Ventures | MITdesignX -MITdesignX

DesignX 2021

Inclusion improves innovation.

Experience rare design.

Harness the Heat

Urban comfort out of thin air

An urban microbusiness cultivator for retail and food vendors of color

Somoto transforms community infrastructure into creative learning spaces for young people

Creating equity through negotiation.

Using the value of waste to create better living conditions in refugee camps.

Vertify Analytics

Combining drone technology and digital collaboration tools to revolutionize urban inspection

A location Intelligence, AI prediction platform built to help tangible businesses scale.

Improving transit stations through revolutionary retail

Matching developers with diverse artists and managing public art requirements

Creating exceptional learning environments, right out of the box

Making Green Places on the Roofs of Paris

Design learning in a box

Digital platform to improve housing and mobility choices of lower income populations

Database and platform to improve government buy-out process of flood prone properties

Preconstruction intelligence for architects and manufacturers

Starlings Technology

Enhancing the sustainability, safety, and harmony of urban streets with peer-to-peer synchronized technology for micromobility

Live Large in Small Space

Turn-key services for home maintenance.

Assuring water quantity and quality for households in Palestine and other developing countries.

Enabling low income workers in India to make insightful seasonal migration decisions for employment, housing and transportation.

Decoding human behavior in physical spaces to enable customer knowledge

A business-to-consumer company that will help homeowners save their architectural histories using digital fabrication.

A marketplace digitalization of informal economies operating in low income environments

Creating a world where every building makes us healthier

Zilper Trenchless

A novel machine for installing pipelines in urban environments without digging trenches.

A social enterprise that matches empty nesters with graduate students to provide housing and social solutions.

Software algorithms to turn simple pictures into intelligent 3D models for design and renovation.

Technology to identify, design and develop neighborhood-scale housing with the efficiencies of larger development.

LearningBeautiful

Creating Montessori-inspired toys for young children to learn computer science-without using computers.

A space utilization analytics company helping managers of physical space maximize the utility of their assets through automated monitoring.

Biobot Analytics

Measuring the concentration of drugs that are excreted in urine and collected in sewers and mapping this data to empower communities to tackle the opioid epidemic in real time.

Transforming public buses into vehicles of urban exploration by employing audio-augmented reality on smartphones.

Capturing and converting aerial imagery into digital CAD plans for site surveys and construction monitoring.

Revolutionary new financing model for homeownership that allows a greater cross section of society to engage in the housing market.

Connecting infrastructure providers with people living in informal communities in the developing world.

Software to help commercial real estate investors, brokers, and lenders make data-driven investment decisions based on planning and environmental trends and forecasts.

Empowering creative communities in cities by transforming vacant and underutilized buildings into collective and collaborative artist studios and gallery space.

Next generation all-weather boot sold direct-to-consumer.

Real-time diagnostic "smart tattoo" for human skin to monitor levels of blood analytes like glucose, sodium, potassium, albumin, and others such as those found on a basic blood panel.

Physical and digital interface to influence and record your dreams.

Public space infrastructure for disaster resilience and response.

Early childhood learning environment furniture in rural and developing parts of India.

AI-enabled adaptive environment for improving yields in indoor agriculture.

MIT Accelerating Innovation in Design, Cities, and the Built Environemnt

Visible Hands Inclusion improves innovation.

Rarify Experience rare design.

Harness the Heat Urban comfort out of thin air

UMarket An urban microbusiness cultivator for retail and food vendors of color

Somoto Somoto transforms community infrastructure into creative learning spaces for young people

Clearstory Creating equity through negotiation.

ReFuse Using the value of waste to create better living conditions in refugee camps.

Vertify Analytics Combining drone technology and digital collaboration tools to revolutionize urban inspection

Tangible A location Intelligence, AI prediction platform built to help tangible businesses scale.

T-Space Improving transit stations through revolutionary retail

p(art)ner Matching developers with diverse artists and managing public art requirements

Out of the Box Creating exceptional learning environments, right out of the box

Roofscapes Making Green Places on the Roofs of Paris

Elements Design learning in a box

ECHO Digital platform to improve housing and mobility choices of lower income populations

Buy-In Database and platform to improve government buy-out process of flood prone properties

acelab Preconstruction intelligence for architects and manufacturers

Starlings Technology Enhancing the sustainability, safety, and harmony of urban streets with peer-to-peer synchronized technology for micromobility

TULU Live Large in Small Space

QuiX Turn-key services for home maintenance.

WATAsolution Assuring water quantity and quality for households in Palestine and other developing countries.

Bandhu’ Enabling low income workers in India to make insightful seasonal migration decisions for employment, housing and transportation.

PlaceInt Decoding human behavior in physical spaces to enable customer knowledge

Ogee! A business-to-consumer company that will help homeowners save their architectural histories using digital fabrication.

Quipu A marketplace digitalization of informal economies operating in low income environments

Spatio Metrics Creating a world where every building makes us healthier

Zilper Trenchless A novel machine for installing pipelines in urban environments without digging trenches.

Nesterly A social enterprise that matches empty nesters with graduate students to provide housing and social solutions.

HostaLabs Software algorithms to turn simple pictures into intelligent 3D models for design and renovation.

Placeful Technology to identify, design and develop neighborhood-scale housing with the efficiencies of larger development.

LearningBeautiful Creating Montessori-inspired toys for young children to learn computer science-without using computers.

Bitsence A space utilization analytics company helping managers of physical space maximize the utility of their assets through automated monitoring.

Biobot Analytics Measuring the concentration of drugs that are excreted in urine and collected in sewers and mapping this data to empower communities to tackle the opioid epidemic in real time.

Alight Transforming public buses into vehicles of urban exploration by employing audio-augmented reality on smartphones.

Airworks Capturing and converting aerial imagery into digital CAD plans for site surveys and construction monitoring.

Frolic Revolutionary new financing model for homeownership that allows a greater cross section of society to engage in the housing market.

Kawsay Connecting infrastructure providers with people living in informal communities in the developing world.

predictRE Software to help commercial real estate investors, brokers, and lenders make data-driven investment decisions based on planning and environmental trends and forecasts.

Spaceus Empowering creative communities in cities by transforming vacant and underutilized buildings into collective and collaborative artist studios and gallery space.

Season Three Next generation all-weather boot sold direct-to-consumer.

SkinPixel Real-time diagnostic "smart tattoo" for human skin to monitor levels of blood analytes like glucose, sodium, potassium, albumin, and others such as those found on a basic blood panel.

Dormio Physical and digital interface to influence and record your dreams.

PREPHub Public space infrastructure for disaster resilience and response.

Credi Early childhood learning environment furniture in rural and developing parts of India.

Adaviv AI-enabled adaptive environment for improving yields in indoor agriculture.

Apply now for the 2022 Cohort! Deadline: Nov. 1, 11:59pm

MITdesignX Spring Symposium Design >> Fast-Forward: Watch recordings from our exciting spring symposium Stay informed with MITdesignX Sign up for our new monthly newsletter

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Design >> Fast-Forward: The Acceleration of Technology, Systems and Urban Policy in the Post-Pandemic City

April 26-27, 2021

Symposium videos

We are now in year two of a global disaster: a modern pandemic with no defined end date. Many of the rules and norms of the way things used to be are now being challenged. Incredible disruption has generated seismic shifts in the social and physical realms that will shape the future for decades, if not the century. The “temporary” inconveniences, emergency measures, delays and postponements of 2020, are becoming a way of life in 2021. And although the pandemic has impacted all sectors of society, its effects on the way we live, work, learn, celebrate, and even breathe will be manifest most strongly in the buildings, vehicles, and public spaces of cities and the human environment.

Disruption by the pandemic initially caused a state of paralysis in cities. Offices and schools were emptied, subways deserted, entertainment and sports venues shuttered. The economy descended into recession and unemployment skyrocketed. But, very quickly, people responded, as they always do, through adaptation and innovation in a remarkable demonstration of resilience. Life, the economy, and human progress had to continue, just differently.

Now it seems everything must be rethought, reimagined, redesigned, or repositioned. The innovators, designers and visionaries among us already have plans and ideas in the works. And the pandemic provides the (inopportune) opportunity to fast-forward their development.

Remote working, online classes, telemedicine, and ecommerce were not invented in 2020, but over the year, they have become widely adopted and integrated into society. Likewise, modular construction, touchless entry, and expedited permitting are not new ideas, but suddenly these technologies and policies are being widely accepted and rapidly implemented.

In this two-day online symposium at MIT, we will host conversations with innovators and visionaries, academics, global firms and novel startups who are accelerating new systems and products for design, cities, and the human environment.

See full symposium agenda and schedule

news 09.13.2021

Roofscapes (x20) debuts exhibition for the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

Designed for the 2021 Seoul Biennale, it is currently on view in Paris, France. Learn more: https://www.roofscapes.studio/newsfeed/head-in-the-clouds-at-academie-du-climat

news 07.22.2021

Adaviv (DesignX 2018) Raises $2.3M in Seed Round

Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/adaviv-raises-2-3m-upsized-124900792.html

news 07.14.2021

Acelab (DesignX 2020) Announces $3.5M Seed Round

Read more: https://blog.acelabusa.com/acelab-announces-3-5m-seed-round-to-build-marketplace-for-architects-and-manufacturers/

news 06.30.2021

Visible Hands Receives $750,000 Philanthropic Contribution

Visible Hands (DesignX 2020) has received a $750,000 philanthropic contribution from JPMorgan Chase in support of their inaugural fellowship program. Read More: https://medium.com/visible-hands-vc/visible-hands-receives-750-000-philanthropic-contribution-from-jpmorgan-chase-ed2295c0405a

news 06.07.2021

Visible Hands (x20) highlighted for their work increasing diversity in venture capital

Read more: Boston Globe

news 06.07.2021

Two DesignX alumni teams are winners of the 2021 Virginia RISE Coastal Community Resilience Challenge

Hosta Labs (DesignX 2017) and Zilper Trenchless (DesignX 2019) are finalists of the RISE challenge that will enable them to perform pilots, in addition to their grant prizes. Read more: https://t.co/smBzPWXy97?amp=1

news 05.18.2021

How a Confluence of Technology and Social Concerns Will Shape Infrastructure in the Post-Pandemic City

The DesignX hosted symposium, “Design >> Fast-Forward”, is featured in this review and discussion of the infrastructure design and construction topics presented across panels.

news 04.09.2021

Visible Hands’ (dX 2020) inaugural virtual fellowship highlighted

Visible Hands’ newly announced virtual fellowship is highlighted in BostInno. Applications for their fellowship are open now. Read more here.

news 03.05.2021

Zilper Trenchless (dx 19) is listed on Forbes’ Top 30 Business Promises in Colombia for 2021

Zilper Trenchless, members of the 2019 designX cohort, currently operate in Colombia. Read more here (ESP): https://forbes.co/2021/03/05/emprendedores/las30deforbes-zilper-trenchless/amp/

news 02.26.2021

Entrepreneurial journey of UMarket (dx21) co-founder Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor and his family are featured in the Boston Globe.

Read more here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/02/26/metro/evicted-boston-new-west-african-restaurant-is-being-welcomed-providence/

news 02.17.2021

Biobot’s (dx 17) wastewater expertise highlighted in fight against rising COVID strains – Vice News

Read more here: https://www.vice.com/en/article/3anemj/we-need-a-national-poop-testing-strategy-to-stop-mutant-coronavirus-strains

news 01.14.2021

Natasha Sadikin (designX 2020) speaks to MIT News on real estate and design

Natasha Sadikin, member of designX 2020 venture P(art)ner, speaks to MIT News about the confluence of design and real estate in her work. https://news.mit.edu/2021/sadikin-real-estate-design-0114

news 01.05.2021

Biobot Analytics recognized as a top 100 GovTech company for 2021

Read more here: https://www.govtech.com/biz/Essential-The-2021-GovTech-100.html

news 01.04.2021

Acelab selected as a top architecture startup to follow by Startupill

Acelab (designX 2020) has been recognized as a top architecture startup to follow. See the complete list here: https://startupill.com/38-innovative-architecture-startups-worth-a-follow-in-2020/

news 12.10.2020

Biobot Analytics’ work recognized as Technology of the Year by Smart Cities Dive

Biobot Analytics’ (MITdesignX 2017) wastewater epidemiology tech has been recognized as “Technology of the Year”.

Read more: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/technology-of-year-biobot-analytics-2020/588313/

news 11.25.2020

Biobot Analytics and MIT professor highlight epidemiological power of toilets

Biobot Analytics (MITdesignx 2017) and MIT professor Eric Alm explain the public health insights to be gained from our toilets. Read more here.

news 10.28.2020

Biobot Analytics wastewater expertise highlighted by CNN amid rising Covid cases

As Covid-19 cases rise across the U.S., Biobot’s technology and analysis are being used as part of the public health arsenals of municipalities across the country. Read more here.

news 10.15.2020

Quipu Places Third in the Visa Everywhere Initiative

Quipu, members of the 2020 MITdesignX cohort, placed third in the Visa Everywhere Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean. You can learn more about the initiative and watch the virtual showcase here.

news 10.04.2020

Biobot helping get schools reopened sooner

“What we measure today predicts what happens in the community in four to seven days. So it’s sort of like looking into a crystal ball in the shape of a toilet,”

Watch here on WGBH

news 07.23.2020

Season Three discusses boot design with Design Milk

Season Three (MITdesignX 2018) walks Design Milk through the creative process of their first boot, the Ansel. Read more: https://design-milk.com/season-three-breaks-down-the-design-process-behind-the-ansel/

news 07.22.2020

AirWorks selected as finalist in 2020 New England Innovation Awards

AirWorks, member of the 2018 MITdesignX cohort, is among 25 firms selected from New England to move onto the finals in October. Read more here.

news 07.20.2020

The first QuipuMarket is profiled in El Heraldo

The community of Villas de San Pablo in Barranquilla, Colombia, the location of the first QuipuMarket created by team Quipu (2019), is featured. Read more.

news 06.30.2020

Scientific American highlights work of Biobot Analytics and wastewater-based epidemiology

news 06.22.2020

Season Three’s Brand and Start-Up Journey Featured

Season Three, a fashion brand and alum of MITdesignX (2008), share their history and their brand philosophy in this feature. Read more.

news 05.12.2020

DesignX Team TULU Offers Renters In-Building Products and Services

DesignX 2018 team TULU is equipping New Yorkers with household products, printers, and mobility options right from their own building. Read more.

news 04.27.2020

Biobot Analytics raises $4.2 Million in funding, supporting COVID-19 research

Biobot Analytics, member of the inaugural MITdesignX cohort, has raised $4.2 million in funding to support their research into COVID-19. Read more.

news 04.26.2020

Nesterly teams up with the City of Boston to promote volunteerism for the elderly

Nesterly, a MITdesignX alumna team, has partnered with the City of Boston to launch the ‘Good Neighbors’ program. Read more.

news 02.04.2020

AirWorks named one of Boston’s “50 Startups to Watch in 2020”

AirWorks, alum of the 2018 MITdesignX cohort, is listed among Built In Boston’s 50 Startups to watch this year. Read the list here: https://tinyurl.com/s8yxjsq

news 02.04.2020

Biobot Analytics listed on New York Times’ 2019 “Good Tech Awards”

MITdesignX 2017 alum, Biobot Analytics, has been listed on the New York Times’ 2019 “Good Tech Awards”, in recognition of their work tackling the opioid crisis. Read more.

news 02.04.2020

SpaceUs discusses the future of artists spaces with Fast Company

A wonderful feature on SpaceUs, an MITdesignX 2018 alum, and the future of artist spaces. Read more.

news 02.04.2020

Season Three founders discuss brand building with Forbes

Season Three, graduates of the MITdesignX 2018 cohort, are interviewed about their unique branding strategy. Read more.

news 12.03.2019

MITdesignX alum Lipifai featured on list of upcoming assistive tech in Israel

Lipifai, an alum of MITdesignX cohort 2019, is featured on a list of burgeoning, Israeli-based assistive tech. Read more.

news 07.29.2019

MITdesignX Faculty Director’s firm designs new marine city in China

Professor Dennis Frenchman and his firm, Tekuma Frenchman, win competition to reimagine the waterfront in Shenzhen, China. Read more at MIT NEWS

news 07.24.2019

Nesterly CEO interviewed by NPR to discuss housing crisis

Nesterly (MITdesignX cohort 2017) CEO Noelle Marcus discusses the global housing crisis through the lens of renters and senior homeowners.

news 06.28.2019

Zilper Trenchless highlighted in The Buzz

A member of the 2019 MITdesignX cohort, Zilper Trenchless is highlighted in The Buzz. Read more about their history and their future here.

news 06.07.2019

MITdesignX highlighted as source for design entrepreneurs in Architect Magazine

MITdesignX’s curriculum is highlighted in this May Architect Magazine’s survey of entrepreneurs in the building industry. Read more.

news 05.24.2019

Nesterly featured in Wall Street Journal article on innovations in urban senior living

news 04.10.2019

Zilper Trenchless wins prizes at Rice University Business Plan Competition

MITdesignX 2019 venture Zilper Trenchless wins multiple cash prizes at the annual Rice Business Plan Competition. In total, they won $435,000. Read more.

news 04.10.2019

MET Fund launched to support MITdesignX

Seed fund will support venture-design education and entrepreneurship in the School of Architecture and Planning. Read more.

news 03.27.2019

Zilper Trenchless inducted into Imagine H2O’s 10th annual accelerator

MITdesignX 2019 venture Zilper Trenchless has been accepted into Imagine H20 2019’s cohort. They also received the Audience Choice Award at Imagine H2O Demo Day.

news 03.21.2019

Storefronts go from empty to artistic

Spaceus, MITdesignX 2018 alums, are among those featured in this article on transforming empty storefronts in Massachusetts.

news 03.19.2019

Rethinking What Makes a Great Roommate

MITdesignX venture Nesterly (Cohort 2017) is featured in this AARP article:

news 03.07.2019

Israeli and Palestinian architects and planners seek common ground on innovation, entrepreneurship

press 02.01.2019

Cohort 2018 team AirWorks raises $2.3M seed round

press 12.04.2018

MITdesignX Selects New Cohort: Nine multi-disciplinary teams join MIT’s design entrepreneurship accelerator

press 07.31.2018

This MIT Startup, AirWorks, Aims To Be The Top Aerial Data Analytics Service For Construction Firms

press 07.19.2018

Seniors have too much house. Millennials have none. And a business model is born.

MITdesignX Cohort 2017 start-up nesterly featured in the Globe and Mail:

press 06.25.2018

Scientists can track the spread of opioids in sewers. But do cities want to know what lies below?

Biobot helps cities transform sewage into actionable public health data to tackle the opioid crisis.

press 04.21.2018

Inside MIT’s Future Factory

Cohort 2018 startup Dormio featured on 60 Minutes:

news 05.11.2017

How Startup Accelerator DesignX Turns Architecture Students into Entrepreneurs

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2021

Harness the Heat Urban comfort out of thin air

UMarket An urban microbusiness cultivator for retail and food vendors of…

Somoto Somoto transforms community infrastructure into creative learning spaces for young…

Clearstory Creating equity through negotiation.

ReFuse Using the value of waste to create better living conditions…

Vertify Analytics Combining drone technology and digital collaboration tools to revolutionize urban…

Tangible A location Intelligence, AI prediction platform built to help tangible…

2020

Visible Hands Inclusion improves innovation.

Rarify Experience rare design.

T-Space Improving transit stations through revolutionary retail

p(art)ner Matching developers with diverse artists and managing public art requirements

Out of the Box Creating exceptional learning environments, right out of the box

Roofscapes Making Green Places on the Roofs of Paris

Elements Design learning in a box

ECHO Digital platform to improve housing and mobility choices of lower…

Buy-In Database and platform to improve government buy-out process of flood…

acelab Preconstruction intelligence for architects and manufacturers

Starlings Technology Enhancing the sustainability, safety, and harmony of urban streets with…

2019

Bandhu’ Enabling low income workers in India to make insightful seasonal…

DomusAI An AI-powered system that generates customizable interior designs, cost estimation,…

PlaceInt Decoding human behavior in physical spaces to enable customer knowledge

Ogee! A business-to-consumer company that will help homeowners save their architectural…

Quipu A marketplace digitalization of informal economies operating in low income…

Spatio Metrics Creating a world where every building makes us healthier

Roux Supporting economic growth by connecting customers to minority owned businesses…

Stakd A flat-pack pre-fab house that can be rapidly deployed after…

Zilper Trenchless A novel machine for installing pipelines in urban environments without…

2018

TULU Live Large in Small Space

QuiX Turn-key services for home maintenance.

WATAsolution Assuring water quantity and quality for households in Palestine and…

Alight Transforming public buses into vehicles of urban exploration by employing…

Airworks Capturing and converting aerial imagery into digital CAD plans for…

Frolic Revolutionary new financing model for homeownership that allows a greater…

Kawsay Connecting infrastructure providers with people living in informal communities in…

predictRE Software to help commercial real estate investors, brokers, and lenders…

Spaceus Empowering creative communities in cities by transforming vacant and underutilized…

Season Three Next generation all-weather boot sold direct-to-consumer.

SkinPixel Real-time diagnostic "smart tattoo" for human skin to monitor levels…

Dormio Physical and digital interface to influence and record your dreams.

PREPHub Public space infrastructure for disaster resilience and response.

Adaviv AI-enabled adaptive environment for improving yields in indoor agriculture.

2017

Nesterly A social enterprise that matches empty nesters with graduate students…

HostaLabs Software algorithms to turn simple pictures into intelligent 3D models…

Placeful Technology to identify, design and develop neighborhood-scale housing with the…

LearningBeautiful Creating Montessori-inspired toys for young children to learn computer science-without…

Mediate Wearable devices for people with visual impairment.

Bitsence A space utilization analytics company helping managers of physical space…

Biobot Analytics Measuring the concentration of drugs that are excreted in urine…

Credi Early childhood learning environment furniture in rural and developing parts…

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