The Product Innovation Program

The Product Innovation Program (PIP) is designed to give students and alumni hands-on experience in developing a new product idea, defining a minimum viable product, building and testing a prototype of the product, and determining how to launch the product and acquire customers. The program is designed to provide an end-to-end experience for those considering a career in corporate innovation or product management.

 

During the twelve-week period, students walk through the full product development experience.

Ideation

Delivering an elevator pitch

Customer discovery 

Comparable product research

Customer acquisition techniques

Prototype generation

Roadmap and minimum viable product definition

User testing

Expectations

The program will include weekly meetings with all members and smaller group meetings.  This is a hands-on experience where you will take an idea from conception to prototype and testing, therefore you should plan to spend about the equivalent of a 3-credit course in time on this program (there is no course credit offered for this program).  No previous design, coding, or technical experience is required.

Eligibility

Any graduate or undergraduate students currently enrolled at the Ann Arbor campus, as well as University of Michigan alums, are welcome to apply.

Apply

Applications for the Product Innovation Program are now closed. Applications for the Winter 2025 cohort will go live in Fall 2024. Please check back for more details then.

Contact Information

For questions please contact zli.product-innovation-program@umich.edu

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events.