2017 CONFERENCE: FRIDAY, APRIL 28
Keynote Speaker 2017
ELLA PEINOVCH
CEO
Soko, Inc.
Ella Peinovich is CEO of Soko, which employs technology to provide equal access to opportunity for marginalized artisans. Ella's work in supply chain innovation has been celebrated for its novel approach and high social and economic impact by the World Bank, DEMO, Vodafone and USAID.
Ella is an Entrepreneur in Residence at INSEAD Business School, a Fellow of the social innovation network Ashoka, is a member of Forbes' Young Entrepreneurship Council, was awarded the TIAW 'World of Difference’ Award in 2013, and was recognized by the BidNetwork as the Female Social Entrepreneur of the year in 2012. Ella holds a masters degree from MIT.
Keynote Speaker 2017
TEJU RAVILOCHAN
Co-Founder & CEO
Unreasonable Institute
Teju Ravilochan is Co-Founder and CEO of the Unreasonable Institute, which runs mentorship and training programs for entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental problems around the world.
To date, Unreasonable Institute has powered 40 programs in 26 countries. They have data on the first 148 startups they've supported, who have raised over $160 million and benefited 16 million lives.
Teju is also a Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, an Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur, and a TEDx speaker. He graduated from Colorado University, Boulder in 2008 with a degree in international affairs.
Past Conferences
2016: MIT Scaling Development Ventures
The fourth annual MIT Scaling Development Ventures, a daylong conference with well over 250 attendees from around the world, took place in April 2016. Keynote speakers included Hannes van Rensburg, founder of Fundamo and Ann Mei Chang of USAID. Program sessions included vision talks, lightning pitches, a curated conversation, a student demo-showcase, and 10 breakout sessions featuring over 30 speakers and facilitators.
2015: MIT Scaling Development Ventures
The third annual MIT Scaling Development Ventures, a daylong conference with well over 275 attendees from around the world, took place in April 2015. Keynote speakers included Kevin Starr of the Mulago Foundation and Ticora Jones of USAID. In addition, the conference featured nine breakout sessions ranging from panel discussions, to workshops, and case-study examination. The lunch break featured a career session, and the conference was followed by a lively networking gathering.
2014: MIT Scaling Development Ventures
The second annual MIT Scaling Development Ventures conference took place in Februrary of 2014. The keynote speaker was Paul Polak, co-founder and CEO of Windhorse International and author of Out of Poverty and The Business Solution to Poverty. Panel discussions included Appropriate Solutions for Real Needs, Partnering for Scale, and MIT Alumni Scaling up Innovation. Nancy Wimmer, author of The Art of Rural Business was a special guest speaker.
MIT SCALING DEVELOPMENT VENTURES CONFERENCE
FRIDAY APRIL 28, 2017
CONFERENCE LOCATION
MIT Media Lab
75 Amherst Street (MIT E14)
Cambridge, MA 02139
Made possible by generous funding from the MIT Legatum Center.
Selected 2017 Sessions
Is your social venture ready for scale?
Collective Problem Solving for Development Solutions
Moving your Product from Lab to Factory
Ethics of Innovation: Tools for Effective Engagement
Raising Capital: Paths for Developing World Entrepreneurs
Curated Conversation with Munyutu Waigi
Pathways for impact in the developing world