiorca – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2024
Benjamin Soulié – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2024
Livina Mazzoni – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2024
Victor Font – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2024