A jumpstart for entrepreneurs
There are myriad challenges for entrepreneurs when first starting a company: fundraising, recruiting talent, developing an innovative product, networking, scaling, and — not least of all — finding customers. StartMIT, a course offered during MIT’s Independent Activities Period between semesters, aims to help engineering students navigate those early challenges, with advice from founders who have been through it all. The course is co-organized by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and the MIT Innovation Initiative. Held this year from Jan. 11 to Jan. 26, StartMIT (formerly Start6) organized an extensive schedule of talks and panel discussions that focused on a broad range of topics, including product development, founders’ stories, MIT’s entrepreneurial resources, networking, common startup mistakes, and creating company culture. The lineup of speakers was equally diverse, ranging from startup novices to serial entrepreneurs, and spanning multiple industries. Additional activities — such as mock customer interviews and creating a pitch — focused on...