The 2023 MIT Startup Showcase in Osaka presents an opportunity to learn about various MIT-connected startups across a diverse set of industries, including Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Life Sciences, Robotics, Sustainability, and Proptech.
The agenda for the day includes a series of insightful lightning talks, exhibitions showcasing the work of innovative startups, and networking sessions with professionals from MIT-connected startups, as well as the larger industry.
Among the speakers for the event are Aude Oliva and Steve Weikal, both esteemed faculty members from MIT. Aude Oliva is a renowned cognitive and computer scientist, whose roles include the Director of Strategic Industry Engagement at the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, MIT Director at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, Co-lead of the MIT AI Hardware Program, and Senior Research Scientist at CSAIL.
Steve Weikal, a specialist in real estate technology or Proptech, also serves at MIT as a Lecturer, the Industry Chair of the Real Estate Technology Hub, and the Managing Partner at the MET Fund II.
The event is a collaborative effort between the MIT Industrial Liaison Program and MIT Startup Exchange; both committed to fostering collaboration and partnerships between MIT-connected startups and industry. The participating startups are part of MIT Startup Exchange, having either been built on licensed MIT technology (co) founded by MIT faculty, staff, or alumni or vetted and supported by MIT Startup Exchange peers. Currently, MIT Startup Exchange's network includes over 1,000 startups.
Masatoshi Karashima is the Head of Innovation of Pharmaceutical Sciences Sustainability and Technologies Takeda Pharmaceutical Company since 2020. He leads digital transformation and technological innovation in CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control) development based in Japan. He obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at Meiji Pharmaceutical University in 2017 where he developed new solubilization technologies of pharmaceutical compounds by a combination of crystal engineering and nano formulation. After finishing master’s degree in the School of Engineering in The University of Tokyo in 2003, he is working at Takeda for Analytical Development and Physicochemisty of pharmaceutical discovery and development for over 20 years.
John Roberts has been Executive Director of MIT Corporate Relations (Interim) since February 2022. He obtained his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at MIT and returned to the university after a 20-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, joining the MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP) in 2013. Prior to his return, John worked at small, medium, and large companies, holding positions that allowed him to exploit his passions in synthetic chemistry, project leadership, and alliance management while growing his responsibilities for managing others, ultimately as a department head. As a program director at MIT, John built a portfolio of ILP member companies, mostly in the pharmaceutical industry and headquartered in Japan, connecting them to engagement opportunities in the MIT community. Soon after returning to MIT, John began to lead a group of program directors with a combined portfolio of 60-80 global companies. In his current role, John oversees MIT Corporate Relations which houses ILP and MIT Startup Exchange.
Ryo N. Ishibashi has nearly two decades of leadership experience in startups and multinationals, spanning multiple sectors such as automotive, software, and robotics. His most recent assignment was in Japan, leading a team of engineers to develop and deploy warehouse automation solutions that leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning.
In addition to Japan, he's also worked in Singapore -- and speaks English and Japanese fluently.
Ishibashi has a Master's degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan.
Outside of work, he enjoys studying economics, finance, management, philosophy, and history -- while spending time with his two dogs.
Steve Weikal is a lecturer, researcher, and Industry Chair of the Real Estate Technology Initiative at the MIT Center for Real Estate, focused on innovative new technology and business models that are reinventing the traditional ways of developing, transacting and managing real estate. He is also a General Partner at the MET Frontier Fund, an early-stage investor in startups that have an MIT connection and focus on solutions for the built environment.
Steve is a member of the Global Insights Panel for MIT Technology Review, a member of the CREtech Climate Leadership Board, and sits on the advisory boards of six real estate and technology companies. He was the Founder of MIT Real Disruption, a successful series of conferences discussing the impact of emerging technology on the real estate industry that is now part of the global CREtech media platform. Steve speaks extensively about real estate technology for corporate clients around the world and at conferences for AFIRE, AsRES, BOMA, CCIM, CoreNet, CREW, ICSC, IREM, NAIOP, PERE, SIOR, and ULI. He has been quoted by numerous media outlets, including BuzzFeed, TechInsider, Medium, USA Today, CP Executive, Harvard Real Estate Review, the Boston Globe, GlobeSt. the Real Reporter, Travel Weekly, IPE Real Assets Europe and Anuario Inmobiliario LatinoAmerica.
Steve holds a Master’s of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) and Master’s in City Planning (MCP) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School.
According to a Sloan School of Management report, 30,000 companies founded by MIT alumni are operating today. They generate more than $1.7 trillion in annual revenue and have a total value of $7 trillion.
MIT is not alone; in an analysis of 13,000 startup founders, PitchBook found that while most VC-backed startups come from recognized US universities such as Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, other schools have also developed highly successful innovation ecosystems, including Tel Aviv University, KU Leuven in Belgium, and Imperial College London.
This session will discuss innovation ecosystems as networks of interconnected entities, including the important roles of industry, research institutions, startups, investors, and government agencies, all working together to foster and accelerate scientific discovery and the development of cutting-edge technologies. By facilitating the cross-disciplinary exchange of knowledge, resources, and expertise, innovation ecosystems enable rapid experimentation and iteration, leading to the emergence of breakthrough products and services, new ventures and entire industries, and solutions to society's most pressing challenges.
Kai Narita is an innovator and engineer leading the 3D printing technology development. He has a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and received his master’s in Engineering and bachelor’s degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Andrew Magyar is the Co-Founder and CTO of Capra Biosciences. Dr. Magyar is a co-inventor of the Capra Biosciences biofilm reactor technology and has more than 20 years of R&D experience in Biotechnology and Advanced Materials. Dr. Magyar has a Ph.D. in Materials Science from MIT, where he worked with Prof. Angela Belcher developing new biobased materials for sustainable energy applications. As a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, Dr. Magyar worked on developing new materials and devices for quantum information technology and studied how cuttlefish change colors. In his previous role at Draper, an R&D non-profit, Magyar led multidisciplinary teams of more than 30 researchers to develop complex new hardware technologies for synthetic biology.
Willie T. Reaves Jr. is the Chief of Staff at Cellino, which is building a technology platform to make personalized human cells available for all patients. He leads the company’s government affairs & policy activities, and public engagement. Prior to joining Cellino, Willie was the Chief Business Strategy Innovation Officer at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), where he oversaw product development and global B2B partnership operations for the signature BIO One-on-One Partnering platform and spearheaded BIO Business Solutions, the life science industry's largest cost savings program. Before joining BIO, Willie was a project manager and teacher in South Korea, and he worked in the Patent Group at the Emory University Office of Technology Transfer. Outside of work, Willie serves on the National Leadership Council of the Society for Science, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding scientific literacy and access to STEM education & scientific research.
Jonas Mueller is Chief Scientist at Cleanlab, a company that's invented Data-Centric AI software to automatically find and fix issues in raw datasets. Previously, Mueller was a senior scientist at Amazon Web Services, developing AutoML and Deep Learning algorithms which now power ML applications at hundreds of the world's largest companies. In 2018, he completed his Ph.D. in Machine Learning at MIT, also doing research in NLP, Statistics, and Computational Biology. Jonas has published over 30 papers in top ML and Data Science venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, JASA, Annals of Statistics, etc.). This research has been featured in Wired, VentureBeat, Technology Review, World Economic Forum, and other media. He also helped create the fastest-growing open-source software for AutoML and Data-Centric AI, and at MIT, he taught the first-ever course on Data-Centric AI.
Dhrupad Karwa is the Product Lead at Common Sense Machines (CSM), the AI platform that generates game-engine-ready 3D assets from any input. Prior to CSM, he was the founder and CEO of HaikuJAM, a startup that built a collaborative poetry app used by 2M writers from across 150 countries, as well as a search engine for inspiration (called Inspo), which powered creative thinking at Baskin Robbins, Dentsu, Ogilvy and more. Researchers in Sweden found that the HaikuJAM app boosted user well-being compared to mainstream social media, and the company went on to join forces with India’s leading mental health platform in 2022. Dhrupad was named in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list and has spoken extensively about creativity, human connection, and technology at venues such as TEDx, Google, IBM, and the European Parliament. He is also a fiction writer, currently penning his first novel and a proud rider of Royal Enfield motorcycles.
Yibiao Zhao, ISEE CEO and Co-founder has a Ph.D. in Computer Vision, AI, Robotics, and Machine Learning. His transformational work at UCLA and MIT defined how human reasoning can be applied to AI and robotics. This led him to found ISEE in 2017 and apply his work in AI to create autonomous vehicles. He focuses on automating the supply chain and logistics space through autonomous yard trucks in warehouses, ports, and depots. Led by Yibiao, ISEE is now growing its fleet and deploying autonomous technology in yards throughout the U.S. With ISEE solutions at the logistics hubs; yard operators can automate the manual, repetitive tasks that have historically slowed them down. As evidence of ISEE’s breakthrough solution, SupplyTech Breakthrough awarded ISEE Autonomous Truck of the Year 2023.
Benjamin Rocci heads the business development for Lamarr.ai. He is an MBA graduate from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where, as a student, he helped found a manufacturing tech startup, which he now advises. Prior to his time at MIT, Ben spent over six years with Ford Motor Company in roles spanning across connected vehicle engineering and technology strategy. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University.
Dr. Faye Wu (S.B. '09, S.M. '12, Ph.D. '17) is the CTO and a co-founder of Manus Robotics, a wearable technology startup dedicated to improving human capabilities. While at MIT, Faye researched medical device design, instrumentation, robotics control, and machine learning. The team she led, developing a device to help those with macular degeneration, was selected as a winner of the IDEAS Global Challenge and a finalist of the World Technology Awards. She also invented the Supernumerary Robotic Fingers, a wrist-mounted robot that assists hemiplegic patients with activities of daily living, which prompted the founding of Manus Robotics. Besides overseeing the R&D efforts at Manus, Faye has led the team to win various awards and recognitions, including receiving multiple NSF Small Business Innovation Research grants and being selected as a finalist of the 2021 MassChallenge Houston cohort.
Dr. Lun Yu is the Co-Founder and CTO at Metanovas Biotech. He oversees AI research, peptide pipeline development, engineering infrastructure, and software development. Before Metanovas, Dr. Yu led the Personalization Team at Optum Digital (United Health Group), managing flagship digital health products with over $180 million annual values. Dr. Yu holds a Ph.D. in Nuclear Science and Engineering from MIT and was awarded as Top 30 Under 30 by All-American Chinese Youth Federation.
Andrew Radin is CEO & Co-Founder of Numb Corp. Previously, he co-founded Aria Pharmaceuticals (f.k.a. twoXAR), where he led activities in fundraising, communications, business development, and recruiting, yielding two rounds of funding and Aria’s first six partnerships. Andrew has coached and advised dozens of entrepreneurs independently and through MIT, Stanford, UC San Diego, and the University of Hawaii innovation and entrepreneurship programs. He previously co-founded Thyme Labs and was a part of Macquarie Bank’s Private Markets team. Andrew earned an MBA from MIT Sloan and bachelor's degrees in biochemistry and economics from the University of California San Diego.
Clark Yuan is a former US Army Intelligence Officer and is a current Army innovation officer. He founded Stitch3D to help defense and government clients more easily manage, analyze, and collaborate with 3D data on the cloud. The company received R&D funding from the US Air Force to develop a platform that can assist with rapid 3D damage assessment occurring from natural disasters or battlefield conditions. Stitch3D is now looking to commercialize its secure 3D data platform to help the industry with large-point cloud data management and analytical needs. Clark is a West Point graduate who earned MPA/MBA degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School and MIT Sloan.
Sam Yoon is the Head of Business Development at Themis AI.
Rony Kubat is the Co-Founder & CTO of Tulip Interfaces.
Sebastian Bauer is the co-founder and CEO of Ubicept, which provides new imaging solutions that can see in challenging environments such as very low light and very bright light, and even around corners. He has spent his career exploring new kinds of imaging with a focus on signal processing and information extraction. He holds BS/MS/Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.
Sjoerd De Clerck joined Venti Technologies as Vice President, Sales in December 2022. In this capacity, he works closely with the CEO to design and build out Venti’s global sales portfolio and marketing strategy.
A Belgian national, De Clerck has a distinguished 30+ year career spanning Europe, Asia, and South Asia where he has helped build companies and teams in global hi-tech, high growth industries, such as digital cinema, network operating centers, and satellite communication.
Sjoerd graduated with Honors with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ghent, Belgium.
De Clerck is a strategic leader with strong analytic skills. He is a results-oriented manager who grows and leads teams to achieve their goals. He thrives in customer facing roles, including strategic business development, sales and marketing, and customer service. He understands that growth and innovation emerge where technology and company capabilities meet the needs of the customer and the market.
Isao Matsugaya is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the telecommunications and artificial intelligence industries. Currently serving as the Vice President and Head of the AI Division at SB Telecom America Corp., a 100% subsidiary of SoftBank Co., Isao plays a pivotal role in driving the company's AI initiatives and strategies.
In addition to his role at SB Telecom America Corp., Isao Matsugaya holds a prominent position as a Member of the Board of Directors and the Strategy Head at Findability Sciences Inc. This appointment showcases his expertise and leadership in formulating and executing strategic plans for the company.
Born and raised in Japan, Isao pursued his higher education at the University of San Francisco, where he graduated with distinction. Following his academic accomplishments, Isao embarked on a successful career with SoftBank, formerly AT&T Jens and Japan Telecom, specializing in B2B businesses. His deep understanding of the industry and business landscape led him to the United States market when SoftBank acquired Sprint in 2014, with a specific focus on the US B2B market.
As the strategic partnership between SoftBank and IBM in AI, particularly IBM Watson, took shape, Isao Matsugaya became actively involved in working with AI companies. This collaboration expanded his knowledge and involvement in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
In 2017, Isao played a significant role in SoftBank's investment in Findability Sciences Inc., an event that marked a turning point in his career. Since then, he has been an integral part of the Findability Sciences team, contributing his expertise and insight to the company's growth and success.
With his diverse background, extensive industry experience, and deep involvement in AI-driven initiatives, Isao Matsugaya is a respected leader and visionary in the telecommunications and AI sectors. His strategic thinking, business acumen, and passion for innovation make him a valuable asset to both SB Telecom America Corp. and Findability Sciences Inc.
Aude Oliva, PhD is the MIT director in the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and director of strategic industry engagement in the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, leading collaborations with industry to translate natural and artificial intelligence research into tools for the wider world. She is also a senior research scientist at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), where she heads the Computational Perception and Cognition group. Oliva has received an NSF Career Award in computational neuroscience, a Guggenheim fellowship in computer science and a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship in cognitive neuroscience. She has served as an expert to the NSF Directorate of Computer and Information Science and Engineering on the topic of human and artificial intelligence. She is currently a member of the scientific advisory board for the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Her research is cross-disciplinary, spanning human perception and cognition, computer vision and cognitive neuroscience, and focuses on research questions at the intersection of all three domains. She earned a MS and PhD in cognitive science from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France.
Generative artificial intelligence presents practical and societal challenges that are growing as the technology scales and it’s increasingly used. Generative models — some with abilities that mimic human capabilities such as talking and story-telling — can be used alongside people to enhance project outcomes in domains ranging from scientific discovery and education to industrial cases (i.e., material discovery, energy-efficient models, responsible AI, synthetic data, dispelling/creating misinformation, applications to climate and sustainability, healthcare, and more). In this presentation, I will discuss the conditions that make a generative model suitable for various applications, as well as present use-inspired research projects representing the state-of-the-art generative approaches developed at MIT and their translational impact.
Teddy Lee is passionate about supporting innovation that makes people happier, healthier, and more thoughtful. He is a Product Manager at OpenAI that leads efforts to ensure that OpenAI's models, including the ones behind ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex (e.g., GitHub Copilot), have high-quality training data based on human expertise and preferences. Prior to joining OpenAI, Teddy:
- Built products and managed technical support teams at Google - Advised Fortune 100 executives on strategy at McKinsey & Company - Developed software at startups like Flurry (acquired by Yahoo), OneSignal, and IMVU
Teddy is a graduate of MIT Sloan’s MBA program, where he served as Student Body President. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University. He lives in San Francisco and enjoys leading teams and organizing events as the President of the MIT Club of Northern California, thinking and teaching about AI Safety & Alignment, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Technologies like ChatGPT and DALL·E serve as significant markers in the journey towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or AI systems that are generally smarter than humans. Organizations worldwide, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, are actively integrating generative AI into their operations to create value. Generative AI could add trillions of dollars to the global economy, according to McKinsey, and OpenAI estimates that Large Language Models like GPT-4 could impact 80% of the workforce in the US in some way. Given these projections, it's crucial for key stakeholders to collaborate in ensuring these technologies benefit society broadly rather than a select few. In this talk, I'll discuss OpenAI's approach to developing AGI, examine some impactful use cases for generative AI, and discuss the considerations for ensuring that we as a society deploy AGI in a way that truly benefits humanity.
Elaheh Ahmadi is the CEO and co-founder of Themis AI, an MIT spinout with the mission to empower the world to create, advance, and deploy trustworthy AI. At Themis, we bring an end-to-end Risk Aware AI Workflow to the industry. We are solving the challenges in AI that even the most high-tech companies haven’t been able to solve. Our technology identifies and mitigates risks within AI models end-to-end throughout the AI lifecycle. We enable trust, robustness, and fairness in AI from data curation to model deployment.