MIT delta v accelerator chooses 27 entrepreneurial teams for 2018 edition

Cambridge, Mass., August 7, 2018—Now in its 7th year, the MIT delta v student accelerator is once again underway at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship this summer. The program is a capstone educational opportunity for MIT entrepreneurs to learn foundational entrepreneurial skills to help them launch their ventures into the world.

The 2018 edition of MIT delta v counts a record 27 teams (20 based in Cambridge, 7 in the MIT NYC Startup Studio in New York) working across diverse industries including AI, healthcare, fintech, and over a dozen more. Teams receive one-on-one training and mentoring from the Trust Center’s Entrepreneurs in Residence as well as over 200 members of the Boston and New York business communities who lead focused workshops or act as members of a team’s mock Board of Directors.

“Unlike traditional accelerators, the focus of MIT delta v is on education so we focus first on teaching the craft of entrepreneurship,” said Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center. “We want the students to know ‘how to fish,’ and emphasize this learning experience first over company creation. That said, we feel the track record of successful companies who have been through delta v speaks well to our methodology.”

Over the past six years, MIT delta v has hosted over 50 entrepreneurial teams. Among the alumni of the program are Infinite Cooling, winners of this year’s Grand Prize of the MIT $100K competition; Leuko Labs, winners of the $1 Million Startup World Cup 2018 Global Grand Finale; and Spyce, the highly-acclaimed robotic restaurant in downtown Boston. In fact 76% of delta v teams are still operating or have been acquired. These teams have raised over $150M in funding and have over 500 employees.

“At delta v, we encourage thinking big – these companies are trying to solve some of the world’s hard problems,” said Trish Cotter, executive director of the delta v accelerator.

This is the second year that the program is also being held at the MIT Trust Center NYC Startup Studio, a second location on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Designed to be a base for startups with a focus on fintech, fashion, real estate, media, and other verticals who can take advantage of the city’s unique business network and resources.

MIT delta v concludes with Demo Day events, giving teams a chance to share their new venture with investors, partners, customers, and the broader community. This year’s demo day presentations will be held on September 8th at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, September 12th in NYC, and September 17th in Silicon Valley.

MIT Demo Day Details

Saturday September 8, 2:00 pm
MIT’s Kresge Auditorium

Presentations on stage by student teams followed by an open reception where teams will be Demo-ing and speaking with audience members. Special keynote from the founders of Spyce, 2015 alumni of delta v.