If you are interested in energy and entrepreneurship, 15.366 Energy Ventures is now accepting candidates for its TA and Summer Technology Recruiting positions to help identify leading energy technologies developed in MIT labs. See below for more details. To apply, complete this application by Friday, March 18 (ie before spring break).
Please also email your resume to 15366-ta@mit.edu with the subject header "Energy Ventures TA Application." Candidates will be reviewed by the professors and decisions made by late April.
If you plan to take 15.366 as a student, note that enrollment in MIT Energy Ventures is by application only and will occur starting late April / early May 2016. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate MIT students, as well as graduate students from Harvard. Keep an eye out for more information on the class application process at energyventures.mit.edu. Summer Technology Recruiting students may also take the class in the fall.
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Want to explore the intersection of energy and entrepreneurship at MIT? Launch a new business? Commercialize energy technologies developed in MIT labs? If so, apply for Energy Ventures today!
15.366 MIT Energy Ventures is a project- and lecture-based course in which teams create a new business in the energy sector. The goal of Energy Ventures is to educate entrepreneurs through hands-on practical experience. Teams of engineering, policy, and business students are paired with technologies from MIT and surrounding labs to determine the best path for commercialization. These teams then spend the fall semester building their business plans. This course is one of the most popular in the nation for student-driven energy entrepreneurship
Energy Ventures teams have performed exceptionally well in business plan competitions after the class has completed (including the MIT Clean Energy Prize, the MIT $100K Business Plan Competition, and the energy track of the Rice Business Plan Competition. OptiBit (now Ayar Labs), founded through the course in 2014-2015, won the 2015 MIT Clean Energy Prize.
TA Role
Among other obligations, the TA will be responsible for:
1. Leading the student enrollment process throughout the summer. This largely consists of administering the application process - which involves 5-10 hours of work per week starting in May - by promoting the class to various student groups at MIT and Harvard, reading applications, and conducting virtual interviews.
2. Helping to recruit technologies from MIT labs for use in the class (as able)
3. Supporting Professors Tod Hynes, Frank O'Sullivan, and Bill Aulet throughout the fall semester. This requires a couple hours of class preparation per week, as well as attending the actually class (a 3-hour period one evening per week).
What are the time requirements?
The TA role requirements vary from week to week. It is a 50% position; please see MIT's TA policy for what this translates into in terms of both level of effort and compensation.
Would I be better off being a student in the class?
The decision comes down to whether you want to "experience" energy entrepreneurship by starting a team/company yourself, or by being tangentially involved by supporting entrepreneurs around you. If the former, definitely take the class. If the latter, consider the TA role.
Summer Technology Recruiting Role(s)
This is an amazing opportunity to better understand and engage with the labs and technologies of MIT. The ideal candidate is someone who 1) wants to take Energy Ventures in the fall and 2) will be in Boston this summer. Even better is if the TA candidate will help lead this process.
You will be responsible for contacting labs, identifying technologies, and working with professors to determine commercial readiness. Expected commitment is ~5 hours per week for eight weeks from June thru August.