MIT entrepreneurship resources
2018-01-21, updated 2020-07-26 — tech ⇦Multi-audio (In development) – Led Panel⇨
This is a summary of entrepreneurship resources available to MIT students. Those are my notes, taken during startmit. If there are any mistakes, please message me.
1 Martin Trust Center
Entrepreneur environment. Go there to meet people.
Entrepreneur in residence, entrepreneurs at MIT to help you.
Check the MTC website: http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/
1.1 Sector practice leaders SPL
Sector
practice leaders, to help you with a specific industry.
For example:oint the biotech mailing list and hackingmedicine at
hackingmedicine.mit.edu and biotech.mit.edu, or the
creative art competition.
1.2 Sandbox
Fund and mentorship for any student grad or undergrad interested in trying entrepreneurship or start a company. $1k for doing market research and prototyping. They say mentorship is the most useful part of this program. http://sandbox.mit.edu/. February 11 2018 deadline.
2 The engine
Affiliated to MIT but for profit. Help founders go from discovery of
hadtech to commercialization.
If you have some hardtech that will take 10 to 20 years before
commercialization/profit, the engine is the palce to go, as long is it
in the areas they invest:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Deep Software
- Energy
- Internet of Things
- Biotech & Life Sciences
- Advanced Materials
- Robotics
- Space
- Semiconductors
- and the intersection of other new technology
Check https://www.engine.xyz/.
3 MIT innovation initiative
If your path is fuzzy and you need help figuring out your area and what to do. Has a resource guide to help you navigate entrepreneurship at MIT: https://innovation.mit.edu/resources/, it also shows what is happening now at MIT in innovation.
4 Deshpande Center
Moving technology: lab to market. From research to spinout. Grant program funding and Mentorships. Has industry mentors and help with market discovery. It is close to entrepreneurs and investors and lots of events focused in awareness. Select, Direct and connect is their motto. This could be seen as a step before the engine. The grants are from 50k to 150k.
4.1 MIT 100k competition.
Workshop and Mentorship are advertised as being quite good. It encompasses 3 different programs 100k for pitch, 100k for accelerator, 100k for launch. You should apply for all of them but specially to the ones that fits your better. Apply at http://www.mit100k.org/
4.2 TFP
Translational Fellowship program. For when your technology is still very far away from commercialization. It is focused on researchers.
4.3 Legatum Center
Improve global wellbeing.Put things in the field. Tactical clinics in emerging markets.
4.4 TLO
Technology licensing office. Talk to use to know if your research intellectual property belongs to MIT or to you.
5 MEMSI hongkong.
Two programs. One during the summer: May 29 to June 9 2018 and and another during IAP. 1 day factory visit in china. Focuses in making and entrepreneurship. EE, MEch Also has MEFTI, MIT Entrepreneurship and FinTech Integrator, August 25 to September first. Useful for going abroad and working with people from a different culture.
6 6.928, 16.990, 15.s67
Leading creative teams.
Learn to build high performing teams. Useful for startups even though it
is not focused in startups per se. Also useful to become a more
impactful engineer and professional.
Spring 2018, Friday 9:30am to 12:30pm. 9 Units
7 Gordon-MIT engineering leadership program.
Year long program for next year. GEL program 18 units total. They recommend registering for ESD.051,6.902, Engineering Innovation & Design.
7.1 [[https://lemelson.mit.edu/studentprize][Lemelson-MIT student
prize]].
:CUSTOM_ID: lemelson-mit-student-prize.
Celebrating inventions. Focuses on tested prototype of tech based invention. Having patents before applying is encouraged but not required. Offers $10k for undergrad teams. 15k for grad. The applications for 2019 open in april.
8 MIT venture mentoring
You don't need to have a technology venture. It can be any area. The venture can be in the idea bench of lab bench. As long as it is a business we can take.
You only need to be commited to starting a business. Able to pull it of. It is a very very practical program, focuses heavily in implementation. They are not interested in 5 years from now (like the engine), they are interested in 5 weeks from now. Mentoring in teams, 3 or 4 mentors at a time. The mentors assign themselves to the students. MIT venture mentoring commits to a longterm relationship (after you graduate we are still here for you). They also have rules for the advisors, so you don't have to worry about advisors with hidden agendas.
8.1 Boston seed capital
Angel round. Seed round. Go to investors that usually focus in your area. They usually focus in consumer digitals (ai, etc). Usually software. Resources are CEO experts. Hitchiker guide to boston mentors. Most amazing angel mentors.
Social events. Easier to go as an mit student. Boston is one of the best cities to start a venture.
9 MIT ideas global challenge
Positive impact in the world. Ideas global challenge. Social entrepreneurship. Up to 15k.
10 Joe Caruso
Advocate for entrepreneurs. General input, generalist, brainstorm, talk about founder and technology issues. Very generic resource. jcaruso at bantam group.
11 Maschallenge startup benefits.
Non profit. 0 equity. 1.5M support. Startups that are ready. Waterhole for the local innovation community.
12 CIC
Cambridge innovation center. Kendalsquare sloanm grad. Broadway and third. one of the Densest cluster of startups in the world. Host 100 events per month. Cic.com. Blog , podcast and newsletter.