Have YOU got MIT Entrepreneurial Spirit?
The next MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp will be held in Brisbane, Australia, in March 2017.
The news was announced recently by Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Like MIT, they think well outside the square. They practise what they preach and deliver on their student promise of being ‘A University for the Real World.’ Do you dare to disrupt and apply?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ranks as the number one University in the world in the recent QS World University Rankings 2016–2017. The 30,200 companies started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Alumni generate $1.9 trillion in revenue per year and have created 4.6 million jobs. You could say that if MIT were a country, based on economy size, it would be the 10th largest in the world*.
(*Source: http://web.mit.edu/facts/entrepreneurship.html)
Attending the Bootcamp in South Korea has changed both of our lives and that of many, many others around the globe. We have much to say about the MIT Bootcamp in our series, From MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to Infinity and Beyond.
As living testaments to the truth of every word on the MIT Bootcamp site, we can confirm the unquestionable facts. You will learn. You will have fun. It will push you beyond any comfort zone barriers you can possibly imagine. What’s more, what you will learn, the people you meet and connect with, when mixed with bucketloads of perseverance, has the power to impact the lives of potentially millions around the world.
“Individually we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” Ryunosuke Satoro
So, what might YOU do after attending the Bootcamp?
Imagine meeting new CoFounders
Miranda Phua and Laurent Savaete met in Class 1 and went on to start, not one — but two, socially impactful ventures together. Read more about their project in the latest coverage on ZigWay in the Myanmar Times.
“That we met at Bootcamp was no accident: we were both looking for like-minded people to work with. A week of pressure-cooker later, we both knew we could keep working together for the long run. One startup and 2 years later, we’re building ZigWay, a social startup helping low-income families lift themselves out of debt trap and poverty. We still turn to the Bootcamp community and what we learnt there almost daily to stay on target and find solutions to our founders’ questions.”
Ravi Ramkeesoon attended the MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Seoul with us. His startup, FindMyFans, aims to democratise data for the music industry. They aggregate music data from social and streaming sources and layer it over an interactive map. Musicians will therefore be able to visualise their fan activity by geographic locations anywhere in the world. This visualisation will allow artists, musicians and bands to identify where their music is being listened to, enabling them to target fans and make better decisions about touring.
Think of it as an invaluable “marketing department” for musicians.
Ravi says, “The MIT GEB in Seoul represents a turning point in my entrepreneurship life. The experience itself unleashed a layer in my thinking that leads to action-- the secret that I’m certain all globally successful entrepreneurs possess. This thinking led to the conceptualisation of FindMyFans and because the talent pool is so rich, I managed to recruit two incredible entrepreneurs from my cohort, David Jimenez and Edwina Tom. With the addition of Patricia Meschino of Billboard Magazine, we believe this is a formidable team that can execute.“
Imagine acquiring new strength to pursue your dreams
For Etienne Mérineau, Bootcamp was a pivotal point in his life and career.
“Its impact outlasts the physically intense week that you live during it. It gives you the confidence to truly chase your dreams. The MIT mindset is about hacking your way to make a dent in the universe. And the Bootcamp is all about democratising that mindset, and spreading it around the world.”
Etienne just hacked a star-spangled bot using literal transcripts of the first two 90-minute debates and tweets. And it is going viral, Yahoo, Business Insider and Vibe are all talking about it. Read this: We turned the 2016 U.S. presidential candidates into chat bots and check out DebateBots. On using the bots, Etienne says, “From foreign policy to sex scandals, trade deals to job creation and energy, the Trump and Hillary bots won’t shy away from a heated debate. So make sure you put them to the test.”
Anders Røpke took the plunge into entrepreneurship and left the corporate world after attending the MIT Bootcamp in Boston last August.
We are tracking his journey at The Plunge.
Or, maybe you will find answers to some big questions
Fellow Alumnus Ryan Lee has a wildly successful startup SmartStudy (Pink Fong). His reason for attending was totally different from ours and you’ll find that everyone attends to scratch a different itch. In Ryan’s case, he wanted to build a global network and answer the question “How do you retain an entrepreneurial mindset in your culture as you scale?”
Ryan was recently a guest speaker at QUT’s Creative3 event in September. There are good reasons why. The business he Co-Founded, PinkFong is the №1 Grossing Education App in 109 countries, including US, UK and China, selected as the Best Apps of 2014 and 2015 in Google Play.
Want to know why children around the world Sing, Play and Learn with PinkFong? Watch PinkFong’s Baby Shark and see if you can stop humming it!
A local point of view from Brisbane, Australia
Mark Gustowski met Ryan during the QUT Creative3 event. Mark is the Executive Manager at Startups and Business Incubation at QUT Creative Enterprise Australia. We asked Mark about what he thought of the Bootcamp coming to Brisbane: “To have MIT partner with QUT to deliver their world-renowned Entrepreneurship Bootcamp program out of Brisbane illustrates the leaps that the Queensland ecosystem has made with regards to innovation and entrepreneurship. Here at QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA) we are really excited about the opportunity for our creative industry and creative-tech entrepreneurs to go toe-to-toe with some of the country’s best thought leaders and entrepreneurs.
The MIT Bootcamp provides the opportunity for participants to build global networks, enhance their entrepreneurial skills and connect with one of the most forward thinking institutions on the planet.”
Be curious, ask questions and don’t stop.
We encourage entrepreneurs, makers, and innovators not only from Australia, but around the world, who are either just curious or ready-to-go, to apply for MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. Admissions are based on:
- Rigor
- Team and Cultural Fit
- Initiative
- Entrepreneurial Potential
- Contribution to Community
So, have you got an MIT Bootcamp in you? From here on, the responsibility lies with you to find out.
Applications are open until the 31st January but why wait? Apply now at http://bootcamp.mit.edu/entrepreneurship/apply
To read more stories like this visit: www.infinityfoundry.com and join a Global Community of Makers, Innovators and Entrepreneurs.
