About
Having observed the process of MIT startups, we have realized that many MIT alumni want to be active participants and supporters of MIT startups. Most of these alumni live far from Boston and have disconnected from the institution for many years, so they find it very hard to connect with student entrepreneurs directly. They are hungry for true innovation and feel that places like Silicon Valley have run out of ideas. True innovation is happening on MIT campus and alumni want to be engaged in connecting with student innovators.
We have started contacting and collaborating with alumni, such as Shuja Keen ‘99, Rebeca Hwang ‘01, who have worked in supporting MIT entrepreneurs at early stages for many years. They, amongst others, are willing to help current students with their ideas, aid them in developing the necessary relationships to launch ventures (getting customers, recruiting talent, develop strategic partnerships) and provide them with funding, but living outside Boston, find it very hard to be constantly exposed to the innovation at MIT.
On the student side, the personal and resource barriers are often high for new entrepreneurs. There are startup competitions that provide funding as well as mentoring services and student groups but none of these establish a long-lasting, vibrant relationship between startups and alumni that goes beyond physical space. Lastly, for the the founders and members of TIM’s Garage, the platform serves as a experiential learning environment to commercialize innovations and network effectively with alumni.
The current board has a very strong alumni network in this space. We belong to different living groups, educational programs, and have a variety of interests within the entrepreneurship space. Overall, we have a strong belief that with our commitment and our already active collaboration with alumni, TIM’s Garage can have a very positive influence in the entrepreneurial community of MIT.
We have started contacting and collaborating with alumni, such as Shuja Keen ‘99, Rebeca Hwang ‘01, who have worked in supporting MIT entrepreneurs at early stages for many years. They, amongst others, are willing to help current students with their ideas, aid them in developing the necessary relationships to launch ventures (getting customers, recruiting talent, develop strategic partnerships) and provide them with funding, but living outside Boston, find it very hard to be constantly exposed to the innovation at MIT.
On the student side, the personal and resource barriers are often high for new entrepreneurs. There are startup competitions that provide funding as well as mentoring services and student groups but none of these establish a long-lasting, vibrant relationship between startups and alumni that goes beyond physical space. Lastly, for the the founders and members of TIM’s Garage, the platform serves as a experiential learning environment to commercialize innovations and network effectively with alumni.
The current board has a very strong alumni network in this space. We belong to different living groups, educational programs, and have a variety of interests within the entrepreneurship space. Overall, we have a strong belief that with our commitment and our already active collaboration with alumni, TIM’s Garage can have a very positive influence in the entrepreneurial community of MIT.