RRH - RAPID RUNWAY HACKATHON - Entrepreurship Upskill Event offered by the IEEE Switzerland Section - Enrollment & Framing Session
RRH Enrollment and Framing Session
Organiser: IEEE Switzerland Section
Format: Online framing plus in person hackathon
Enrollment window: March 6 to March 31, 2026
Hackathon Day: 20 April or 24 April 2026, Zurich area
Final date in KW 17 confirmed based on teams availability.
Participation: Maximum 4 teams of 2 to 3 students
Eligibility: ETH Zurich and EPFL students only
By enrolling, participants accept the confidentiality terms below.
For enquiries or to schedule the mandatory framing call:
dalessandro@ieee.org
ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE
RRH Rapid Runway Hackathon is a focused entrepreneurship initiative organised by the IEEE Switzerland Section.
It is designed for students who want to practise venture creation by turning a real opportunity into a structured, investor ready proposal.
This is not a generic ideation workshop.
Participants start from structured opportunities grounded in market demand and focus on value creation, positioning, and execution.
Teams may:
- work on a curated plot provided by the organisers
- bring their own idea with a minimum brief
- join an optional instructor co creation plot
The objective is a coherent opportunity analysis, structured business model, and credible pitch.
INPUTS PROVIDED
For curated plots, participants receive:
- market context and size estimates
- defined problem or innovation challenge
- value proposition framing
- venture and revenue model direction
- structured tools such as checklists, templates, and AI prompts
Teams use search and AI tools to validate assumptions and build a compact evidence base. Key claims must be supported by references or clearly marked as assumptions.
BRINGING YOUR OWN IDEA
Teams bringing their own idea must provide:
- problem definition
- proposed solution
- target customers
- at least three competitors
- market size indicators
- differentiation logic
- preliminary revenue model
- team credibility
- initial go to market approach
The goal is a clear narrative built on a defined problem, a credible solution, and a realistic execution path.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Step 1 Online Framing, March 6 to March 31
Mandatory alignment on plot, scope, and structure.
Step 2 Hackathon Day, 20 or 23 April 2026, Zurich area.
The day runs in 8 time boxed sprints covering 15 key venture concepts. Each sprint produces visible outputs.
Format includes:
- opportunity analysis
- sprint based venture structuring
- mentoring and consistency checks
- validation attempt such as outreach
- final pitch presentation
RULES
ETH Zurich or EPFL students only
Maximum 4 teams
Framing session required
Language English
Output venture proposal and pitch
Organiser provided plots and frameworks remain intellectual property of Dr Luca Dalessandro.
Team developed work remains property of the teams.
Places strictly limited to four teams
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
-
Add Event to Calendar
- T.B.D. Technopark Zurich or ETH Zurich
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Switzerland 8005
- Contact Event Hosts
- Co-sponsored by Dr. Luca Dalessandro (ETIX Ventures)
- Starts 04 March 2026 07:00 PM UTC
- Ends 31 August 2026 06:00 PM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
From Innovation Challenge to Venture: Market Pull Methodology, Sweet Spot Plots, and the Rapid Runway to Pichting
This session is the entry point to the RRH Rapid Runway Hackathon. It sets the foundation for everything that follows. It is structured around two tightly connected dimensions: the method and the plots.
On the method side, participants are introduced to the architecture behind the RRH framework. The day is organised in eight time-boxed steps, following an agile logic. Each step produces a concrete output. Nothing is abstract. Everything builds progressively toward a coherent venture proposal.
We work through fifteen key venture concepts: opportunity definition, stakeholder mapping, problem clarity, value creation, market sizing, competitors, solution logic, MVP scope, business model, pricing, go-to-market, validation, durability, and pitch structuring. In its extended format, the RRH methodology can continue toward MVP definition and field validation. In this edition, the runway is intentionally compressed. What is normally distributed across a week-long course is synthesised into a single intensive day.
The premise is straightforward. Today, foundational entrepreneurship material exists everywhere online. What is missing is structure, sequencing, and disciplined synthesis. This event provides that structure. It forces prioritisation. It eliminates dispersion. It focuses attention on what creates value and what makes a venture credible.
The methodology draws on entrepreneurship frameworks refined through academic training at ETH Zurich and Imperial College London, and tested through real venture-building projects in Europe and Asia. The emphasis is not on theory for its own sake, but on clarity, consistency, and measurable reasoning.
On the plot side, participants without a defined idea receive a structured briefing on the selected sweet spot opportunities for Edition 2026. Each plot includes market context, indicative size, a clearly framed innovation challenge or unmet demand, a value proposition angle, and initial venture directions. The themes span housing, digital platforms, creative technology, cultural innovation, fashion tech, assistive systems, and cybersecurity.
The plots are grounded in market pull. They begin from observable demand and friction, not from technology searching for application. This makes them accessible regardless of specific technical background.
Topics are starting points, not rigid assignments. Teams are expected to think critically, challenge assumptions, adapt framing, and take ownership of the direction.
This is not a lecture. It is a calibrated briefing and a working session. Participants leave with a clear runway, a shared vocabulary, and a structured method that condenses weeks of fragmented entrepreneurial learning into one focused, high-level experience.
Biography:
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TRAINER PROFILE
Dr. Luca Dalessandro
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Dr. Luca Dalessandro is the trainer and lead facilitator of the RRH Rapid Runway Hackathon.
Academically, he holds degrees from ETH Zurich in Engineering (Dr. sc. techn, ETH Zürich, Power Electronics) and CAS in Innovation and Applied R&D, and from Imperial College London in Entrepreneurship, M&A and Investment Strategies — a dual formation that directly informs the design of the RRH framework and its methodology.
Professionally, his experience spans over 20 years across industry, innovation, and venture building. He is the Founder and CEO of ETIX Ventures, Entrepreneur in Residence at BK Holdings Vietnam, and a Business Finland awarded Commercialisation Specialist. He serves as an Expert for Innosuisse (the Swiss Innovation Agency) and for the European Innovation Council (EIC), where he evaluates and supports deep tech and market driven ventures at the frontier of European innovation.
Within the IEEE community, Dr. Dalessandro has been appointed Entrepreneurship Ambassador for IEEE Region 8 (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) — a role that reflects his institutional commitment to bridging engineering talent with venture creation and his active engagement with the IEEE entrepreneurship ecosystem across the region.
His profile is validated not only theoretically but operationally — through decades of engagement with startups, corporate ventures, IP frameworks, and market entry in both European and Asian contexts.
This is a practitioner led session built on real experience, not a classroom exercise.
Address:Switzerland
Agenda
Agenda and format for the Enrollment and Framing step
The RRH consists of two steps:
Step 1 — Enrollment and Framing (mandatory online briefing)
Step 2 — Hackathon Day (in-person venture sprint)
Step 1 is designed to be practical and focused. Its purpose is to align on scope, confirm plot selection, and prepare you to move efficiently during the hackathon.
Step 1 — Individual 30-minute briefing call (mandatory)
Each team must complete a 30-minute online call with the organiser before Hackathon Day.
To book your call, write to:
dalessandro@IEEE.org
Calls can be scheduled until the end of March.
If you would like to join the call with another team member, this is encouraged.
Completing this call counts as Step 1 and is required to access Step 2.
What we cover in Step 1
— clarification of purpose and expectations
— confirmation of participation path (curated plot, own idea, or instructor co-creation)
— overview of the 8-sprint structure and 15 key venture concepts
— explanation of deliverables and evaluation logic
— alignment on preparation before Hackathon Day
What you receive in Step 1
— selected plot materials (where applicable)
— working templates (venture brief, sprint structure, validation checklist)
— guidance on structured reasoning, validation, and use of AI tools
Step 2 — Hackathon Day
The hackathon runs in 8 time-boxed sprints covering 15 key venture concepts.
What you will produce
— a structured 1-page venture brief
— a pitch deck (7-slide recommended format)
— supporting tables (market sizing, competitors, pricing logic)
— one validation attempt (real outreach or equivalent)
— a short pitch script and Q&A preparation
Templates and structured guidance are provided.
Confidentiality and commitment
Participation in RRH implies a clear commitment.
The venture concepts developed during the initiative represent business opportunities and potential value creation. They are intended to be developed within the scope of the RRH and by the participating teams.
By participating, you agree that organiser-provided materials, structured plots, and methodological frameworks are used exclusively for the RRH process and for the continuation of your team’s work within this context.
Use of these materials for other external purposes, redistribution, or independent commercial exploitation outside the initiative is not permitted.
This policy exists to protect the integrity of the work, the value created during the hackathon, and the entrepreneurial opportunities generated within this framework.
RRH is built on trust, professional responsibility, and respect for the effort invested in creating these opportunities.
Organiser materials are for RRH use only and may not be redistributed or commercially exploited; serious breaches may be flagged.
Copyright 2026 © Luca Dalessandro
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