MIT Startup Exchange is pleased to announce the addition of five companies to its roster of STEX25 startups for its current cohort:
“Our STEX25 startups continue to offer exceptional technologies and expertise of great interest to our corporate ILP member companies, which frequently result in advanced discussions, pilots, and partnerships,” said Executive Director of MIT Corporate Relations Karl Koster. “MIT Startup Exchange and the STEX25 accelerator program provide a trusted resource for corporates to engage with startups and foster innovation within their organization.”
“While we have all experienced a slowdown in business activity to some extent during the pandemic, the interest in our STEX25 program remains high. This serves as evidence of the great reputation we have built on top of valuable industry connections for our startups,” said MIT Startup Exchange Program Director, Marcus Dahllöf.
MIT Startup Exchange and STEX25 create tangible connections for both ILP member companies and startups. From corporates and startups working together to achieve their mutually beneficial goals to STEX25 cohort startups connecting over best practices and pain points as startups, the accelerator program provides a strong network for growth. Gabi Zijderveld, Chief Marketing Officer of Affectiva, reiterates these connections: “The MIT Industrial Liaison Program and STEX25 have made valuable introductions for us with large corporations across a number of different industries. These introductions have resulted in joint collaborations and proofs of concept. Additionally, through STEX25, we have met other interesting startups, allowing us to share best practices and learn from their experiences.”
While we have all experienced a slowdown in business activity to some extent during the pandemic, the interest in our STEX25 program remains high.
David Mindell, Cofounder and CEO of Humatics, has felt similar benefits on both sides: “My company has been able to develop design partnerships with multiple Fortune 500 companies that started with introduction from ILP representatives. Several other connections have turned into paying customers for released product. Being a STEX25 member has allowed us access to several closed conferences to further advocate through pitches, speaking events, and table sessions. These sessions allowed us to gather a broad range of customer feedback about product specifications and roadmap direction. We’ve also benefited from the founders symposia – places to honestly discuss problems and solutions common to all startups.”
Startup Exchange Program Director Dahllöf continued: “The five startups joining us have all achieved some initial traction with corporate customers, an important consideration for us when we put them in front of our corporate members. In addition, they all have exceptionally strong teams including a very high level of technical expertise. As always, we feel fortunate that they have chosen to work with us given the multitude of startup resources available. Again, this speaks to the great value the Startup Exchange and the Industrial Liaison Program have created over the last few years.”
STEX25 is a startup accelerator run by MIT Startup Exchange featuring 25 "industry-ready" startups. MIT Startup Exchange adds startups to STEX25 on a roughly quarterly basis, from among more than 2,000 MIT-connected startups. STEX25 startups receive promotion, travel, and advisory support, and are prioritized for meetings by the MIT Industrial Liaison Program’s (ILP) industry liaisons. STEX25 companies collaborate with ILP corporate members through targeted Startup Exchange workshops and showcases, exhibits at ILP conferences, and other events tailored towards industry. Amidst the changes of the pandemic, MIT Startup Exchange is offering extensive programming of highly-interactive virtual workshops and webinars to engage and connect startup and corporate audiences.