Where: MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, 51 Vassar Street, Room 45-230, Cambridge, MA 02139
When: March 16, 2024, 9AM - 3PM ET
Application deadline: March 1, 2024 (You can apply after the deadline, but we may not have time to review your application.)

Are you a student who has thought about one day starting a startup? Have you already started it? Then you’re invited to Startup Time Machine, a free one-day conference at MIT.

Founders building everything from digital banks to supersonic jet propulsion systems will be there. They’ll have a chance to go back in time and share everything they wish they knew when they were first starting out. And you’ll get to see the future you could have as a startup founder. In fact, you’ll get to choose who comes and maybe even interview them.

The energy in a room full of ambitious founders is something you have to experience to believe. Being here might just be what you need to finally take the leap.

Since more people may want to come than we have room for, we ask you to fill out a brief application form if you want to attend. In it, you can request to interview the founder who has most inspired you. We will do our best to confirm the most requested ones.

If you apply by the deadline, you’ll get a decision from us by March 5. Otherwise we will get back to you within a few days, but no later than March 15.

Founders
Alex Bouaziz (remote) is the cofounder of Deel, an all-in-one HR platform for global teams.

Will Cao (in person) is the cofounder of Pando Bioscience, a company that designs and discovers synthetic biological molecules and systems.

Deepak Chhugani (remote) is the founder of NuvoCargo, the easiest way to move freight between the US and Mexico.

Nick Damiano (remote) started Andromeda Surgical to build autonomous surgical robots.

Amjad Masad (remote) is the founder of Replit, an online development environment that makes coding easier.

Eliam Medina (in person) is the cofounder of Telora, a fellowship for ambitious hackers who want to start startups.

Naysawn Naji (in person) co-founded Wrapbook, a tool that handles onboarding and payroll for the film industry.

Matt Rajcok (in person) was the CTO and cofounder of SilkChart, an AI-powered sales coach.

Alok Tayi (in person) is the founder of Vibe Bio, a community to find and fund treatments for rare diseases

Leandra Tejedor (in person) started Vidcode as a hackathon project to help teen girls learn how to code and grew it from idea to acquisition.

Matt Tengtrakool (in person) dropped out of Harvard to start Givefront, a financial platform for nonprofits.

Ethan Thornton (remote) dropped out of MIT at 19 to start Mach Industries, which creates hydrogen propulsion systems for the U.S. military.

Freddy Vega (remote) is the founder of Platzi, the largest technology school in Latin America.

FAQs
How many students will get to interview founders?
~20-30. We will notify those selected by March 6 so you can prepare.

Will lunch be provided?
Yes.

Will the event be available online?
No.

Will you sponsor travel?
No.

This conference is organized by MEC and Telora.

Image: The MIT Great Dome hacked as R2-D2 to celebrate the release of “Star Wars: Episode I” in 1999. Photo: Frank O’Brien.