MIT Startup Exchange December 2025 Demo Day

December 10, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM
MIT Startup Exchange December 2025 Demo Day

Location

Virtual/Remote Event

Overview

MIT Startup Exchange is convening a new installment of Demo Day on Wednesday, December 10 (12 PM – 1:15 PM ET). The event will feature several exciting industry-ready startups in brief lightning talks and Q&A. Breakout rooms will follow at the end of the event.

Please register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This event is for ILP members.

  • Overview

    MIT Startup Exchange is convening a new installment of Demo Day on Wednesday, December 10 (12 PM – 1:15 PM ET). The event will feature several exciting industry-ready startups in brief lightning talks and Q&A. Breakout rooms will follow at the end of the event.

    Please register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

    This event is for ILP members.

Register

Agenda

12:00 PM

Welcome and Introduction
Program Manager, MIT Startup Exchange
Ariadna Rodenstein
Program Manager

Ariadna Rodenstein is a Program Manager at MIT Startup Exchange. She joined MIT Corporate Relations as an Events Leader in September 2019 and is responsible for designing and executing startup events, including content development, coaching and hosting, and logistics. Ms. Rodenstein works closely with the Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) in promoting collaboration and partnerships between MIT-connected startups and industry, as well as with other areas around the MIT innovation ecosystem and beyond. 

Prior to working for MIT Corporate Relations, she worked for over a decade at Credit Suisse Group in New York and London, in a few different roles in event management and as Director of Client Strategy. Ms. Rodenstein has combined her experience in the private sector with work at non-profits as a Consultant and Development Director at New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Defense Project, and Americas Society/Council of the Americas. She also served as an Officer on the Board of Directors of the Riverside Clay Tennis Association in New York for several years. Additionally, she earned her B.A. in Political Science and Communications from New York University, with coursework at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City, and her M.A. in Sociology from the City University of New York.

12:05 PM

Lightning Talks and Q&A (in speaking order)
Advanced Power Delivery Systems for Data Centers, Power Generation and Utilities
Sasha Ishmael

Principal Engineer, Technology and Industry Solutions, VEIR

Sasha Ishmael

Principal Engineer, Technology and Industry Solutions, VEIR

Dr. Sasha Ishmael is a Principal Engineer for Technology and Industry Solutions at VEIR Inc., where she leads efforts to position VEIR’s superconducting power delivery solutions for industry adoption and commercial success. With 20 years of experience in superconducting systems and emerging energy technologies, she brings deep technical expertise and a proven track record in bridging engineering, R&D, and go-to-market strategy. Dr. Ishmael focuses on applications that address mission-critical infrastructure challenges, including high-capacity connections for data centers, helping to accelerate the path from technical innovation to scalable deployment. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology and conducted postdoctoral research in Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University.

Blitzcaling Atmospheric Carbon Removal
Nick Meyer

CEO, Provocative

High-Throughput Manufacturing of Electrochemical Stacks for Clean Hydrogen Production
Art Shirley

Chief Strategy Officer, Evoloh

The Intelligence Engine Behind Aquaculture's Next Generation of Decisions
Tony Chen

Co-Founder & CEO, Manolin

Tony Chen

Co-Founder & CEO, Manolin

Tony Chen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Manolin, a leading software company specializing in predictive models that drive data intelligence and sustainable growth in aquaculture. Before founding Manolin,Tonyworked at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he developed big-data solutions for health and infrastructure projects for the U.S. government. A lifelong fisherman and swimmer, Tony's passion for aquaculture was ignited while collaborating with oyster farmers in the Chesapeake Bay. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT.

Condensing Weeks of Research into Minutes for Pharma and R&D
Joshua Ramette

Co-Founder & CEO, Undermind

Unlocking the Full Potential of Solid Organ Cells as Medicine
Tom Lowery

President & CEO, Satellite Bio

Tom Lowery

President & CEO, Satellite Bio

Dr. Tom Lowery joined Satellite Bio in August of 2020as part of the founding executive team. He is an experienced scientist, entrepreneur and executive with over 18years of experience. Lowery has led life sciences technology innovation from inception through FDA to commercialization and clinical use for seven products in U.S. and international hospitals.Prior to joining SatelliteBio, Lowery was the Chief Scientific Officer at T2 Biosystems. He earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley,and BS in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University.

Virtual Tissues to Design Real Drugs
Naren Tallapragada

Co-Founder & CEO, Tessel Biosciences

Naren Tallapragada

Co-Founder & CEO, Tessel Biosciences

Dr. Naren Tallapragada is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tessel Biosciences. Tessel builds virtual tissues to design real drugs for chronic diseases –developing its own lung-focused pipeline and working with top pharma companies to accelerate drug discovery across multiple organs. Tessel’s platform pinpoints drug targets by designing targeted screens in clinically predictive, patient-derived disease models and actively learning from every experiment. Prior to Tessel, Naren conducted pioneering academic research on tissue regeneration, for which he earned a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University. He also led a team at Google X, developing AI-powered tools for education, and worked in business development at Roivant Sciences. Naren was an MIT undergraduate, receiving an SB in Electrical Engineering & Physics from MIT in 2013.

Agentic Shopping: A New Browsing Experience That Will Replace Amazon and Everything Else
Caitlin Infantino

Co-Founder & Head of Brand Partnerships, Blue Sarah

Caitlin Infantino

Co-Founder & Head of Brand Partnerships, Blue Sarah

George Manley, CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Sarah and SOULER, is a graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. George worked at ABC News, WTOP in Washington, DC, and Adweek Magazine before moving on to enterprise sales and management roles in the fashion industry in New York City for over 13 years. For the last decade, George has launched and/or operated several companies in digital media, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence, where he has become a leader in strategic thinking, change management, C-suite communication and presentation, fundraising, and long-term planning.

1:00 PM

Breakout Rooms
1:15 PM

Adjournment
  • Agenda
    12:00 PM

    Welcome and Introduction
    Program Manager, MIT Startup Exchange
    Ariadna Rodenstein
    Program Manager

    Ariadna Rodenstein is a Program Manager at MIT Startup Exchange. She joined MIT Corporate Relations as an Events Leader in September 2019 and is responsible for designing and executing startup events, including content development, coaching and hosting, and logistics. Ms. Rodenstein works closely with the Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) in promoting collaboration and partnerships between MIT-connected startups and industry, as well as with other areas around the MIT innovation ecosystem and beyond. 

    Prior to working for MIT Corporate Relations, she worked for over a decade at Credit Suisse Group in New York and London, in a few different roles in event management and as Director of Client Strategy. Ms. Rodenstein has combined her experience in the private sector with work at non-profits as a Consultant and Development Director at New York Immigration Coalition, Immigrant Defense Project, and Americas Society/Council of the Americas. She also served as an Officer on the Board of Directors of the Riverside Clay Tennis Association in New York for several years. Additionally, she earned her B.A. in Political Science and Communications from New York University, with coursework at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in Mexico City, and her M.A. in Sociology from the City University of New York.

    12:05 PM

    Lightning Talks and Q&A (in speaking order)
    Advanced Power Delivery Systems for Data Centers, Power Generation and Utilities
    Sasha Ishmael

    Principal Engineer, Technology and Industry Solutions, VEIR

    Sasha Ishmael

    Principal Engineer, Technology and Industry Solutions, VEIR

    Dr. Sasha Ishmael is a Principal Engineer for Technology and Industry Solutions at VEIR Inc., where she leads efforts to position VEIR’s superconducting power delivery solutions for industry adoption and commercial success. With 20 years of experience in superconducting systems and emerging energy technologies, she brings deep technical expertise and a proven track record in bridging engineering, R&D, and go-to-market strategy. Dr. Ishmael focuses on applications that address mission-critical infrastructure challenges, including high-capacity connections for data centers, helping to accelerate the path from technical innovation to scalable deployment. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Florida Institute of Technology and conducted postdoctoral research in Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University.

    Blitzcaling Atmospheric Carbon Removal
    Nick Meyer

    CEO, Provocative

    High-Throughput Manufacturing of Electrochemical Stacks for Clean Hydrogen Production
    Art Shirley

    Chief Strategy Officer, Evoloh

    The Intelligence Engine Behind Aquaculture's Next Generation of Decisions
    Tony Chen

    Co-Founder & CEO, Manolin

    Tony Chen

    Co-Founder & CEO, Manolin

    Tony Chen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Manolin, a leading software company specializing in predictive models that drive data intelligence and sustainable growth in aquaculture. Before founding Manolin,Tonyworked at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he developed big-data solutions for health and infrastructure projects for the U.S. government. A lifelong fisherman and swimmer, Tony's passion for aquaculture was ignited while collaborating with oyster farmers in the Chesapeake Bay. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT.

    Condensing Weeks of Research into Minutes for Pharma and R&D
    Joshua Ramette

    Co-Founder & CEO, Undermind

    Unlocking the Full Potential of Solid Organ Cells as Medicine
    Tom Lowery

    President & CEO, Satellite Bio

    Tom Lowery

    President & CEO, Satellite Bio

    Dr. Tom Lowery joined Satellite Bio in August of 2020as part of the founding executive team. He is an experienced scientist, entrepreneur and executive with over 18years of experience. Lowery has led life sciences technology innovation from inception through FDA to commercialization and clinical use for seven products in U.S. and international hospitals.Prior to joining SatelliteBio, Lowery was the Chief Scientific Officer at T2 Biosystems. He earned his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley,and BS in Biochemistry from Brigham Young University.

    Virtual Tissues to Design Real Drugs
    Naren Tallapragada

    Co-Founder & CEO, Tessel Biosciences

    Naren Tallapragada

    Co-Founder & CEO, Tessel Biosciences

    Dr. Naren Tallapragada is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tessel Biosciences. Tessel builds virtual tissues to design real drugs for chronic diseases –developing its own lung-focused pipeline and working with top pharma companies to accelerate drug discovery across multiple organs. Tessel’s platform pinpoints drug targets by designing targeted screens in clinically predictive, patient-derived disease models and actively learning from every experiment. Prior to Tessel, Naren conducted pioneering academic research on tissue regeneration, for which he earned a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University. He also led a team at Google X, developing AI-powered tools for education, and worked in business development at Roivant Sciences. Naren was an MIT undergraduate, receiving an SB in Electrical Engineering & Physics from MIT in 2013.

    Agentic Shopping: A New Browsing Experience That Will Replace Amazon and Everything Else
    Caitlin Infantino

    Co-Founder & Head of Brand Partnerships, Blue Sarah

    Caitlin Infantino

    Co-Founder & Head of Brand Partnerships, Blue Sarah

    George Manley, CEO and Co-Founder of Blue Sarah and SOULER, is a graduate of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. George worked at ABC News, WTOP in Washington, DC, and Adweek Magazine before moving on to enterprise sales and management roles in the fashion industry in New York City for over 13 years. For the last decade, George has launched and/or operated several companies in digital media, e-commerce, and artificial intelligence, where he has become a leader in strategic thinking, change management, C-suite communication and presentation, fundraising, and long-term planning.

    1:00 PM

    Breakout Rooms
    1:15 PM

    Adjournment

Disclaimer:  MIT Startup Exchange can make introductions that ideally provide open ended discussions in order to share mutual interests and potentially create common ground that incite the parties to collaborate. MIT Startup Exchange introductions may eventually lead to mutual partnerships, but that is not in any way guaranteed by MIT, MIT Corporate Relations, MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) or MIT Startup Exchange, which takes no responsibility for these outcomes and no formal part in such discussions following our introduction. MIT Startup Exchange and its activities and events are not for purposes of soliciting investment or offering securities.