The journey from an innovative idea to a thriving startup is frequently marked by unforeseen challenges and pivotal decisions. For aspiring entrepreneurs navigating this complex landscape, the wisdom gleaned from those who have successfully traversed the path proves invaluable, offering both practical guidance and profound inspiration. Recognizing this critical need, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE) has launched a groundbreaking initiative designed to immerse its students in the real-world experiences of successful alumni founders, particularly those pioneering advancements in hardware technologies.
John Hart, the Class of 1922 Professor and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, articulated the department’s vision for this new program. "There are so many amazing entrepreneurial stories among our alumni. We want to bring those stories to our students and our community and build networks with our incredible alumni founders," Hart stated. He emphasized that the "Founder’s Journey" class, alongside other nascent programs, aims to "cultivate interest in entrepreneurship among our students and expand opportunities to bring MechE-born technologies to the world." This strategic focus underscores MIT’s enduring commitment to not just scientific discovery but also its practical application and commercialization.
MIT’s profound impact on global innovation is well-documented. A 2015 report highlighted the staggering scope of its entrepreneurial ecosystem, revealing that more than 30,000 active companies founded by MIT alumni worldwide collectively employed some 4.6 million people. This immense network of innovation, spanning diverse industries and geographies, serves as a powerful testament to the institute’s unique culture that fosters groundbreaking research alongside a robust entrepreneurial spirit. The "Founder’s Journey" course is a deliberate effort to systematically harness this rich legacy and translate it into actionable insights for the next generation of innovators.
Demystifying the Entrepreneurial Path
Marina Hatsopoulos SM ’93, a founding CEO of Z Corp., an early market leader in 3D printing and a co-leader of the new course, emphasized a core objective: to demonstrate to students that the entrepreneurial journey, while challenging, is not an entirely uncharted territory. "So much of this has been done before. I want them to understand that this is a well-trod path," Hatsopoulos explained. This perspective aims to demystify the startup process, providing students with a structured understanding of common hurdles and effective strategies, thereby reducing perceived risks and encouraging bolder ventures.
The course, officially designated 2.S977/2.S979 and titled "Founder’s Journey: Launching and Scaling Hardware Startups," debuted in spring 2025. Its inaugural run invited students to actively "find and activate their entrepreneurial energy" by examining the multifaceted challenges confronted by founders and their teams at various stages of developing new hardware-focused companies. These challenges range from the intricate dance of fundraising and investor relations to the complexities of supply chain development, manufacturing, market entry, and scaling operations—areas often more capital-intensive and logistically demanding than their software counterparts.
Each week of the semester-long class was meticulously structured around a specific key challenge inherent in the development and growth of a hardware startup. These modules were presented by the course instructors, Hatsopoulos and Ken Zolot, a senior lecturer at MIT, and critically enriched by a roster of distinguished guest speakers. These speakers, all accomplished alumni founders, brought their lived experiences from companies at the forefront of robotics, energy solutions, advanced 3D printing, consumer electronics, and other frontier technologies. Students were encouraged to engage deeply with the material, preparing incisive questions for the speakers and participating actively in follow-on discussions and reflective exercises designed to internalize the lessons learned.
Leadership and Vision Behind the Initiative
The development of the "Founder’s Journey" class was a collaborative effort, spearheaded by John Hart, Marina Hatsopoulos, and Ken Zolot. Hart himself, embodying the very spirit the course seeks to instill, served as one of the alumni speakers in its first iteration. He shared his personal experience as a co-founder of VulcanForms, a company that emerged from a productive collaboration with fellow co-founder Martin Feldmann MEng ’14. VulcanForms exemplifies the kind of MechE-born technology that the department aspires to bring to global markets, specializing in advanced metal additive manufacturing.
The impressive lineup of alumni speakers showcased the breadth and depth of MIT’s entrepreneurial talent pool. Beyond Hart, the list included industry luminaries such as Mick Mountz (Kiva Systems, acquired by Amazon), Jon Hirschtick (SolidWorks, Onshape), Max Lobovsky (Formlabs), Elise Strobach (AeroShield), Greg Mark (Markforged), Seemantini Nadkarni (Coalesenz), Eran Egozy (Harmonix), Renuka Babu (DOTS Technology), Davide Marini (Inkbit), Loewen Cavill (Amira), and Colin Angle (iRobot, Familiar Machines, Magic). Each of these individuals represents a unique journey through the often-turbulent waters of startup creation and growth, offering a mosaic of perspectives on innovation, resilience, and leadership.
Spotlight on Alumni Pioneers: Diverse Paths to Impact
The course curriculum delved into the specific narratives of several key alumni, providing detailed case studies that illuminated the practicalities and philosophies of entrepreneurship.
Colin Angle ’89, SM ’91: The Visionary Behind iRobot
Colin Angle, co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, and now CEO and co-founder of Familiar Machines and Magic, articulated an early-life passion for creation. "This idea that you can create something from nothing, that you can have an idea and not just draw it, but build it and make it real, is something I’ve always loved," he recalled. Angle credits MIT’s "strong, hands-on ethos" with profoundly resonating with this innate drive. His time at the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity house at MIT further normalized the startup concept, as he witnessed five multimillion-dollar companies launched by his fraternity brothers. This direct exposure, he noted, served to "demystify the process."
iRobot began in Angle’s living room, not with a specific product, but with a grand, almost philosophical vision. "We’re supposed to have robots. So, if not us, who? And if not now, when? It was a magical day," he recounted. While iRobot is globally renowned for the Roomba, the autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner that revolutionized home cleaning, its impact extends far beyond consumer products. The company’s PackBot tactical mobile robots saved thousands of lives in Afghanistan by defusing improvised explosive devices, and its exploratory robots ventured into the Great Pyramid in Giza, broadcasting live on National Geographic. Angle underscored the profound satisfaction derived from his entrepreneurial journey: "The joy I have taken from my entrepreneurial journey has been the ability to build bigger things, from building teams to building a company capable of building something far beyond what I could have ever imagined doing myself… we created inventions that no one thought possible, simply because we believed we could."
Elise Strobach SM ’17, PhD ’20: Innovating for a Sustainable Future with AeroShield
Elise Strobach, CEO and co-founder of AeroShield Materials, exemplifies how deep academic research can directly seed groundbreaking commercial ventures. AeroShield, co-founded with Kyle Wilke PhD ’19 and Aaron Baskerville-Bridges SM ’20, MBA ’20, develops super-insulating transparent window inserts. This technology is rooted in transparent silica aerogels developed by Strobach during her PhD research in Professor Evelyn Wang’s lab. "I wasn’t thinking of myself as an entrepreneur at that time, but looking back, that’s definitely where that seed was planted," Strobach reflected. She champions the entrepreneurial freedom to "find the best problem to solve and to continue to seek the best way to solve that problem."
Aerogels, first invented almost a century ago and initially commercialized by NASA for space equipment insulation, traditionally possessed a hazy blue tint that limited their widespread application. Strobach’s team, however, innovated to create a completely see-through aerogel material, unlocking a myriad of new everyday uses, particularly in energy-efficient building. The company recently celebrated a significant milestone: their innovative work is now on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, a testament to its scientific and technological significance. Strobach’s advice to budding founders is refreshingly direct: "You don’t have to know everything to start. You just have to know that this is what you want to do and just get started."
Maxim Lobovsky SM ’11: Democratizing 3D Printing with Formlabs
Maxim Lobovsky, CEO and co-founder of Formlabs, arrived at MIT’s Media Lab already immersed in 3D printing. As he neared the completion of his master’s degree, he identified a critical market opportunity. Alongside fellow Media Lab graduates David Cranor SM ’11 and Natan Linder SM ’11, Lobovsky founded Formlabs with a bold objective: to develop a professional-grade 3D printer that was both significantly more affordable and user-friendly than the existing market offerings. At a time when industrial 3D printers could command prices upwards of $100,000, Formlabs introduced a product starting around $3,000, effectively democratizing access to high-quality additive manufacturing.
"We definitely built Formlabs in a classic, disruptive innovation path," Lobovsky stated. Their dramatic cost reduction was achieved through a combination of ingenious engineering and strategic component sourcing, replacing outdated 1980s technology with modern consumer electronics components, such as the laser diodes initially developed for Blu-ray Disc players. Lobovsky candidly shared the arduous fundraising journey, including their participation in MIT’s 100K competition and numerous initial rejections from potential investors. Their pivotal moment arrived serendipitously, through an overheard conversation. "As someone who is naturally introverted, shy engineer… a really important lesson [was] that, sometimes, you can get lucky," he recounted. At a dinner with an unsuccessful investor pitch, Mitch Kapor, the founder of Lotus Software and a PC industry pioneer, overheard their discussion and subsequently led Formlabs’ crucial first round of funding. Today, Formlabs stands as the world’s largest supplier of professional stereolithography (SLA) and selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printers, transforming product development across industries.
Jon Hirschtick ’83, SM ’83: The Architect of Modern CAD
Jon Hirschtick, co-founder of SolidWorks and Onshape, traces his entrepreneurial leanings back to his undergraduate days. "I had heard about startups, and it sounded like a lot of things that I was drawn to… a sense of being able to realize your vision, express yourself; a sense of excitement, of making money, and even the idea of a chaotic environment," he explained. Hirschtick has dedicated over four decades to building computer-aided design (CAD) software, a journey that began with an internship at MIT in 1981 and continues to this day. His motivation was simple yet profound: "I thought, ‘hey, the world could use this software.’ It’ll be a better place with the software that I envisioned."
He refers to CAD as a "meta product design," underscoring its foundational role: "We’re designing a product that other people use to design products, and that’s just really cool to me." Hirschtick finds a natural synergy between his entrepreneurial spirit and MIT’s ethos. "I think startups just fit me… The excitement, the idea of trying to solve a lot of problems at the same time. MIT is a place of problem-solving… and a startup is a place where there’s lots of problems to solve." He further distinguished startups by noting that while "a lot of big companies are doing new things, startups are always doing things." Hirschtick asserts that virtually every manufactured product today is first modeled in CAD, making the field central to global product development. Despite the allure, he offers a pragmatic caution: "Nobody knows for sure when they start a company whether it’s going to be successful or not. If it were, if there was a way of knowing for sure, then there wouldn’t be all these classes in entrepreneurship. They’d just tell you the secret. There’s always risk. Visions and hallucinations, they look and feel the same. You only find out which is which once you really try to realize them."
Broader Impact and Implications for Future Innovators
The "Founder’s Journey" course represents a significant evolution in entrepreneurship education, particularly for hardware-intensive disciplines. By providing direct access to the narratives and strategic insights of successful alumni, MIT MechE is creating a unique learning environment that bridges theoretical knowledge with practical, real-world application. This approach addresses several critical needs:
- Mentorship and Networking: The course fosters invaluable connections between students and seasoned founders, building a powerful network that can provide guidance, partnerships, and even future investment opportunities.
- Skill Development: Beyond technical proficiency, students gain critical entrepreneurial skills, including problem-solving, strategic thinking, fundraising acumen, supply chain management, and team building—all essential for launching and scaling a successful venture.
- Risk Mitigation: By learning from past successes and failures, students can better anticipate and navigate common startup challenges, potentially mitigating risks and increasing their chances of success. Hatsopoulos’s point about a "well-trod path" is crucial here, offering a roadmap rather than a blank slate.
- Economic Contribution: Fostering hardware startups directly contributes to economic growth by creating jobs, driving technological advancements, and developing solutions for pressing global challenges in energy, robotics, manufacturing, and sustainability.
- Reinforcing MIT’s Legacy: The initiative reinforces MIT’s long-standing reputation as a global powerhouse for innovation and entrepreneurship, demonstrating its continued commitment to translating scientific breakthroughs into tangible societal benefits.
The emphasis on hardware startups is particularly noteworthy. While software ventures often garner significant attention due to lower upfront capital requirements and faster iteration cycles, hardware innovation remains foundational to many critical sectors. These companies face unique complexities, from prototyping and manufacturing costs to global supply chain dependencies and intellectual property protection. The "Founder’s Journey" class specifically prepares students for these distinct challenges, ensuring that MechE-born technologies, often rooted in fundamental engineering principles, can successfully transition from laboratory to market.
As MIT continues to evolve its educational offerings, programs like the "Founder’s Journey" class exemplify a forward-thinking approach to preparing students for the dynamic demands of the 21st-century economy. By cultivating a new generation of founders inspired by the legacy of their predecessors, the institute is not only shaping individual careers but also reinforcing its pivotal role in driving global innovation and progress. The stories of Colin Angle, Elise Strobach, Maxim Lobovsky, and Jon Hirschtick, alongside many others, serve as compelling evidence that with vision, perseverance, and the right guidance, the next generation of MIT entrepreneurs can indeed build the impossible.
A version of this story appears in the 2026 issue of MechE Connects, the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s magazine.
