A Deep Dive into
Healthcare Entrepreneurship
DHIVE [pronounced “dive”] promotes healthcare entrepreneurship and fosters a community where undergraduate and graduate students:
Learn from top experts in the field
Engage in brainstorming and ideation activities
Form teams to explore market opportunities
Work with seasoned entrepreneurs on how to translate ideas into viable solutions
Gain access to resources to enable exploration and prototyping
Open to all MIT undergraduate and graduate students and Non-MIT students
Our Summer 2024 program is now complete. Fill out the Future interest form and watch out for our Summer 2025 application!
Want to connect and know more about the program?
email dhive@mit.edu
Join the DHIVE announcements mailing list. Complete the Interest Form below for future programs.
DHIVE Tracks
DHIVE participants select a healthcare area and learn more about the needs and challenges from the experts in the field, engage in brainstorming and ideation activities, and learn from seasoned entrepreneurs on how to go from ideas to viable solutions. Within each track there is a wide range of possibilities that require a variety of skillsets to bring to fruition. This program is designed to foster collaboration of diverse backgrounds and interest and to explore a wide range of possibilities. Solutions are endless and could be focused on, but not limited to, areas such as specific scientific research or technology, AI applications, women's health, new digital solutions and technologies, and disruptive business models etc. This program is not limited to individuals with science or healthcare experience.
Previous DHIVE Tracks
Review Our Library of Subject Matter Expert Talks:
DHIVE Testimonials
“I applied to DHIVE to challenge myself in a space where I had no previous experience: healthcare entrepreneurship. To best identify my blind spots as an entrepreneur and leader, I wanted to build something from scratch in a cross-disciplinary setting. After completing DHIVE, Maria Hernandez, Katie Katsuyama, and I have continued to work on our vision for an augmented reality-enabled workout application focused on helping the down syndrome community. “
Patrick Stewart, Sloan School of Management MBA student (stewartp@mit.edu)
“The program eased introductions with key thought leaders in the industry. Having those panelists present early on allowed us as students to learn from scratch. Most importantly, it gave us the channel to reach out later on in the program to follow up after we had more detailed findings. We found that these panelists were brilliantly chosen, with a perfect combination of availability, expertise, and friendliness. This encouraged us to question some of their advice as well as ask for more information or even referrals of who to speak with next.
I found the mentors super helpful - learning directly from people who have been successful in this domain was invaluable. I learned as much from my cohort counterparts as I did from the experts. The weekly check-ins with other groups were enlightening.”
John Lewandowski, MIT Mechanical Engineering PhD Candidate (dowski@mit.edu)
“Participating in the program has been very valuable to me. I've attended fascinating talks by experts in the fields of Long COVID and Lyme and have even interviewed doctors who are at the forefront of treating Long COVID. I've further developed my business knowledge and communication skills throughout the program, and I have discovered a strong passion for developing healthcare technologies to improve patients' lives.”
Antonio Diaz, MIT Chemical-Biological Engineering ‘22 (aediaz@mit.edu)
Explore and Ideate: DHIVE Summer Internships
How Does It Work?
8-week summer program Eligibility
Open to all MIT undergraduate and graduate students and Non-MIT students.
Limited paid internships are available for MIT undergraduate and graduate students who can commit at least 20 hours/week. Undergraduate internship rate $15 per hour. MIT graduate student internship rate is $20 per hour.
Graduate students who have a RAship and are unable to commit 20 hours/week are still eligible for a limited paid internship and encouraged to apply.
Non-MIT students are welcome to apply, although internship stipend is not guaranteed.
Current or recent Sandbox team members are eligible to apply.
Program Elements
Mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and subject matter experts
Education on understanding the needs and challenges related to specific healthcare focuses
Entrepreneurship-related workshops
Expert-led talks tailored for specific track focuses
Facilitated team formation; Opportunities to connect with the existing teams and other participants to foster collaboration
Tailored MIT I-Corps Customer Discovery workshop
Potential for continued support in MIT Sandbox
Continue DHIVE Track in MIT Sandbox Fall and Spring
After completing a DHIVE program, teams are encouraged to apply to MIT Sandbox to continue to develop and prototype their ideas. Get funding and support from MIT Sandbox and stay connected to the DHIVE community.
Up to $25K in non-dilutive seed funding and mentorship
DHIVE funding to support hiring interns
DHIVE track-focused meetings to continue ideation and collaboration
Mentorship from entrepreneurs with healthcare-related experience
DHIVE in the News
“Launchpad For Healthcare Entrepreneurs”
by Ashley Belanger, MIT News, March 3, 2022
MIT Sandbox inspires highly-sought healthcare innovations with the new IAP program. The IAP program is part of MIT DHIVE: Dive into Healthcare Innovation and Venture Exploration (pronounced “dive”)… Read more on MIT News
DHIVE Program Partners
