Stephanie MacConnell’s Post

The MIT delta v NYC program is BACK!! 🚀 The teams this year span industries from fintech to healthtech to edtech, from platforms to B2B to consumer, and they have hit the ground absolutely sprinting 🏃🏽♀️ Our home for the summer is the fabulous Nomadworks office. And we are so lucky to have delta v alumni Jared Ray Johnson and Emily Young join as EIRs to help the teams on their journey. We have our first board meetings this week to talk about all things Customer. Our programming this month included experts who came to our space to talk through startup legal 101 (thanks Scott Smedresman), customer interviews, synthesizing your primary market research (thanks Frank Tisellano Sid Salvi), picking the right customer (thanks Sam Feder), and importantly- cofounder relationships (thanks Elaine Wang). Looking forward to updating you on the teams’ progress throughout the summer. Only 74 days until demo day… 🚀 Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Bill Aulet Paul Cheek Daniel Ehrlich Megan Hung Steven Cohen Macauley Kenney Jenny Larios Berlin Ben Soltoff

Come hang out with Bill Aulet and I at NYU over lunch tomorrow (April 5th) and chat about entrepreneurship and the founding journey. There are some spots remaining!

Congratulations to Nicolette Driscoll & the NeuroBionics team for winning the MIT Female Founders Pitch Competition. As one of the judging panel for this event, I'm happy to share some of the key points that helped Nicki win: - Very technical problem explained very clearly. >> NeuroBionics is not building a simple digital tool. There are scientific concepts and terminology in this business that would make your head spin. But Nicki was able to explain in almost exclusively laymen's terms the problem, the potential for impact, the solution, and their timeline and plans for the business. Everyone on the judging panel and everyone in the audience was able to follow along, even if you knew nothing about deep brain stimulation going in. - Handled challenges well. >> Nicki went first and ran into multiple tech issues out of her control - the mic didn't work, the slides didn't work. She was unflappable. She knew her material so well, the organizers offered to let her start over and she declined, opting to jump back into the presentation where she left off. She knows the pitch and her business like the back of her hand and it showed. She never showed anxiety or sweat from these issues. - Solving a big problem, explaining it memorably. >> Nicki was able to help us understand that in present day, only 1% of people who qualify for a certain surgery that could improve their lives actually get it because of the invasiveness and side effects. Their solution would save lives. It's been over a week and I still remember that stat. Advice to founders pitching: make your key impact memorable. Congratulations Nicki! The judges were extremely impressed with all of the founders who pitched on stage at the event. The caliber was unbelievably high this year. Great work to all who took the stage.

Seeking Office Space: MIT's delta v NYC is coming back this summer!! We had a gorgeous space last summer at the BARK hq in FiDi, and are now looking for our donated summer home for this year - June 1 through Sept 6, 25+ desks, conference rooms for board meetings, space for our little group to convene for panels and workshops. I'd love to speak with you if you'd like some of the most interesting people in NYC to come in and out of your office this summer. Ideally centrally located and bright/fun/startup vibes. DM me here or email me stephmac@mit.edu ✨

Does your company have a thesis on AI for the business or for your product? Are you hiring entry level employees and looking for a skillset that is currently, or should in the future, incorporate AI/ML? MIT would like to learn more about what you're looking for in your entry level candidates - whether they are data engineers, data analysts, or other positions (sales, legal, marketing, or if you have entry-level AI engineer-type positions.) It will be a quick, remote interview - and you'll be helping upskill future generations! Schedule time with me here: https://lnkd.in/gCb2WCFs Thank you! Please pass this along to anyone who might chat with me about their entry level hiring.

Is your company hiring entry level talent and looking for an AI skillset? MIT wants to learn more about what you're looking for in the next generation of candidates. I am interested in learning about the roles and levels your company is currently and planning to hire for, and what specific skills and experiences you are looking for in those roles. Email me stephmac@mit.edu or book a quick call with me at the Calendly link below. I am hoping to have as many conversations as possible over the next 30 days to learn what the market is looking for in these candidates. No restrictions on industry or location. Meetings will be via phone call or zoom. Feel free to pass this on/tag anyone you know is hiring for entry level AI talent. Thank you! Book time: https://lnkd.in/gCb2WCFs cc Bill Aulet Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ben Soltoff Susan Neal Chris Bobko Paul Cheek Jenny Larios Berlin Macauley Kenney

If your NY-based, woman-led startup would like to apply to pitch on March 14 I believe there are still spots available. See you there ✨

Very cool space! Thank you Primary team for having us, can’t wait to visit again.