EVERY TEAM 1 TO 5 PEOPLE · MAX. 100 PARTICIPANTS · KICK-OFF 19 NOVEMBER @ MICA · €2,000 PRINT BUDGET FOR THE WINNER · SHOWCASE AT VISUALIZE EXPO

MAKE IT REAL.
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Probo’s production floor with large printing machines in action.

Creator Commerce Challenge · 2026–2027 Edition

From prompt to product. From idea to real business.

No fictional brief. No business plan gathering dust in a drawer. During MAKE IT REAL, you’ll use AI, no-code tools and Probo’s production capabilities to build your own niche brand that can make real sales.

Sign up for the kick-offExplore the challenge
A challenge byProboMICA | Media Innovation CampusSign up until 15 November · Kick-off 19 November @ MICA (NL or EN)

How it works

Idea. Product. Customer.

Inschrijven: 16 October to 15 November 2026

Explore the roadmap
Students develop their brand concept at a table covered in sticky notes, colour swatches and laptops.
IDEAPick a niche and build a brand around it.Kick-off @ MICA · 19 November 2026
Hands guide a yellow and pink print coming off the roll of a large-format printer.
PRODUCTProbo produces on demand, to professional standards.Inside Probo · 24 November 2026 · Hackathon @ MICA · 8 and 9 December 2026 (concept final)
A customer at home lifts a round pink and yellow wall decoration out of a shipping box.
CUSTOMERYour shop goes live, your first orders come in.Live & selling until 11 January · Commercial final 15 January · Visualize Expo 23 March to 25 March 2027

You build the brand. Probo makes it.

No factory needed

Probo makes the products, you build the brand. 280 materials and thousands of finishes are ready to go.

300,000+ products

From rigid boards and fabric to wallpaper, stickers and print. Your niche decides what you make, not the printer.

No upfront stock purchases

Everything is made on demand: only when an order comes in. No stock, no overproduction.

Your own label

We make it and ship it straight to your customer. With your name on the box, not ours.

€0 produce during the challenge

How much does it cost to take part?
A Probo colleague next to a huge, colourful dye-sublimation print in the production hall.

Inspiration

These are the kinds of products you can dream up and have made.

From a printed drinks carrier to acoustic panels. Pick a product and an audience, and you’ve got a brand.

Large yellow printed beanbag with the text Enjoying the beautiful game together and the 433 logo.

Beanbag

Furniture that puts your brand centre stage. Ideal for hospitality venues, festivals and offices that want their seating to set the mood.

Black induction hob protector with a painted blue lobster, on a kitchen worktop.

Induction hob protector

An everyday household product with room for art. A niche illustrators and photographers can tap straight into.

Three round wall panels with still-life prints hang above an armchair against a grey concrete-effect wall.

Wall circles

Round wall art in collections. Popular with photographers, illustrators and interiors brands looking to turn their work into products.

A printed cardboard carry tray for six bottles, with a beer-themed print and the text 'Fancy a beer?' and 'Weeeeekend!'.

Carry tray

One format, a thousand brands: a printed tray for six bottles works for a brewery, a festival, a student society or a stag or hen do.

Two printed cushions in orange and green with the Alvasi logo on a wooden bench.

Decorative cushions

A branded pattern on fabric. Ideal merchandise for a studio, a café or a community that wants to sell something tangible.

Folded fleece blanket with a tropical floral print and white sherpa lining.

Sherpa fleece blanket

Soft blanket with a print on one side. Great as a gift for seasonal occasions, festivals or your own illustration range.

A transfer film with blue lettering is peeled off a black garment after pressing.

DTF-kleding

Print on textiles, one item at a time. Start a clothing line with one design and one shirt, with no stock to hold.

Colourful stickers and a folded coffee guide on a pink background.

Stickers

Sticker sheets and individual stickers as small, affordable products that are easy to share. Perfect for testing a brand with your first audience.

Jars of instant coffee with colourful printed labels in cardboard packaging.

Stickers and labels

Labels turn an ordinary jar into a brand. Think coffee, sauces, candles or personal care products from small independent makers.

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See all examples

Your unfair advantage

Choose your tools. Not your limits.

Build with no-code in Lovable, launch on Shopify or connect WooCommerce to Probo Connect. Choose the route that suits your idea, skills and ambition.

LovableShopifyWooCommerceCanvaChatGPTClaudeSnapchatAmazonbolStripeMollieSendcloud

What you get

  • Kick-off hosted by MICA and Probo
  • Mentors for branding, business, technology and production
  • Inside Probo: tour of the production house in Dokkum
  • Two hackathon days at MICA with experts and mentors
  • Material samples and test prints
Sign up for the kick-offView Tips & Tools

Don’t win a trophy. Win a real start.

€2.000 print budget to bring your first collection to life, a spot at Visualize Expo 2027 and a kickstart for your startup through SPREKKERS.FRL.

Visualize Expo

A spot in the start-up area at Visualize Expo from 23 to 25 March 2027, alongside professionals from the print and signage industry.

Sign up for the kick-offSee the prizes
Three students smile as they hold a large board with the words €2,000 print budget and the MAKE IT REAL logo.
The winning team takes home €2,000 in print budget.

Inside Probo

This is where your product will actually be made.

On 24 November you will stand in this production house yourself, among the machines that can print your collection.

MAKE IT REAL is a challenge by MICA × Probo: education and production under one roof. Read more about us

Designers. Makers. Marketeers. Developers. Entrepreneurs.

MAKE IT REAL is for enterprising students at NHL Stenden and Firda who want to build, not just brainstorm. 1 to 5 people per team, with room for a maximum of 100 participants. When we're full, we're full.

No entrepreneurial drive? You’ll find this tough.

Meet the teams
Students working together at a table with laptops, sketches and colour swatches.

Frequently asked questions

All questions and answers

Stop waiting for the perfect idea.

Start with an audience. Build a brand. Make something real.

Sign up for the kick-offI'm still looking for teammates

Go solo or build together. 1 to 5 people per team.