Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston launched the MIT Accelerated Information Technology Initiative (AITI) for the first time in India on July 2, 2012 at IIT Bombay. The programme, hosted by IIT Bombay and Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), IIT Bombay is the India launch of MIT’s mobile technology start-up incubator and was offered to 40 under-graduate and management students at IIT Bombay.
Started in 2000, AITI brings together a multidisciplinary group from MIT to teach development skills in countries where students can create businesses to fill the needs of the local communities. Since its initiation, the program has expanded to top universities in eleven countries with more than 1800 students participating. MIT AITI develops curriculum, software, platforms, and networks that enable students in emerging regions innovate in the fields of information and communication technologies, mostly focusing on mobile applications. Companies working with AITI as sponsors include Google. TiE Mumbai, Mumbai Angels and Freemont Partners.
The selected IIT Bombay students will be presenting their work to the public in a ‘Startup Showcase’ to be held on August 9 at the IIT Bombay campus from 6 to 9pm. Student teams will engage with the Mumbai entrepreneurship community for mentoring, feedback, and eventually, funding.
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Judges representing Mumbai Angels, Freemont Partners, TiE Mumbai, AOL CoolAge and Google will be on hand to give feedback to each of the student teams presenting and choose the final recipients of the incubation opportunity and potential seed funding from Freemont Partners.
Speaking about the programme, Ian Jacobi, Technical Instructor, MIT AITI India Program said: ” Some of these students who, before this class, knew practically nothing aboutdeveloping for mobile devices, have actually gotten to the point where they have developed some nice mock-ups.”