Fortune reporter Katie Fehrenbacher features MIT startup Grove Labs in a piece about companies aimed at making our day-to-day lives more sustainable. Fehrenbacher explains that Grove's aquaponics-based gardening systems are aimed at providing “eco-minded customers a way to grow their own food.”
A new study by MIT researchers examines the difficulties American entrepreneurs face in trying to scale their companies, according to The Economist. The researchers found that while “the American economy is still producing plenty of the right sort of firms, with lots of growth potential…fewer of those firms seem to grow big.”
Financial Times reporter Sarah Murray speaks with Prof. Fiona Murray, associate dean for innovation, about how to encourage and support female entrepreneurs. “It sounds trivial, but when women enter the classroom it’s very important that they see people like them,” explains Murray.
Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey Sparshott writes about a new study by MIT researchers that examines the current state of American entrepreneurship. The researchers found that American entrepreneurs face difficulties in the potential for “firms to scale in a meaningful way over time.”
Tech reporter Scott Perry writes about the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund program, which aims to support student innovators and entrepreneurs. Dean Ian Waitz explains that the goal of the program is “developing the students, not the ideas,” adding that he hopes Sandbox will become “entrenched in the Institute’s culture much in the way UROP or UPOP has.”
Boston Herald reporter Jessica Van Sack writes that Grove, an MIT startup dedicated to enabling people to grow their own produce, will award five of its indoor garden/fish tank systems to local schools. “When you have a full ecological system, it becomes more than just planting seeds and watching them grow,” explains co-founder Gabe Blanchet.
A new report details the entrepreneurial impact of MIT’s alumni entrepreneurs, reports Hiawatha Bray for BetaBoston. “We’re seeing a more rapid rate of growth than we have ever seen before,” explains Prof. Edward Roberts, in the “growth in the formation and startup of new companies by MIT alumni.”
NBC News reporter Keith Wagstaff writes that MIT will open a new “Innovation Node” in Hong Kong next summer. Wagstaff explains that the goal of the Innovation Node is to help students learn how to bring ideas from lab to market.
Wall Street Journal reporters Wei Gu and Anjanu Trivedi write that MIT will launch an “Innovation Node” in Hong Kong. “Universities in Hong Kong are very strong and the city has significant business expertise,” explains President L. Rafael Reif. “We are here for what Hong Kong has to offer.”
During a visit to MIT, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker stressed the need for government investment in research, reports Jeff Engels for Xconomy. “Our investment in R&D in this country is flat since, I think, 1980. It’s actually quite concerning at a time when the rest of the world, as you said, is not standing still,” said Pritzker.
The MIT Innovation Initiative will welcome former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick as a visiting innovation fellow this spring, writes Steve Annear for Boston Magazine.
Dennis Keohane of BetaBoston writes that Gov. Deval Patrick will be joining the MIT Innovation Initiative as a visiting innovation fellow. “The role entails Patrick taking part in a variety of events on MIT’s Cambridge campus, engaging with students and faculty on issues such as policymaking, entrepreneurship, and innovation-based growth,” writes Keohane.
According to the Associated Press, “former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed on to be a visiting fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” Patrick, who left office after two terms, will be joining MIT’s Innovation Initiative.
Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has accepted a position as a visiting fellow with the MIT Innovation initiative, reports Matt Stout of the Boston Herald. “We want to think through with the governor, what are the big issues shaping the innovation economy?” says Professor Fiona Murray, associate dean for innovation.
Boston Globe reporter David Scharfenberg writes that Gov. Deval Patrick has joined the MIT Innovation Initiative. Associate Dean for Innovation Fiona Murray explains that “having the right kinds of policies and programs in place to enable people to actually be effective innovators and entrepreneurs really matters.”