5-WEEK IDEATION & DESIGN SYLLABUS
Step into the CEO role.
Turn your raw idea into a fully visualized app!
WELCOME TO THE SANDBOX
Your vision. A Builder’s next four months.
In this five-week incubator, you act as the CEO. Your job is vision, user research, product design, and marketing.
By Week 5, your exact research, wireframes, brand system, and pitch become a matchmaking package for a software developer who can build the product into reality.
01 — Find the problem
Research a real frustration for a specific audience.
02 — Design the vision
Map the experience, build the brand, and visualize the app.
03 — Recruit the Builder
Pitch an unmissable opportunity to your technical partner.
YOUR FIVE-WEEK JOURNEY
From human problem to an unmissable pitch.
Every week ends with a concrete artifact. Together, those artifacts become the blueprint your Builder can code.
01
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
Shift into Founder Mode: spot everyday frustrations, narrow them to one solvable issue, and define a niche audience.
Discover: idea-generation frameworks and how to interview users without pitching.
MILESTONE — Official Problem Statement + Target Audience
Brainstorming & the MVP Mindset
Turn the problem into an app concept, then strip the grand vision down to the one or two features that matter.
Discover: rapid-fire ideation techniques and the test that separates the essential from the fluff.
MILESTONE — Working Title + MVP Statement + Core Features
03
Visualizing the Blueprint
Map the user’s step-by-step journey and turn the logic into your first wireframes—because Builders need a map.
Discover: the difference between UX and UI, plus the Fat Marker Rule for better first drafts.
MILESTONE — Digital Wireframes + 1-Minute Walkthrough
Brand Identity & the Elevator Pitch
Build a credible visual identity, understand color psychology, and craft a hook that makes the product instantly clear.
Discover: three pillars of scalable brand design and the three-second Billboard Test.
MILESTONE — Name + Logo + Brand Kit + High-Fidelity Screen
Sell the Vision, Recruit the Team
Tell a human story, build a professional deck, and record a passionate pitch that makes a Builder want in.
Discover: startup storytelling and the exact slide-by-slide structure real founders use.
FINAL — Pitch Deck + 5-Minute Video + Founder Bio
Ready to step into the CEO role?
Apply now to secure your spot in the next Sandbox cohort.
Applications close August 31st at 11:59 P.M. EST