About

MIT Ignite: Generative AI Entrepreneurship Competition seeks to foster innovative projects within the realm of generative AI. All MIT undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers, are invited to submit their transformative ideas. This competition is your platform to present projects that could significantly influence sectors such as climate sustainability, human health, workforce dynamics, and ethical AI deployment, and more.

The projects with the highest potential for real-world impact and innovative applications of generative AI will be recognized with awards and will have the opportunity to further develop their ideas with the support of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab.

Topic areas for innovative projects include:

  • Climate and Sustainability
  • Human Health, Medicine, and the Life Sciences
  • The Workforce and the Global Economy
  • Cybersecurity and Privacy
  • Hardware Devices
  • K–12 and Higher Education
  • The Ethical Deployment of Products
  • Design, Creativity, and Human Augmentation
  • Urban Planning and The Built Environment
  • Income Inequality
  • Other

Prizes

MIT Ignite: Generative AI Entrepreneurship Competition is both a platform to showcase your innovative ideas and a chance to secure resources to make those ideas a reality.

This competition, sponsored by the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, offers prizes for successful teams. We are committed to recognizing and rewarding innovation, creativity, and potential impact.

  • 5 MIT Ignite Flagship Prizes: $15,000 per team
  • Special first-year undergraduate student team MIT Ignite Flagship Prize
  • Several runners-up prizes

Jury

All submissions will be evaluated by a diverse panel including internal MIT community members and faculty, external and AI industry experts, subject matter experts, and technologists who will bring their unique perspectives and expertise to select the most innovative, feasible, and impactful projects.

Timeline

The key dates for the 2023-24 school year are:

  • Wednesday, August 30: Applications open. Submissions are welcome from all eligible participants.
  • Wednesday, September 13, 12:00 – 1:00 pm: Information session to be held at the Martin Trust Center, Bldg. E40-160
  • Friday, September 22: Interest forms from teams are due at 5:00 pm Eastern. 
  • Monday, October 2: Applications close at 5:00 pm Eastern. Apply online.
  • Monday, October 16: Teams notified of status if moving on to present to judging committee.
  • Monday, October 30, 3:00 – 5:30 pm: Selected teams will present to the judging committee. Flagship Prizes will be awarded based on presentations.

In addition to the competition in the fall, we encourage prize winning teams to participate during IAP in January in the StartMIT or MIT Fuse programs and to apply to MIT delta v, the Trust Center’s summer accelerator.

Application Process

MIT Ignite: Generative AI Entrepreneurship Competition is a team-based competition. Teams should be composed of 2 to 5 currently enrolled students or post-docs, of which at least two must be currently enrolled MIT students (undergraduate or graduate) or MIT post-docs.

To participate, please follow these steps:

  • Interest Form: Please complete our brief interest form as a first step by Friday, September 22 at 5:00pm.
    • The deadline for the interest form has passed. However, if your team has NOT completed an interest form, it is NOT required. Please feel free to submit to the competition by the October 2nd deadline.
  • Project Overview: Prepare a brief project overview, describing the core technology, problem it addresses, and potential impact
  • Team Profile: Compile a team profile that includes team member names, roles, and brief biographies. If applicable, please include any relevant past work or experiences in the field of generative AI.
  • Application: Submit the overview and team profile through our online application by Monday, October 2nd at 5:00 pm. Early submissions are encouraged.

Selected teams will be contacted by Monday, October 16 and asked to present their project to MIT leadership, faculty, and industry leaders. Selected teams will need to prepare a 2-minute presentation showcasing the project, its potential, and the team’s ability to execute the plan.

FAQ

Q: Who can participate in this competition?
A: The competition is open to currently enrolled students. Teams must be comprised of 2 to 5 members, at least two must be currently enrolled MIT students (undergraduate or graduate) or MIT post-docs.

Q: What kinds of projects are eligible?
A: We are looking for innovative projects within the realm of generative AI that could significantly influence sectors such as climate sustainability, human health, workforce dynamics, and ethical AI deployment, and other sectors with the potential for real world impact. The project can be in any stage, from ideation to established startup.

Q: What are the judging criteria?
A: Teams will be judged on innovation, feasibility, potential for impact, and quality of presentation.

Q: Can I participate as an individual?
A: No, this is a team-based competition. Teams must be composed of 2 to 5 currently enrolled students, at least two must be currently enrolled MIT students (undergraduate or graduate) or MIT post-docs.

Q: Can a team submit more than one application?
A: No, each team may only submit once.

Q: When and where will the final event be held?
A: Samberg Conference Center (E52, 7th Floor) on Monday, October 30 from 3:00 – 5:30 pm.

Further questions? Please email us.

Sponsorship

We are grateful for the support of the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab in fostering the next generation of AI entrepreneurs. Their sponsorship enables this exciting opportunity for our students and researchers to showcase their innovative ideas and potentially transform the future of various sectors with generative AI.

Organizers

Chairs: 

Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean, MIT School of Engineering
David Schmittlein, Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management

Co-Organizers:  

Dina Katabi, Andrew (1956) and Erna Viterbi Professor of EECS; Founder of Emerald Innovation (AI, Entrepreneurship)
Aude Oliva, MIT Director of MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab; Senior Research Scientist , MIT CSAIL (AI, Industry)
Bill Aulet, Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship; Ethernet Inventors Professor of the Practice, MIT Sloan School of Management (Entrepreneurship)

MIT Ignite Team:

Paul Cheek – Executive Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
Mary Beth Gallagher – Director of Communications, MIT School of Engineering
Emily Goldman – Program Manager, MIT IBM Watson AI Lab
Lauren Hinkel – Communications Officer, MIT IBM Watson AI Lab
Amrutha Killada – Associate Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
Liz McShane – Program Coordinator, MIT IBM Watson AI Lab
Samantha Smiley – Senior Administrative Assistant, MIT IBM Watson AI Lab
Doug Williams – Orbit Product Lead, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship
Greg Wymer – Director of Marketing & Communications, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship

About the MIT School of Engineering

The MIT School of Engineering’s mission is to educate the next generation of engineering leaders, to create new knowledge, and to serve society.

About the MIT Sloan School of Management

The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice.

About the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship

Our focus is the education of MIT students to whom we provide proven frameworks, courses, co-curricular programs, state-of-the-art facilities, advisory services, and processes to create a rigorous, practical, customized, and integrated educational experience. We accept and welcome our leadership role to advance the field at MIT as well as globally.

About the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab

The MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is a community of scientists from MIT and IBM Research dedicated to pushing the frontiers of artificial intelligence and translating breakthroughs into real-world impact. Founded in 2017, the Lab works with industry to translate fundamental science into applications that solve immediate problems in the business world and beyond.

Questions?
Email us!