Check out this year’s Design Open workshop offerings.
Save The Date!
The 2025 UWM Design Open and Innovators Expo will be held on May 1, 2026 from 9am – 5pm.
Historical
Innovators
Islands of Brilliance
A creative launchpad where neurodivergent youth turn passions into purpose—through tech, design, and joyful mentorship.
Stacked Therapies
Empowering therapists to thrive in their niche with no insurance limitations and providing a vending machine of therapists to the public!
MalamaDoe
MalamaDoe is a Milwaukee-based coworking community empowering women entrepreneurs through shared workspaces, networking, and support.
Just Happy To Be Here
Just Happy To Be Here is a Milwaukee-based company dedicated to promoting mental health awareness, making people on their mental health journey feel seen and understood.
Reminisce on Last Year’s Expo
UWM’s largest celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Celebrating UWM’s Innovators
2026 Theme: Human By Design
Registration Link Coming Soon!
Join us at the UWM Design Open and Innovators Expo, our annual celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship where the UWM community showcases prototypes, ideas, startups, and innovations. Experience the electric atmosphere as campus leadership, faculty, staff, donors, and Milwaukee community members gather to see what our innovators have accomplished over the past year.
Mark your calendar: The 2026 UWM Design Open & Innovators Expo will be on May 1, 2026 from 9am – 5pm.
2026 UWM Design Open & Innovators Expo Format
- Breakfast Bites & Networking | 9:00 – 9:45 AM
- (Required for workshop attendees) The day starts here. Grab breakfast and coffee at the UWM Grind inside the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, listen to some music, and meet the people you’ll be spending the day with. Some of the best conversations happen before anything officially begins, don’t miss them.
- “Design Open” Opening Remarks & Event Kickoff | 9:45 – 10:00 AM
- (Required for workshop attendees) A brief welcome from LEC and campus leadership, followed by the ceremonial ringing of the LEC gong. The 2026 UWM Design Open begins.
- Workshop 1: Design Your Life | 10:15 – 11:15 AM
- Capped at 32 spots “Seeking alignment between the ‘musts’ and ‘wants’ of your life” Most of us are living lives shaped more by circumstance than intention. This session uses design thinking as a lens for something more personal, finding real alignment between what you have to do and what you want to do. A rare chance to slow down and think about the bigger picture.
- Break | 11:15 – 11:30 AM
- Workshop 2: Design & Build Your Network | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Capped at 32 spots “How to humanize your network so it’s people-centered, robust, and resilient” A network built on titles and transactions tends not to last. This session is about building something more durable, relationships rooted in people, not roles. Come away with a different way of thinking about who you know and how you show up for them.
- Lunch | 12:30 – 1:30 PM
- Special Recognitions | 1:30 – 1:45 PM
- A moment set aside to acknowledge the individuals who have made a meaningful and distinctive mark on innovation and entrepreneurship at UWM.
- Panel Discussion: Imperfectly Human | 1:45 – 3:00 PM
- “How to innovate through mistakes and failure”. The most interesting innovations rarely follow a straight line. In this panel, experienced innovators open up about the failures, pivots, and hard-won lessons that shaped their paths. Moderated by Chief Innovation & Partnership Officer, Brian Thompson, the conversation centers on a question: what does it mean to be imperfectly human in 2026?
- Final Remarks & Innovators Expo Kickoff | 3:00 – 3:15 PM
- Closing words from the Design Open, and another ring of the LEC gong to mark the start of the Innovators Expo.
- Innovators Expo & Networking | 3:15 – 5:15 PM
- A showcase of what’s being built, studied, and imagined across UWM, student startups, faculty research, programs like the Startup Challenge, and more. Disciplines collide here in the best way. Come see what your colleagues are working on.
- Interested in participating as an innovator? Sign up here: LINK FORTHCOMING
UWM Innovators
Crafting Winning Proposals for the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab
Join Dr. Joe Hamann, Executive Director of the Connected Systems Institute (CSI), for a 75-minute interactive session designed to help innovators, engineers, and manufacturers prepare compelling proposals for CSI’s new Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab. Opening in July, the Lab is focused on accelerating the development of AI solutions specifically for the manufacturing sector.
In this workshop, Dr. Hamann will introduce the Lab’s purpose and describe its two key engagement paths: the Ideation Session and the Rapid Prototyping Session. He will walk participants through the application process, share insights into what makes a strong submission, and highlight how projects can align with the Lab’s mission of advancing AI in manufacturing.
Designed for professionals working in—or interested in entering—the manufacturing space, the session will also include dedicated time for collaborative workshopping. Attendees will have the chance to begin shaping their own project ideas, ask questions, and receive feedback.
Get To Know Your Host
Dr. Joe Hamann is a systems thinker, researcher, and industry collaborator focused on advancing smart manufacturing and cyber-physical systems. As Executive Director of the Connected Systems Institute at UW-Milwaukee, he bridges academia and industry through applied research, workforce development, and Industry 4.0 innovation. With an engineering background and nearly two decades in the private sector, he builds strategic partnerships that drive data-driven transformation.
Failing Up: How to Make Failure Work for You
Join Tiera Trammell and Tiffany Yvonne for a session that explores what it means to fail and ways to perspective shift and turn setbacks into points of transformation.
Let’s be real—nobody likes failing. But what if you look at life like failure is actually part of the plan? In this workshop, we’re flipping the script on setbacks and talking about how failure isn’t just something to bounce back from—it’s something to grow from.
Designed for any student or professional who wants to learn from failure.
Get To Know Your Hosts
Tiera Trammell brings an experience of creative arts and event curation into her role as Program Manager at the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center. A proud UWM JAMS alum and past participant in the UWM Startup Challenge, Tiera has a delved into understanding what resonates with people, thoughtfully curating programs that align with their interests and values. With a passion for both documentary and narrative filmmaking, this Milwaukee native continuously seeks innovative ways to engage the community.
Tiffany Yvonne is a seasoned entrepreneur and CPA with 20+ years in leadership and youth sports. As founder of Playmaker Solutions, she helps major firms combat burnout and build team cohesion. Passionate about well-being, her initiative She Plays promotes joy and reflection. An entrepreneur-in-residence at UWM’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, Tiffany empowers future leaders through her focus on purpose, balance, and resilience.
Designing Through the Fog: Creative Tools for Navigating Ambiguity
In a world that constantly shifts, ambiguity is inevitable—but it doesn’t have to be paralyzing. This interactive session offers practical tools to help participants turn uncertainty into opportunity. Through real-world examples and collaborative group exercises, attendees will explore how to gain clarity in the face of complexity, build creative courage, and cultivate a sense of community.
Whether you’re launching a brand, designing a classroom, scaling a startup, or rethinking a system, you’ll leave with actionable strategies to navigate change with confidence and vision.
Get To Know Your Host
Quentin Prince is an educator, entrepreneur, and multidimensional leader with over two decades of experience shaping K20 and nonprofit education. He serves as Executive Director of the Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance and teaches Entrepreneurial Data Science at UW-Milwaukee. A Milwaukee Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree, Quentin leads initiatives in STEM, social justice, and financial literacy, while building impact through real estate development and community leadership.
How To Change Thought Patterns
Join UWM alum and founder of Just Happy To Be Here, Jack Braun, for a practical, neuroscience-informed workshop designed to help you rewire negative thought patterns and reclaim your daily mindset. This interactive session introduces a simple yet powerful daily planning template.
Whether you’re building a business, exploring a creative idea, or just trying to manage the chaos of life, this workshop offers tools to approach each day with clarity, optimism, and resilience. You’ll walk away with a personalized planning practice you can immediately apply—one that helps you stay grounded, grateful, and… just happy to be here.
Designed for students, creators, professionals, and anyone seeking a healthier mental framework to support their innovation journey.
Get To Know Your Host
Jack Braun is a UWM alum of mechanical engineering and founder of Just Happy To Be Here, a mental health-focused streetwear brand. Inspired by his personal experiences, Jack launched the company to promote emotional well-being and reduce stigma through intentional design and daily mindset tools. His work has earned recognition, including first place at the 2024 Marquette University Invitational Business Model Competition.