MIT Startup Exchange is convening a new installment of its quarterly Demo Day on Wednesday, December 11 (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.
Program Manager, MIT Startup Exchange
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.
Co-Founder & CEO, Narratize
Katie Trauth Taylor is CEO and co-founder of NarratizeAI, the Generative AI storytelling platform for innovative enterprises. Katie is a growth-focused entrepreneur executive with 10+ years of experience inspiring teams to design and deliver magnetic products, memorable experiences, and groundbreaking impacts. She has led strategic innovation narratives and served as a senior content strategist within fast-growth tech startups and the Fortune 500, including Boeing, NASA, Hershey, Sunoco, AAA, IFF, Dupont, Edgewell, Cincinnati Children's, ArgonneNational Lab, Crossover Health, Parsley Health, Omada, Physera, US Dept of Veterans Affairs, MillenniumChallenge Corporation, World Food Forum, and the United Nations. She believes that everyone can be an innovator--when empowered to share their bold ideas.
Co-Founder & CEO, iCustomer
Abhi Yadav is a serial entrepreneur and AI innovator at the forefront of customer experience, identity, and AI. He is the Founder & CEO of iCustomer, a pioneering decision intelligence company, focused on GTM optimization to start with.
With a proven track record of building and successfully exiting enterprise AI software startups in Customer Data Platform (CDP) and consumer identity spaces, Abhi has transformed digital innovations for global leaders like GM, Nike, Google, Travellers, Amex and Cisco to name a few. His expertise spans Financial, consumer goods, and high-tech sectors.
Abhi co-founded the AI Innovators Community (AIC), a prestigious network of over 1,000 corporate, academic, and startup executives driving applied AI innovation. His actionable insights on overcoming AI adoption challenges and maximizing its marketing potential stem from extensive collaborations with Fortune 500 companies and cutting-edge AI startups.
An alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both engineering and MBA degrees. His is on a mission for AI-driven, privacy-compliant personalization and decision science driven modern enterprise.
Founder and CEO, SWIRL
Sid Probsteinis a startup leader with pioneering experience in unified search. He is currently the creator and CEO of SWIRL-AI Infrastructure software that enables enterprise users to have a conversation with their internal data without a vector database.
Before founding SWIRL, Sid was the founding CTO of Attivio (acquired by ServiceNow), AI Foundry (acquired byGateless/Guaranteed Rate), and Dele Health (acquired by Vayyar) and held senior engineering/product roles atFAST (acquired by Microsoft), Knowledgent (acquired by Accenture) and Northern Light Technology. He started his career at John Hancock Financial Services where the integrated reporting & client management system he delivered won a Microsoft Solution In Action award. He is an avid Python hacker, futurist, and live music fan.
Co-Founder & CEO, Skyline Nav AI
Kanwar is the CEO of Skyline Nav AI - a computer vision GPS-independent geolocation and delivery capability. As a first generation American, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army (Signal Corps). At Skyline Nav AI, we specialize in providing reliable visual position and navigation technology where GPS falls short. Our product, Skyline Match AI™️, harnesses the power of computer vision algorithms and reference datasets to navigate and position effectively without relying on GPS, cellular, or Wi-Fi. Skyline Match AI™️ can localize you within 5 meters with a clear view in urban areas, 95% of the time, with no GPS, cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity. Serving both commercial and military needs, Skyline Match AI™️ ensures you stay on course by using skylines to fill in the gaps when GPS fails. Our customers and partners include the US Air Force, NASA, US Army, BAE Systems, Kearfott Corporation, Draper Labs, MIT, Cornell University, NGA, MassChallenge, Move America, CDL, FedTech, DCode, NSF and others.
Chief Scientist, 2Pi
Juejun Hu is currently the Chief Scientist of 2Pi Inc. and John F. Elliott Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. He holds a Ph. D. degree (2009) from MIT and a B.S. degree(2004) from Tsinghua University, China, both in Materials science and Engineering. Prior to joining MIT, he was an assistant professor at the University of Delaware. He is a fellow of Optica, the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), and the American Ceramic Society.
Founder & CEO, Alivexis
Since 2017, Roy has served as co-founder and CEO of Alivexis, Inc. (formerly Modulus Discovery, Inc.), a computation-driven small-molecule drug discovery firm with offices in Tokyo and Boston and a drug discovery pipeline in immunology and oncology. Previously, Roy worked in various R&D and leadership roles in computational drug discovery including 10 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Connecticut, two years at Variagenics, a personalized medicine company formerly in Cambridge, MA, and four years at Schrodinger, Inc. where he was responsible for launching collaborative drug discovery projects with global pharmaceutical firms and top academic laboratories. Roy previously served as Visiting Associate Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology where he lectured in drug discovery and biotechnology entrepreneurship. Roy received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, and completed his post-doctoral studies in Chemistry at MIT.
Founder & CEO, SOS Carbon
Andrés Bisonó León, born and raised in the Dominican Republic, is the founder and CEO of SOS Carbon. He has been leading SOS Carbon since its spinout from the mechanical engineering department at MIT in 2020. As a ClimateTech, BlueTech and AgTech entrepreneur, Andrés is dedicated to blending social impact with sustainable industrial operations, working at the intersection of ocean conservation, management of invasive seaweed, agriculture, and biotechnology. Andrés holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management ('23) and dual degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Finance from Drexel University. Under his leadership, SOS Carbon has expanded into four countries, implementing a vertically integrated operation that spans harvesting sargassum at sea, R&D, seaweed processing, and value-add product commercialization. This operation has made significant strides in transforming the sargassum crisis into an opportunity for socioeconomic development and carbon offset while advancing a sustainable agricultural and its resilience. Building on the success of SOS Carbon, Andrés founded SOS Biotech, the first Dominican enterprise focused on biotechnology and the blue bioeconomy. Dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative marine-based products, SOS Biotech’s flagship product, Marine Symbiotic, enhances crop resistance and reduces synthetic fertilizer dependency. The company is also advancing research into other applications, including animal feed and cosmetic products, using sargassum as the primary raw material. Through SOS Biotech, Andrés is spearheading efforts to unlock the potential of marine resources to drive sustainable development in the Caribbean and beyond. SOS Biotech operations leverage the Dominican Republic’s strategic location for manufacturing and exporting the biostimulant under the free trade zone regime. SOS contributions have garnered recognition from institutions such as MIT, the Legatum Center, and the PKG Fellowships, as well as support from notable organizations like the UNWTO, The Economist, MIT Solve, ITC, among others. His work exemplifies a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable innovation through blue biotechnology and seaweed-based products.
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.