BuildX2027
DEApply

16–17 Jan 2027Frankfurt am Main[TBD: venue]

BuildX2027

36 hours. Mixed teams. Real engineering problems.

Students from five universities take on hardware problems that companies have not solved yet. Two teams per case. One wins.

Apply as a student Become a partner

The idea

Engineers and founders rarely sit at the same table.

  1. 01 / Problem

    Germany has excellent technical universities and strong business schools. Their students hardly ever meet.

  2. 02 / Approach

    Put them in one room for 36 hours. Give them a real problem from a company and a deadline.

  3. 03 / Question

    What happens when people who can build meet people who can sell? We think: companies get founded.

Format

One case. Two teams. One winner.

Every case goes to two teams. They work separately and pitch against each other in front of the company.

Five rules

  1. 01

    Unsolved

    Every case is a problem the company has not cracked. No made-up exercises.

  2. 02

    Tech and business

    Each team mixes engineering and business students. One member per university.

  3. 03

    Case drop

    Nobody sees the case before the kick-off. Everyone starts from zero.

  4. 04

    36 hours

    From briefing to prototype and pitch. The clock does not stop.

  5. 05

    Head-to-head pitch

    Both teams pitch to the company. The company picks one.

Schedule

Two days, start to finish.

Day 1Sat 16 Jan

  1. Arrival and opening
  2. Challenge briefings
  3. Team kick-off
  4. Work phase
  5. Check-in with the case owners
  6. Company dinner

Day 2Sun 17 Jan

  1. Final work phase
  2. Prototype and pitch due. Lunch
  3. Pitches (15 min + questions)
  4. Jury decisions
  5. Awards and 1:1 conversations
  6. Wrap-up

* The schedule is a rough guide and may change.

After 36 hours

The weekend ends. The work can continue.

  1. → 01

    Found

    Teams that want to keep going get connected to programmes, mentors and our network.

  2. → 02

    Get hired

    Partner companies watch you work under pressure. That beats any interview.

  3. → 03

    Implement

    Good solutions go back to the company as a contract, a pilot or a spin-off.

For students

You build. You pitch. You meet your co-founders.

Who can apply

  • Students from WHU, TUM, RWTH Aachen, KIT and ETH Zürich
  • Business side and technical side, all degree levels
  • No team needed. We put the teams together

What you bring

  • Curiosity for hard technical problems
  • 36 hours of full attention
  • Experience from a student initiative is a plus, not a must

What you get

  • A real problem from a real company
  • Teammates from four other universities
  • Direct contact with partner companies at the dinner and on day two
Participation fee
[TBD: fee]
Travel subsidy
[TBD: travel subsidy]
Accommodation
[TBD: accommodation]
Apply now

For partners

Bring us a problem you have not solved.

Two teams work on your case for 36 hours, independently of each other. You get two approaches and meet the people behind them.

  1. 01

    Approaches to a real challenge

    Two independent teams, two prototypes and pitches for a problem that matters to you.

  2. 02

    Talent under real conditions

    See how students from five universities think and work when time is short.

  3. 03

    Recruiting contacts

    Profiles and CVs in advance, the company dinner and conversations on site.

Partnership options

  • Main sponsor

    Most visible partner of the event. [TBD: scope of services]

  • Network partner

    Access to students and organisers through your network. [TBD: scope of services]

  • Case partner

    You bring a case. Two teams work on it and pitch to you. [TBD: scope of services]

  • In-kind sponsor

    Hardware, tools, materials or catering. [TBD: scope of services]

Terms on request.

Send a partner request

Partners

Partners will be announced soon.

Universities

Five universities. One seat in every team.

  • WHUWHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
  • TUMTechnische Universität München
  • RWTHRWTH Aachen University
  • KITKarlsruher Institut für Technologie
  • ETHETH Zürich

Team

Who is behind BuildX

Master in Entrepreneurship students at WHU.

  • Lovis Künzel

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Jannik Eidemueller

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Laurin Layh

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Sanije Demiri

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Oliver Fieder

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Moritz Gloger

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Daniel Widmann

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

  • Jan Funke

    [TBD: role]

    [TBD: LinkedIn]

FAQ

Questions

Who can take part?

Students from WHU, TUM, RWTH Aachen, KIT and ETH Zürich. We want both sides in the room: business and engineering.

Do I need a team?

No. We put mixed teams together, with one person from each university.

How much does it cost?

[TBD: participation fee]

Is accommodation or a travel subsidy provided?

[TBD: accommodation and travel subsidy]

Which language is the event in?

[TBD: event language]

What kind of cases are there?

Mostly hardware and engineering: products, production, materials, energy, mobility. A few cases may involve software or AI.