GROWING STUDENT INTEREST IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The interest shown by MIT students in entrepreneurship, which grew during the internet era (as discussed in chapter 3), not only continued but grew significantly during the mid-2000s to late 2010s, especially after the financial crisis of 2008-2009. In a letter to the community, professor of materials science and engineering and dean of graduate education Christine Ortiz wrote in 2012: Student interest in entrepreneurship has exploded on the MIT campus, in particular over the last decade. The results of these activities are astounding; the $100K Entrepreneurship competition has helped launch more than a dozen companies currently valued at more than $100 million, with at least two worth more than $1 billion. Aside from the societal benefits of technology transfer, entrepreneurship activities have deep educational, professional, and personal development benefits to students and should continue to be fostered and supported by MIT. Students often seek guidance for engaging in entrepreneurial activities from faculty, department heads and internal organizations, such as the Technology Licensing Office (TLO) and the Venture Mentoring Office (VMS), and all have indicated they could benefit from a knowledge of and clarification of policies and procedures, guidelines, roles and responsibilities, and best practices.
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