Product Venture Lab
From idea to product. From product to opportunity.
A practical product-thinking and venture-building program for people who want to turn problems and ideas into products people can actually use.
4 levels · Hands-on · Real outputs · No technical background required
4 levels
Introduction → Masterclass
Hands-on
Learn by building
Real outputs
Work you can actually show
Ecosystem connected
AsteriskRD Lab → Ventures
Why this exists
Building products is a skill.
Ideas are everywhere. The ability to turn an idea into something useful, testable and viable is much rarer.
Product Venture Lab teaches the practical discipline behind that work — finding the problem, understanding the people affected, defining the opportunity, shaping an MVP, prototyping, testing assumptions and deciding what happens next.
You don't need to be a developer.
- You don't need a Product Management degree.
- You don't need to have founded a company.
- You don't need to know how to code.
You need curiosity, a problem worth exploring, and the willingness to build.
The progression
Four levels. One progression.
01 — Introduction
From Idea to Product
How do I build an idea?
Start here3 days
Product concept + prototype + venture hypothesis
02 — Intermediate
From Product Concept to Validated MVP
How do I know I'm building the right thing?
Enquire4–6 weeks
Validated MVP Blueprint
03 — Advanced
From MVP to Venture
How do I turn a product into a viable venture?
Enquire6–10 weeks
Product / Venture Strategy
04 — Masterclass
Advanced Product & Venture Practice
How do I solve difficult product and venture problems?
Enquire1–2 days
Strategic product / venture challenge
The work
The work is the outcome.
Product Venture Lab is designed around doing the work, not simply learning about it.
Problem definition
A clearly defined problem grounded in a real user, context or opportunity.
Product concept
A specific solution with a defined user and value proposition.
Prototype
Something tangible enough to demonstrate, discuss and test.
Validation plan
A practical way to determine whether the idea deserves to move forward.
Who it's for
Come with an idea — or come curious.
Founders & aspiring founders
Turn an idea into something testable.
Professionals
Learn how to build and improve products inside organisations.
Students & emerging talent
Develop practical product and venture capability.
Teams & organisations
Build stronger internal product-thinking capability.
You can arrive with an idea, a problem, or simply curiosity.
This isn't about learning a job title.
Product Venture Lab isn't designed to turn everyone into a Product Manager. It's about learning how to think, test and build around real problems.
The ecosystem pathway
Where the work can go next.
Product Venture Lab is a starting point, not necessarily the destination. Promising work can connect into the wider AsteriskRD ecosystem, subject to validation and selection.
- 01Product Venture LabCapability + concept
- 02AsteriskRD LabBuild + test
- 03Road2MVPValidate + develop
- 04AsteriskRD VenturesSelected opportunities → venture pathway
Participants may also connect into AsteriskRD programs, projects and talent opportunities through the AsteriskRD Hub, where appropriate.
Start here
From Idea to Product
Introduction Program
3 days · 4 hours/day · hands-on
A practical introduction to product thinking, problem discovery, user understanding, MVP definition, prototyping and validation.
Next cohort: 15–17 October 2026 · Westerwelle Startup Haus Kigali · RWF 50,000
You'll leave with
- A defined problem
- A product concept
- An initial prototype
- A validation plan
Three days. Something tangible to show for it.
Have an idea worth exploring?
You don't need to have everything figured out. Start with a problem, a question or an idea worth testing.