9 Quotes on Entrepreneurship from 2021

Andrew Husband

Dec 21, 2021

“Today, we're going to show you entrepreneurship in action,” Bill Aulet, SF ’94, (Professor of the Practice, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management; Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship) said onstage at Kresge Auditorium last September.

“We’re all about having an impact on the world's greatest challenges. That’s what we’re here for and we’ll never stop doing that.”

Although the chief mission of MIT Sloan is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world, entrepreneurship and innovation play a significant part in this equation. As Aulet later noted, “entrepreneurs can be all around us, and not just in high tech startups.”

Here are eight other quotes about the importance of entrepreneurship by alumni we spoke to this year:

“What I find impressive is the evolution of entrepreneurship at MIT. It’s grown to be a common language throughout the school.” – Dr. Tamara (Lucero) Rajaram, MBA ’01

“MIT as an institution values an entrepreneurial mindset. It's something I've worked hard to bring to my own companies.” – David Lucchino, SF ’06

“MIT Sloan also gave me the opportunity to become an entrepreneur while I was still a student. I came to the school with a deep passion for food and sustainability and I had already spent my career at that intersection. I was able to build on those interests.” – Shayna Harris, MBA ’11

“I realized I wanted to be part of a team that always focused on solving a problem—and that I did better when I was really clear and passionate about what problems my team was trying to solve. Along the way, someone called us ‘entrepreneurs’ and that’s when I realized what entrepreneurship and innovation were all about.” – Donna Levin, EMBA ’16

“This is the DNA of MIT: coming together with so many intelligent, innovative, and wonderful people to create something new.” – Ellen Herzfelder, SM ’87

“Entrepreneurship—bringing new products and services to life—has been a core theme of my work over the years. I love seeing the energetic and passionate entrepreneurs at delta v make meaningful progress in a short amount of time.” – Grace Ueng, SB ’87

“There is a lack of entrepreneurship and scalability in the entertainment space, so we need to follow the lead of more traditional industries. We are part of a much larger community and must adapt our best practices from how others have succeeded.” – Sriram Emani, MBA ’14

“Make sure you understand which segment of the community you’re looking to target. Once you do, you can tailor your approach to that group. Understand how you’re building that community from a marketing standpoint, because more than anything else, it can create stickiness for life.” – Shahil Patel, MBA ’19

For more info Andrew Husband Senior Writer & Editor, OER (617) 715-5933 AHUSBAND@MIT.EDU

Illustration of diverse group of people with colorful thought bubbles

Alumni The War Between Technological Productivity and Human Skill

Simon Johnson leads a session at MIT Sloan Reunion 2015

Alumni Nobel Laureate Praises MIT Students and Classrooms

Illustration of open book with items coming out of it

Alumni The Power of Literacy

Which program is right for you?

Executive Programs

recent

9 Quotes on Entrepreneurship from 2021