Prototyping fund spring 2024:
Collaborations in all shapes and forms.
On April 22nd, Nova SBE lower gallery was buzzing with students, faculty, staff and outside visitors coming to see the prototypes developed by awardees of the Spring 2024 Prototyping Fund. A collaborative program offered by the DESIS Lab @ Nova SBE and Nova SBE Haddad Institute, created under the project Shaping the World by Innonexus, funded by the European Union.
Students representing several programs at Nova SBE as well as a team from London School of Economics shared projects that ranged from developing cement using biochar to using graphen to insulate houses, creating organic soaps and reducing waster waste. Upcycling and community building were to key emergent themes. Turning bread waste into gin, cotton into sound insulation panels, cascara coffee berries into a nutritious drink, etc. : so many ways to upcycle waste! Intentional relationship building and community as a resource : to support cancer patients or individuals with chronic skin conditions as well as migrant women. We were also delighted to see the progress of Rehome, awardees from Fall 2023, and who were awarded our Prototyping Phase 2.
As we started the program, we told participants that they could prototype anything and invited them to think of the Prototyping Fund as a space to experiment, test their ideas (with users!), and to iterate. And all the teams took our invitation seriously. In fact, the showcase itself was an opportunity to get feedback on ideas, products and logos. Prototypes took multiple forms:from physical products (soaps, drinks, cement, sensor, etc.) to service enacted through videos, website and experiences.
In contrast to other innovation and entrepreneurship programs which tend to be more competitive, the Prototyping Fund is at its core about learning and collaboration. This spring, collaboration came in all shapes and forms with teams working with a local distillery, Fab Lab Lisboa, BioLab Lisboa and Lisbon Project as well as patients and migrant women to prototype and refine their ideas. Teams learned how to find partners and how to work with them; sometimes they realized they needed different partners. New collaborations emerged during the protyping fund with opportunities to test ideas with Fab Lab Lisboa, Nova FCT and Patient Innovation.
It was inspiring to hear the teams’ learnings (even things they did not expect, things that did not work as they planned), their willingness to iterate and their passion for pushing their ideas further. Inspiring too was the visitors’s willingness to provide feedback, suggestions and connections.
Looking forward to seeing these projects evolving, supporting a few in our Prototyping Fund Phase 2 and of course, discovering new projects in the fall.
The DESIS Lab Team (Anne-Laure Fayard and Beatriz Bento)
Acknowledgement: The Prototyping Fund was created under the project Shaping the World by Innonexus, funded by the European Union.
1to3.energy (previous rehome)
An app subsidy finder for energetic renovations, which immediately shows homeowners all available subsidies.
How we built it
Working closely with energy consultants and tradesmen and validating our designs in user interviews based on mock-ups.
How the prototyped evolved since the 1st cycle
On round 1 of the prototyping fund, we learned how to identify the most important functionalities for our product. On round 2 of the prototyping fund we were able to develop a second product and focus more on the UX design of our solutions.
Top lesson learned
It is important to make the technical basis as adaptable as possible and how strongly UX-Design influences the user behaviour/experience.
Team
Lea van den Berg – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2024
Henning Löbbert – Master in Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2024
BARRA CONCEPT
Sustainable shower bars to promote clean bodies and a cleaner environment, fostering a future where wellness and sustainability go hand in hand whilst supporting economic development worldwide.
How we built it
The MVP was developed through customer feedback and natural ingredient exploration after attending a soap workshop, emphasizing sustainability.
Top lesson learned
Validation is key. Our most important stakeholder is/was/and will forever be mother earth.
Team
Anton Scholz — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
Giovana Kornfeld — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
Lea Hueck — Master in Impact Entrepreneurship, 2024
BRIDGELY
Creating a collaborative lead-sharing platform enhancing SDR (Sales development reps)/BDR (business development reps) productivity by optimizing CRM lead qualification and exchange.
How we built it
For the MVP, we created an enhanced Excel database for SDR/BDR lead exchange, targeting CRM efficiency and sales cycle reduction.
Top lesson learned
We have experienced a paradigm shift when it comes to how we perceive business development – the future is ecosystemic sales for shared success.
Team
Jakob Lischka – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Carolina Anguiano – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Finn Langpape – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
CareCompass
Patient navigation solution for cancer patients, that supports them in-person during treatment with administrative and emotional burdens.
How we built it
We wrote a script for an animated explanatory video. Then we found an illustrator who created the visuals for us, and a retired Nova professor who kindly offered to do the voice acting for it.
Top lesson learned
The key learning we take away from the prototyping creation is that it can have many different shapes or forms, especially when developing a non-tangible service.
Team
Rhea Dias da Cunha – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Helena Ritterpusch – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Team CASCARA
Through upcycling coffee cherries, we craft an organic, energizing drink – a conscious choice benefiting local farmers, personal health, and the planet.
How we built it
We sourced raw Cascara from Guatemala, used a Soda Stream to carbonate the cold brew, and experimented with lime juice, agave syrup, and frozen fruits.
Top lesson learned
People’s diverse taste perceptions revealed during MVP testing underscored the opportunity to leverage curiosity for new taste experiences.
Team
Amelie Lemmen – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Daniel Engler – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Luis Warkentin – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Lucas Obermeier – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
Merten Rümenapf – Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 2025
CHARMONY
Biochar plaster enhances insulation, absorbs moisture, improves air quality, and reduces the climate impact of construction.
How we built it
We combined biochar with airlime, gypsum, and clay to test different plaster composites at BioLab Lisbon with their facilities
Top lesson learned
Adding biochar changes workability and darkens the colour of the plaster, further testing on other characteristics is still needed.
Team
Finnian Ottinger – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Lena Henke – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Jonathan Kummert – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Dedde Gombert – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Emilia Kinnunen – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
FERMENTERRA
Naturally, fermented craft sodas made with organic ingredients to support gut health and wellness.
How we built it
Developed with traditional fermentation, refined through feedback from wellness groups at a community retreat, discussions, and questionnaires.
Top lesson learned
Continuous user feedback is key. Early testing at community event and friends significantly shaped our product’s flavour profiles.
Team
Saif Khan – Master’s in Management, 2024
GRAPHOUSE
The power of graphene, utilized in heating systems
Startup revolutionizing home heating with graphene technology, aiming to slash CO2 emissions and energy costs. Our graphene floor-heating systems, paired with renewable energy sources, offer efficient, eco-friendly solutions for affordable and sustainable heating.
How we built it
Our prototype, developed with industry expert partners, utilizes graphene’s superior thermal conductivity for efficient heating across various floor types at low energy consumption. Extensive testing confirms its energy efficiency, stability, and safety, highlighting graphene’s potential for eco-friendly heating and advancing sustainable technology adoption in construction.
Top lesson learned
1. Prototyping emphasized hands-on testing with graphene for product refinement.
2. Market exploration highlighted the need for consumer education.
3. Streamlining focused on core features for effective development.
Team
Philipp Jeff Girardi – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Gianluca Giorgio – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Samuele Romeo – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
HEAL
App for people with chronic skin conditions to access timely, holistic, evidence-based support that considers the long-term nature of the condition and the psychosocial burden on patients.
How we built it
We validated our idea by hosting a community meet-up in London with 14 individuals suffering from eczema, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. By mapping out their needs and struggles, we identified key service clusters. Subsequently, we developed a landing page for our app, integrating a questionnaire to capture customers’ most pressing needs.
Top lesson learned
We initially aimed to create an app connecting users with doctors and an AI assistant. However, feedback revealed a greater need for a platform facilitating peer connections and product reviews. Recognizing the importance of trust, we pivoted to developing a website featuring a questionnaire to match users based on their needs and foster connections.
Team – London School of Business and Economics
Brian Shkodrani – Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship, 2024
Xheni Shehaj – Social and Public Policy, 2021
Borebardhe Mazreku – Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship, 2021
HOMELORE
Empowering immigrant women in Lisbon through exploring folk art and textile production: Uncovering their stories and building pathways to employment.
How we built it
The hypothesis aimed to understand immigrant women’s experiences in Lisbon and their disposition towards work through folk art & craft, specifically embroidery. This was tested out through a 2-day workshop with immigrant women, from the Indian Subcontinent, which is now being turned into a 3-month embroidery course.
Top lesson learned
The workshop provided insights on the challenges faced by immigrant women, such as difficulty in finding work that suits their skills, but also highlighted their perseverance and resourcefulness.
Team
Riddhi Varma – Masters’ in Management, 2025
Wasted Gin
Wasted Gin provides a distinctive, eco-friendly choice in spirits. Crafted from surplus bread, our locally made gin offers a unique flavor while combating food waste. With each bottle, we reduce CO2 emissions by 4kg, turning every sip into a sustainability effort.
How we built it
We innovated our gin through several steps: mashing surplus bread, water, and malt to create a wort, fermenting it into a beer-like substance, distilling high-proof alcohol from it, and finally infusing it with water and botanicals to create our distinct gin.
Top lesson learned
1. Collaborating with experts enriched our knowledge and fostered creativity. Mentors’ input enhanced problem-solving skills.
2. Adaptability was crucial in refining our product to align with our goals. Embracing challenges as growth opportunities, we iterated rapidly.
Team
Paul Goller – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Ingo Schällig – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Dang Pham – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Sophia Koechy – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
QuietCotton
We transform people’s old clothes into an aesthetic and high-performance acoustic solution to elevate business’s working environment.
How we built it
We bought the recycled cotton composite and created three different prototypes using a wood frame, a press and white glue. For our third prototype, we created a wooden mold to press the cotton/glue composite. The cotton was mixed with the glue and pressed in the mold.
Top lesson learned
We have learned that the glue was too thick and that we needed to dilute it in order to cover the whole fibers and obtain a more homogenous composite. We also learned that we need to find a process which does not require the use of glue.
Team
Vittorio Ferretti – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Nicolo Renzi – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Eva Siciliano- Masters’ in Management, 2025
Live Water Meter
Add-on device that measures water flow and display the real-time numbers, addressing the immediate challenge of tracking water usage.
Team
Daniel Patraboy – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Cathy Boegli – Impact Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 2025
Thank you!
