Nurturing early-stage innovators to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions.
Innovators Receive.
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Expert Guidance
Get one-on-one feedback from global domain experts across design, manufacturing, user insight, and impact. Their guidance helps you refine your product and avoid costly mistakes.
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Flexible Support
Three months of tailored advising, workshops, and peer learning to address your venture’s unique needs.
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Business Foundations
Build the knowledge and capacity to position your idea as a viable startup, from research to early business planning.
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Long-Term Roadmap
Finish the program with a clear product development roadmap and benchmarks for growth.
Support Early Stage Ventures
Target Innovators: Innovators with bold ideas but no prototype yet; early-stage ventures working on solutions for health, energy, water, agriculture, and more.
What Innovators Receive:
Structured workshops and one-on-one expert advising
Guidance on user research and prototype development
Peer learning and knowledge-sharing sessions
A benchmarking report and product development roadmap
Why Support: Idea Lab is where concepts become tangible, and innovators gain the foundation to enter accelerators like ISHOW.
Program Duration: 3 months
Location: Virtual (with regional connections and global expert network)
FAQs
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Idea Lab is ASME’s incubator for early-stage innovators. It supports ventures that don’t yet have a prototype but want to develop one.
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Anyone with an idea for a hardware-led social innovation that addresses real-world challenges. You do not need to have a prototype to apply.
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Ventures receive expert mentorship, tailored workshops, peer learning, and a product development roadmap by the end of the program.
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Idea Lab runs for 3 months, with virtual sessions and ongoing engagement with experts.
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No direct funding is provided, but ventures gain critical technical guidance, business foundations, and access to ASME’s broader ecosystem, which can prepare them for future opportunities like ISHOW.
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Idea Lab is an incubator for innovators before they have a prototype. ISHOW is an accelerator for ventures with working prototypes ready for design reviews and market validation.