Insights into Product Management for Early-stage Innovators: RISE Workshop

May 5, 2025 /

How ready is your product – really? That was the big question at the third module of our RISE V workshop series for early career researchers. This time, we learned all about product management in early-stage businesses, and we left with our heads full of ideas and our roadmaps for product success a little sharper.

Understanding Product Management as an Integral Part of Spin-off Success

Fifteen early career researchers from various disciplines joined the RISE workshop on April 30, led by Thomas Bonnet (Thomas Bonnet Consulting) and moderated by Brigitte Schönberger from the Elements4Founding project.

Throughout the workshop, the participants got hands-on with the tough but crucial questions:

  • Is my product truly ready for customers?
  • How do I build and sustain trust – the ultimate currency?
  • What does market readiness look like beyond the prototype?

In team sessions, the participants got to work on presenting their product ideas and getting them challenged, on defining their target groups and ideal customers, and on shaping what ‘product readiness’ really means for their innovations. After plenty of coffee, team sessions, and exchanging about ideas, everyone walked away with a clearer path from product idea to market success – just in time to kick off the May 1st holiday.

A big thanks to everyone who made this workshop a success – bringing academic innovation one step closer to real-world impact.

RISE continues on May 14 with the fourth module, dealing with the potential impact of innovation. The special thing about RISE is that all modules can be taken independently of each other, so it is still possible to join the upcoming workshops. Register now: To the RISE registration. 

Organization - About the Workshop Series

RISE is an initiative of the projects Elements4Founding (supported by the Vector Foundation) and QCLUB ( funded by the BMBF as part of the QSENS Future Cluster) at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science (ENI). RISE V pools the experience of over four previous successful editions. We share our mission with strong network partners such as the Transfer Center (TRACES) and the Young Entrepreneurs in Science Initiative (YES) of the Falling Walls Foundation.

Thanks to the generosity of our partners, participation in all workshops is free of charge. We strive to provide a hands-on, inclusive environment for all participants to explore innovation in a supportive community.

This image shows a participant of the workshop, explaining his idea, in the foreground. On the right side of the picture there is the workshop conductor and expert, Thomas Bonnet, listening.
An integral part of the RISE workshops is the exchange between the participants, and creating room to share and exchange about ideas.
Image: Brigitte Schönberger
Contact

If you have any questions on the RISE workshop series, please do not hesitate to reach out to our organizing team via e-mail.
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