Dan Morrell of The Boston Globe writes about Humanyze, a company founded by visiting scientist Ben Waber, that helps companies gather data about their employees and workspaces to improve efficiency. “Humanyze was founded on the idea that smart management decisions require hundreds of (data-points), if not millions,” Morrell explains.
Vijee Venkatraman writes for BetaBoston about Cake, a startup founded by MIT alumnus Suelin Chen that aims to simplify end-of-life planning. “We wanted to focus on the fact that the only reason to plan for end of life is to make living better,” says Chen.
Wired reporter Margaret Rhodes writes about Transatomic Power, an energy company founded by MIT alumnae Mark Massie and Leslie Dewan. Rhodes explains that, “The two MIT nuclear science graduates have sweeping ambitions—to bring back a nuclear reactor design first prototyped in the 1960s, and in doing so, change the landscape of clean energy in the 21st century.”
Nihdi Subbaraman reports for BetaBoston on the legal clinics MIT and BU have started providing to student entrepreneurs. “The Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Clinic is intended to serve as a place where startup founders can seek basic advice about how to register their company or how to distribute ownership to multiple founders,” writes Subbaraman.
MIT and BU have joined forces to offer students entrepreneurs legal advice, the Associated Press reports. "It's almost like a godsend," says MIT sophomore Isaiah Udotong, who is starting his own company. "We were looking for legal advice and wondering how we were going to make sure everything is legitimate."
Nidhi Subbaraman writes for BetaBoston about Innovation Teams (“iTeams”), an MIT program that helps students commercialize products out of lab technologies. “When it comes to emerging tech — the brand-new stuff that’s published in journals… sometimes the path to market isn’t what the researchers envisioned when they built it. iTeams wants to give the hard stuff a chance,” explains Subbaraman.
BostInno reporter Dylan Martin writes about how MIT and BU have formed a new partnership to provide students with a source of legal advice on technology and business issues. “BU law students will provide free legal advice and representation to MIT and BU students who either want to start their own business or are already involved with a startup.”
In a Financial Times article about the need for investment in sanitation services, Sarah Murray highlights Sanergy, an MIT spinoff that franchises toilets to local micro entrepreneurs. Murray writes that, “Sanergy’s model provides work and improves sanitation.”
MIT and Boston University are joining forces to provide law clinics for student entrepreneurs looking for legal advice, reports Katherine Nazemi for The Tech. “There’s opportunity for students to drop in and say ‘I don’t know if I need help or not, but this is what I’m doing, what do you think?’” explains Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart.
BetaBoston reporter Curt Woodward writes about RapidSOS, a startup founded by graduates from MIT and Harvard that is aimed at improving 911 service. “RapidSOS’ system is designed to be a digital communications middleman that can harvest key information from an app user’s smartphone and route it into a 911 dispatcher’s system,” Woodward explains.
Professor Dina Katabi was among the attendees showcasing startup ideas at the White House’s Demo Day, writes Jessica Geller for BetaBoston. “Demo Day promotes diversity,” said Katabi. “Women and people of different backgrounds are something that I think would be great to add to the startup community.”
In an article for Fortune, Leena Rao writes about MIT startup Ginkgo Bioworks, which has developed a technique that uses yeast to create a multitude of different substances. “The technique opens the door to using new biochemical foundations for things like perfume, cosmetics and even sweeteners,” Rao writes.
New York Times reporter John Markoff writes about Alias, a new system aimed at augmenting human pilots on flights. The system is being developed by Auroa Flight Sciences, which grew out of an MIT project, and with the assistance of researchers from MIT and Duke University.
In an article for Fortune, Katie Fehrenbacher writes about how startups such as Transatomic Power, which was founded by MIT nuclear scientists Leslie Dewan and Mark Massie, could revive the field of nuclear technology. Fehrenbacher writes that companies like Transatomic “are passionate about how tech innovation can lift the industry out of its nuclear stalemate.”
MIT startup LiquiGlide has announced that they are partnering with the international food packaging company Orkla to use their non-stick coating inside mayonnaise bottles, reports Katie Palmer for Wired. Palmer explains that LiquiGlide has “created an algorithm to optimize the thermodynamic relationships between a textured solid on the inside of the bottle, its liquid 'lubricant,' and the product in question.”