Overview
Join our AI and Web3 for Impact: Venture Studio class. This course will focus on opportunities in the broad sectors of digital health, sustainability and mobility with data and AI centric technologies such as blockchain, Web3, and privacy-tech, which can enable or accelerate major positive impact throughout the world. This semester’s course will be structured as a “Venture Studio” with mentors and engagement with VCs, CEOs and Academics. Given the overwhelming interest and our limited capacity (due to room size and MIT regulations) this course will have a two-step selection process:
If you are selected after Step 1, you will be expected to finish Step 2 and upload the snapshot that you’ve finished the course. If you have finished a degree course or have a professional background in these areas, you do not need to finish the online course.
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Background
This long running course has led to many spin offs including Dimagi, Cogito, Prosperia, Ginger, Sanergy, and nonprofit PathCheck Foundation.
Our previous class links:
- Fall'21: AI for Impact ~ Building Global Ventures Solving Societal-Scale Problems
- Spring'21: AI for Impact
- Fall'20: Global Ventures ~ Data and AI for Resilience after COVID19
- Spring'20: AI for Impact ~ Towards Solving Societal-Scale Problems via Media Ventures
All other previous AI for Impact/Global Ventures class links can be found here:
Speakers & Mentors
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Course Outline
Class Goals:
- "Visualize Venture Studio" format for-credit course where instructors seed and stimulate high-impact, high-value projects that are attractive for the best engineering, design, and builder students
- Advance "Big Ideas" into MVP-seed-stage commercial consideration
Themes and Technologies:
- Themes can include, but are not limited to:
- Digital health
- Sustainability
- Mobility
- Behavior change
- Technologies can include, but are not limited to the following technologies that are essential to the 21st century:
- Blockchain
- Big data
- AI
- Computer vision
- Geospatial
Timeline:
- Meet and Greet held at MIT/Harvard in August
- First day of class: September 9, 2022
- Mid-term review: October 14, 2022
- Final Class Presentations and “demo day” awards: December 9, 2022
Class Structure:
- Venture studio format, with team projects with 5-8 students per team
- Guest speakers share leading-edge thinking
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) by the end of the term
- Demo Day
Support for Students:
- Weekly class mentor meetings on Friday after class / guest lectures / work sessions
- Class visits to local start-ups and technology companies
- Data and AI scientists from startups for experience
- Sessions with startup coaches
Funding:
- Teams will receive milestone-based seed funds
Expected Mentors and Speakers:
- Profs / Lecturers:
- Jinhua Zhao
- Daniela Rus
- Cynthia Breazeal
- Hari Balakrishnan
- Fadel Adib
- CEOs:
- David Morczinek (AirWorks)
- Kartik Venkataraman (Akasha Imaging)
- Shahid Azim (REACT Neuro)
- Rajeev Surati (Skyline Nav AI Inc)
- Kuldeep Singh Rajput (Biofourmis)
- Aditya Khosla (PathAI)
- Dan Raviv (Lendbuzz)
- VCs:
- John Hawthorne (2Lantern)
- Eric Chen (OVO Fund)
- Calvin Chin (E14 Fund)
- Habib Haddad (E14 Fund)
- Dave Blundin (Link Ventures)
- John Werner (Link Ventures)
- Sven Strohband (Khosla Ventures)
- Bilal Zuberi (Lux Capital)
- Jon McNeil (DVx Ventures)
- Katie Rae (The Engine)
- Paul English (Boston Venture Studio)
- Vinod Khosla (Khosla Ventures)
- Jason Pontin (DCVC)
- Steve Jurvetson (Future Ventures)
- Reed Sturtevant (The Engine)
Agenda
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST)
August 17, 2022
Virtual Meet & Greet 1
Eventbrite Registration Link: (Link)
Ramesh Raskar, Shahid Azim, Joost Paul Bonsen, Vivek Sharma
August 24, 2022
Virtual Meet & Greet 2
Eventbrite Registration Link: (Link)
Ramesh Raskar, Shahid Azim, Joost Paul Bonsen, Vivek Sharma
September 7, 2022
In-person Meet & Greet 3: Social Event
Eventbrite Registration Link: (Link)
Ramesh Raskar, Shahid Azim, Joost Paul Bonsen, Vivek Sharma
@MIT Media Lab, 3rd Floor Atrium
September 8, 2022
First day of class
MIT Media Lab, E14-633
September 14, 2022
September 15, 2022
Second Session of Class
Paul English @ 10:00am
Richard Dulude @ 10:15am
September 20, 2022
September 22, 2022
Third Session of Class
September 29, 2022
Fourth Session of Class
October 6, 2022
Fifth Session of Class
October 11, 2022
October 13, 2022
Sixth Session of Class
Midterm
October 20, 2022
Seventh Session of Class
Individual Meeting
October 27, 2022
Eighth Session of Class
November 10, 2022
Ninth Session of Class
November 17, 2022
Tenth Session of Class
November 24, 2022
Thanksgiving Holiday - No Class
December 1, 2022
Twelfth Session of Class
December 8, 2022
Final Class
Student final deliverables presentation
Social Event
Hosted at MIT Media Lab
Images from Fall 2022 MIT/Harvard Course Meetup @Link Ventures, © John Werner
Slides from Spring 2022 Demo Day at the Media Lab
"Web 3++ and Unspoken Opportunities" by Professor Ramesh Raskar at Web3 Summit MIT 2022
Fall 2022 Demo Day at the Media Lab