MIT Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center (PKG Center)

Social innovators, time is running out! ? The deadline to apply for the IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge—MIT’s premier social impact incubator program—is Monday, November 25th at 11:59pm: https://lnkd.in/eJEek5iH!. Submit your application today to join an incredible, supportive community of entrepreneurs working on solutions for social issues! This week, meet team FOODRes.AI (IDEAS ‘24) and co-founders Biru Cao and Yiqing Wang. ??How did you meet? Our team formed during an entrepreneurship class at MIT (4.s24 X Machine), where we shared a common interest in technology, design, and access to food. After volunteering at a local food pantry, we were inspired to address issues of unequal food distribution and waste. Together, we envisioned a future where food distribution is more equitable and waste is significantly reduced. ??What other entrepreneurship programs have you participated in? We also received support and funding from MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program, the MIT Morningside Academy for Design IAP Mini-Grant, and the MindHandHeart Innovation Fund. ??What was the most valuable perspective on social innovation that your team gained from IDEAS? Hearing from past IDEAS founders. The presentation by Birth By Us, an IDEAS alum team, demonstrated the importance of building a supportive community for users. This inspired us to integrate community-building features in our platform, which has been crucial during our survey phase, helping us create a space for users to share experiences and support one another. ??What is one key takeaway from IDEAS as you reflect back on the program?? The importance of shifting our mindset from just problem-solving to also valuing relational work and collective impact influenced how we designed our community engagement strategies. ??What’s next for your venture?? We are currently developing our MVP prototype, which will gather data on event leftovers and notify nearby users on campus by simply scanning the food with your phone. Please stay tuned for our launch! ??Any final thoughts you’d like to share with future founders? Adopting a more relational approach helped us build stronger connections with our community partners. Additionally, focusing on the collective impact and the importance of community-driven solutions shaped our overall venture development. That’s all, folks! ?? We hope you enjoyed this series of Q&As with some of our amazing PKG IDEAS teams. Don’t forget to apply for the program by November 25th: https://lnkd.in/eJEek5iH!

Ready to join and start your own venture? ?? The PKG Center’s IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge is MIT’s 20+ year-old social impact incubator. MIT graduate or undergraduate student-led teams are welcome to apply by November 25th: https://lnkd.in/eJEek5iH for a chance to become a part of this incredible entrepreneurial community! This week, meet PuntoSalud (IDEAS ‘24) and co-founders Isabella Gándara, Emmi Mills, and Srihitha Dasari. Read on to learn about how they created AI-powered solutions to expand access to healthcare in rural Argentina! ?? ?? How did you meet? Our team first came together through MIT Global Health Alliance, where we worked on a pregnancy registry project for ADESAR (La Asociación para el Desarrollo Sanitario Regional) to support the maternal ward at Emilio Zerboni Hospital in Argentina. Throughout that implementation, we collaborated with ADESAR to address broader gaps in healthcare access. After seeing a need for reliable, easily-accessible health information in rural communities, we began conceptualizing a WhatsApp-based AI chatbot to bridge the gap. ??? What other entrepreneurship programs have you participated in? MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program ?? What was the most valuable perspective on social innovation that your team gained from IDEAS? IDEAS really confirmed the importance of co-design and involving local stakeholders throughout the process. Instead of assuming the needs of rural residents, we engaged directly with sanitation workers, healthcare professionals, and residents to understand their challenges and tailor our solution to meet those needs. ?? What is one key takeaway from IDEAS as you reflect back on the program? IDEAS taught us that impactful solutions come from building with communities, not just for them. The program also emphasized the power of resilience—continuously adapting and improving based on real-world feedback to create something that truly serves people’s needs. ?? What’s next for PuntoSalud? We are currently part of MIT Sandbox, where we receive mentorship to further develop and refine PuntoSalud. Recently, we completed our MVP and are working with partners in Argentina to gather feedback and improve the chatbot's functionality. Our Argentina-based team is also pursuing funding opportunities from the Buenos Aires government as we aim to scale PuntoSalud throughout and beyond the region. With a focus on making the chatbot more effective and community-driven, we are positioning PuntoSalud as a sustainable solution to improving healthcare access in rural Argentina. ?? Any final thoughts you’d like to share with future founders? Working alongside local partners—ADESAR, UNSAdA students/faculty, healthcare workers and centers—we learned that each collaborator brings something essential. Together, we can achieve far more. Many thanks to PuntoSalud for sharing their insights and for showing how direct collaboration with communities can make a big impact!

We are so excited that Beatrice Casartelli has been selected as this year's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Jane Matlaw Environmental Champion college student recipient! ???? Over IAP 2024, Bea worked in BIDMC's Sustainability Department with our community partner Avery Palardy through the PKG Center's Social Impact Internship program. During her internship, she created marketing materials and user-friendly waste audit tools that enable employees to implement sustainable practices in their everyday work life. The Jane Matlaw Environmental Champion Awards honor leaders and innovators who have catalyzed changes that align with BIDMC’s sustainability goals and foster a healthier future for staff and patients. ?? BIDMC's Environmental Sustainability Selection Committee said that they were impressed with Bea's commitment to environmental sustainability and support in designing engaging resources to support their volunteer network across the organization. Bea was recognized at the BIDMC Sustainability Summit on Thursday, October 24th. Check out some photos from the event below:

Ever wondered what it’s really like to found a social impact venture as a student? ?? MIT’s PKG Center has you covered! We’re excited to share Q&As with student innovators to help inspire your own entrepreneurial thinking ahead of the IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge application deadline. Don’t forget to apply by November 25: https://lnkd.in/eJEek5iH! Meet LymeAlert (IDEAS '23) and co-founders Erin Dawicki, Lewis Shotton, Brenda Ong and Michelle Ewy. Read on to learn about their path to running a successful healthcare startup focused on improving access to testing for Lyme Disease! ?? ?? How did you meet? Erin says: LymeAlert was conceptualized in summer 2023 during the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program DHIVE program. We were placed in the Lyme disease track and challenged to come up with solutions. As a healthcare provider, this is a condition I see with my patients: many of them report finding engorged ticks and ask for treatment. My teammates had real world experience and innovative ideas for how to bring this idea to fruition. We have been a team ever since! ?? What other entrepreneurship programs have you participated in? MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program, MIT Office of Innovation, MIT Venture Mentoring Service, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship-StartMIT ?? What was the most valuable perspective on social innovation that your team gained from IDEAS? Theories of Change and Stakeholder Mapping were insightful ways of thinking about our future strategic needs and partners. As social innovators, we need to understand the communities we are trying to impact as well as their barriers and motivators. IDEAS helped us work on engaging with potential stakeholders in a thoughtful way. ?? What is a takeaway from IDEAS as you reflect back on the program? Being in a cohort with fellow social innovators is such a lifeline! The teams helped motivate each other and keep spirits up, even when the challenges were hard. We also helped each other problem-solve and brought innovative ideas from our unique world experiences. We loved our cohort! ?? What’s next for LymeAlert? We started field trials with a horse farm and we will validate our technology against lab standards in detecting Lyme disease. We have also started to fundraise for expedited product development to meet the strong demand for our kits. We are so grateful for PKG’s support throughout our journey to solve this healthcare problem. ?? Any final thoughts you’d like to share with future founders? It's possible to build a profitable business that serves asocial aim if you can tap on the right incentives and groups of stakeholders to help serve your cause. Stay the course, and don’t give up on your social enterprise dream even when the going gets tough! Many thanks to Lyme Alert for sharing their insights and for showing how—through teamwork, community-focus, and a well-defined theory of change—social impact ventures can flourish!

??TWO WEEK COUNTDOWN ?? The deadline to apply for next year's IDEAS Social Innovation Challenge is November 25, 2024! Over the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing Q&As with three amazing IDEAS teams. Follow along to hear directly from MIT student innovators who are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues—and learn about how IDEAS has played a role. ?? As MIT’s premier social impact incubator housed within the PKG Center, IDEAS prepares students to take their entrepreneurial ideas to the next level. Student-led teams of social innovators learn how to develop relationships with constituents affected by social issues, propose interventions that yield measurable impact, and create effective social enterprise models. IDEAS teams receive seed funding, participate in iterative workshops, refine their ideas with mentors, and pitch their solutions to peers and judges. The process helps students transform their concepts into social innovations in health care, finance, climate, education, and many more fields around the world. ?? To learn more about IDEAS, please visit https://lnkd.in/dsTDrwm To apply, please visit https://lnkd.in/e_6U4tZc

Check out this exciting panel on funding climate, energy & sustainability ventures hosted by our friends at MIT Venture Mentoring Service next week! ??Learn more and register at: https://lnkd.in/ezWnfJpU

Happy Election Day! ??? Today is a crucial opportunity to make your voice heard. Whether you're a seasoned voter or heading to the polls for the first time, every vote counts. Take a moment to check your polling place, review your ballot, and encourage your friends and family to participate. ?? MITvote can help you navigate the voting process: https://lnkd.in/eJi6NUs5 Remember, your voice matters. Cast your ballot to make an impact today! ???? #ElectionDay #Vote

Only one week left until Election Day! ?? Have you made a plan to vote this year? The PKG Center is proud to work with MITvote, a nonpartisan group of graduates and undergraduates whose mission is to encourage civic participation on MIT’s campus and make voting as accessible as possible. With the official election date just a one week away, make sure your voice is heard! If you need help along the way, Vote-a-saurus is just a click away... ??? ?? Learn how to cast your ballot: https://mitvote.mit.edu/ ?? Register to vote: https://mit.turbovote.org/

Exciting updates from Susy Jones from MIT Office of Sustainability on the sustainable food economies they're building across campus with local community partners! ?? We are proud to partner with MITOS on experiential learning opportunities for students to grapple with real-world challenges around food insecurity and access.

?? Exciting highlights from this fall's Friends of the PKG Center meeting at MIT! ?? It was truly inspiring to welcome alumni back to campus for our meeting on Saturday, October 5. We had an action-packed agenda, featuring a student panel, strategic planning sessions, and a fascinating tour of the MIT Latte Lab (thanks to Tae Wook (Terry) Kim!). ? The Friends of the PKG Center play a crucial role in our mission, serving as ambassadors and providing invaluable feedback and support on special projects. Their dedication helps us leverage the unique skills and passions of our students to tackle complex social and environmental challenges. A big thank you to everyone who attended and contributed: Alison Badgett, Ed.D., Bonny Kellermann, Elena McFann, Hyun-A Park, Joseph Levitch, Paul Kominers, Priscilla Elliott, York Lo, CAIA, CIMA, Caroline Wang, Linda Sharpe, Victor Tom, Sze-Wen Kuo, and Jim Taylor. Your commitment to making a difference in our communities is what drives us forward. Together, we’re shaping the next generation of leaders in public service. ?? Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eZqyw3V7