Emerging Technology Studio

9 units · Undergraduate

Summer: 9 units This course immerses students in the complete startup lifecycle, from problem discovery and opportunity identification to technology-enabled solution design, validation, and launch readiness. Working in teams, students conceptualize, design, and develop a startup that leverages emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, agentic systems, the Internet of Things (IoT), extended reality (XR), robotics, etc. The course emphasizes the development and management of startups driven by emerging technologies, requiring students to evaluate market and technology feasibility, system integration challenges, scalability, and trade-offs between innovation and risk. Students engage in hands-on experimentation, rapid prototyping, and iterative validation with users and stakeholders to refine both technical solutions and business models. Throughout the course, students address technical, market, ethical, legal, and operational considerations relevant to deploying emerging technologies. The course mirrors real-world startup execution through milestone-driven reviews, client- or investor-style feedback, and a final capstone demo and pitch. By the end of the course, students produce a portfolio-ready startup artifact and demonstrate the ability to make informed, evidence-based decisions in uncertain, technology-driven environments.