“Venture Design” course – Call for application and guidelines

Are you a student enrolled in a Master's Degree Course in the School of Design and need to include an elective course in your study plan?
Among your options, you will find the new course “Venture Design”.

Do you have an entrepreneurial idea you believe in?
Are you part of a motivated team ready to take it to the next level?
This course is made for you.

Venture Design is a brand-new startup accelerator course designed for students who want to turn their ideas into real entrepreneurial ventures. Over the course of one semester, teams will receive dedicated support to develop, test, and strengthen their ideas—step by step—until they’re ready to pitch them in front of a panel of investors and experts.
Venture Design - flyer

Language: English
Credits: 6 CFU
Application: 25 July to 29 August at 6 PM

What will you do?
Throughout the course, your team will:

• Identify and validate the problem you want to solve,
• Deeply understand user needs,
• Design and prototype your solution,
• Define your business model,

• Build and deliver a compelling final pitch.

  A unique opportunity across two top universities
  The course is co-designed and co-taught by faculty from Politecnico di Milano and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
  It is based on an original design-driven methodology, developed jointly by the two institutions.
  The focus is on understanding real-world problems, identifying user needs, and designing solutions that matter—placing design at the heart of innovation.
  The course will be held in English.

  Who can apply?
  The course is open to student teams with an early-stage business idea. To be eligible:

• Each team must include at least one student enrolled in a Master's Degree Course of the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano,

• Other team members can come from different academic backgrounds or universities (all team members must be regularly enrolled students - Bachelor’s or Master’s level - at a university in Italy or abroad, and must retain student status until at least July 2026).

   

  Why shoud you participate?

• Gain access to a unique learning experience, guided by faculty from Politecnico di Milano and MIT
• The whole team will have the possibility to participate in the course (which will be held every Tuesday afternoon during the second semester)
• Work hands-on with real tools and methods, validate your idea, and get ready to pitch

• Collaborate in a multidisciplinary and international environment, where design is the driver of innovation

  How to apply
  To enrol in this course, you must apply and only if you are chosen, include it as your first choice in your Study Plan.

  To apply, you have to:

1. Form a team (we encourage applications of minimum 2 members), including at least one student enrolled in a Master's degree course at the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano.
2. Have an entrepreneurial idea you want to explore and develop throughout the semester.
3. Submit your application online from 25 July to 29 August via this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/KEhpgf6422
4. Waiting for the result of the selection (2^nd September)

5. Add the course to the study plan by the closing date (8 September). Students who won’t be admitted must include other courses as their first option in their study plan.

   In the application form, you will be asked to:

• Provide a description of your idea and related details,
• List all team members and their academic backgrounds,

• Share your motivation for joining the course.

  Interested students must send their material via the form above by the closing date of the study plan. 
  The selection will be managed by a committee that will examine the materials received at the closing date of the study plan.

  The committee will evaluate: 

•  quality of the proposed idea (max 30 points)
• heterogeneity of the team (max 10 points)

•  motivation letter to participate in the course (max 10 points)

  The maximum number of teams that will be selected is 12. However, the committee reserves the right to select more teams in the event of particularly interesting ideas.

  Selected teams will be notified by the 2nd of September.

  
  If you have any doubts or curiosity about the course, you can write to: gianluca.carella@polimi.it
  
  Remember to submit your application online by 29 August via this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/KEhpgf6422
  
  An information session will be held on July 30th at 10:00 AM to present the course.
  This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the program and ask any questions you may have. You can join the session at the following link: https://politecnicomilano.webex.com/meet/gianluca.carella