Special Event:
Celebrating 10 Years of MIT Sandbox
APRIL 15, 2026
1:30pm-4:30pm Event
4:30pm-6pm Networking and MIT Sandbox Startup Showcase
Location: Microsoft New England
1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
MIT activates entrepreneurship as a strategic engine driving the full journey—from learner transformation, venture creation, through industry engagement, to long-term economic impact.
Over the last decade, MIT Sandbox has enabled thousands of students and alumni to translate early ideas into validated concepts, launch companies, and forge corporate partnerships that scale innovation across industries.
This event brings together industry leaders, founders, investors, and MIT leadership and faculty to explore ventures born in MIT’s ecosystem and how they have scaled. Through real examples of startup journeys, from idea to launch, and from market to expansion, the event will examine how students and founders advance from experimentation to execution, how corporations connect with emerging ventures, and how partnerships accelerate mutual growth.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to discover opportunities to participate as collaborators, customers, and co-builders of the next generation of impactful ventures. The program will conclude with a networking reception and student startup showcase.
The event will bring together distinguished guests, trailblazing Sandbox founder panels, and influential thought leaders from the Entrepreneurship & Innovation ecosystem, with ample opportunities to network and learn more.
AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
MIT’s President Sally Kornbluth leads a panel discussion of MIT Sandbox Startup Founders
Fireside chat with distinguished faculty Scott Stern, David Sarnoff Professor of Management of Technology, Professor, Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management and Jean-Jacques Degroof, MIT, M.Sc. and a Ph.D and author From the Basement to the Dome. How MIT’s Unique Culture Created a Thriving Entrepreneurial Community
Remarks by Ian Waitz, Vice President of Research, Sandbox Founding Faculty Director
10 Years of Innovation Impact, Presented by Jinane Abounadi, Executive Director, MIT Sandbox
MIT Alumni Startup Stage Presentations
Networking reception and MIT Student Startup Showcase
