The programme is led by Head of the MOME Incubation Júlia Vesmás, who speaks about entrepreneurship from experience rather than theory. She is co-founder of Blind Chic., an internationally recognised brand known for its cycling bags. That experience makes her a credible mentor who knows first-hand what it means for a creative idea to run up against production challenges and the realities of the market. 

Under her leadership, MOME Incubation is built around two complementary programmes that span the university’s entire ecosystem. Art and Design Incubation (ADI) supports diploma projects that don’t stop at prototypes, masterworks, or initial research. The Creative Entrepreneurship Programme (CEP) focuses on initiatives built around long-term value, ethical practice, and sustainable business models. 

As Júlia puts it, there was also a more human side to the selection, “There are many factors, but one is how someone lights up when they present their project or talk about their plans.” This kind of passion underpins the six-month structured development process, during which participants refine their projects with expert support. 

From a board game to a sustainable hygiene system 

Over the academic year, fifteen projects were completed as part of the programme. Alongside its core role, MOME Incubation also acted as a matchmaker, pairing each project with the right expert – whether a theorist, a lawyer, a tax advisor or a brand strategist – to provide the missing link. In the CEP, participants worked with mentors who are themselves entrepreneurs and draw on personal experience, speaking not only about the product or service, but about the business side as well. 

The closing presentation event at the end of a six-month period that required a significant investment of time and energy from participants is aptly titled LEVEL UP! art & design. ‘Levelling up’ refers to the process by which a student project moves beyond the diploma and becomes viable in its own right. In early April, fifteen designers, researchers, artists, and collectives presented at Dugattyús, a cultural and community space on Margit körút, how their ideas went from concept to realisation. The event drew strong interest and also served as a pitch forum. The audience included not only supportive friends, but potential backers, and the jury did more than ask questions: the strongest projects received awards to fund their next stage of development. The diversity of the projects showed that design today goes beyond aesthetics and responds to real-world issues. 

The winners 

The winning projects include Furniture Rescue by Borbála Véghelyi, Lilla Drahota-Szabó, and Réka Márkus, which focuses on salvaging furniture that is no longer needed but still usable in circulation. Co-Switch, a self-awareness board game by Adelina Aranka Vass and Eszter Lóki, can double as a therapeutic tool, while the Off Space platform from Odorheiu Secuiesc was set up from the ground up to showcase, support and connect emerging artists and designers. 

One of the programme’s key takeaways is that the age of the lone genius is over. Júlia said it was both surprising and encouraging to see how a collective mindset and a collaborative attitude emerged so organically in the projects. She added that, while only a small number of projects could be selected from the hundreds produced at the university each year, they sought to pick collectives that bring multiple artists together, helping strengthen the wider professional community. 

Entrepreneurial mindset 

It is important to note that the Business to Design Programme, developed for MOME students on the three-year BA course, already gives students entrepreneurial knowledge during their university years, which the incubation programme can build on later. This continuity ensures that students do not just dream but also have the tools to sustain those ideas over time. 

LEVEL UP! art & design is not just an event, but a commitment: MOME continues to support its talents after graduation. During the programme, participants learn how to align their own values with market expectations, while responding sensitively to social and cultural needs. The goal is for young artists and designers to reflect on the challenges ahead, and not only create real value, but also develop an entrepreneurial mindset that enables them to build lasting careers. MOME Incubation builds a bridge between art and reality, showing that a good idea becomes real innovation with the right mentoring and a strong community backing it up.