Faculty
David Birnbach
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David Birnbach is a Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where his focus is in the domains of technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and action learning. He is also an affiliate with MIT’s RAISE initiative (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) and the World Education Lab (J-WEL) where he works with faculty and staff to address global opportunities for transformative change in K-12 education.
David is a member of the teaching team and a faculty mentor in several Action Learning courses, including Global Entrepreneurship (G-Lab), Enterprise Management (EM-Lab), Operations Lab (Ops Lab), and ASEAN Lab (Economy & Business in Southeast Asia). He helps students put classroom theory into practice, and guides students in transforming academic knowledge into real-world impact by solving strategic business challenges with global companies and startups.
His teaching interests emanate from 20 years’ experience launching tech startups, building new markets, and creating enterprise research & development hubs. David is a former tech CEO with executive leadership experience in global enterprises and high-growth startups, including a successful IPO and acquisitions.
David holds a BS in mathematics from the University of Arizona and an MS in management of technology from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Recent Insights
Discovering a path to renewed growth
Indorama Ventures, headquartered in Bangkok, is one of the world's leading sustainable chemical companies, with operations across more than 30 countries. Among its diverse businesses is a premium wool division that manufactures high-quality worsted fine count yarns for leading apparel brands and customers in more than 25 countries across Asia, Europe, and North America. Following the post-COVID market correction, Indorama's wool business navigated a more challenging demand environment while continuing to invest in innovation, sustainability, and customer-centric solutions. As part of its commitment to continuous improvement and long-term competitiveness, the company saw an opportunity to bring fresh external perspectives to a complex strategic challenge. Indorama Ventures engaged with a multidisciplinary team of MIT Sloan ASEAN Lab students to explore new avenues for growing its wool business. The team was eager to help.
ASEAN Lab students help ASB revamp executive education and MBA programs
Two ASEAN Lab teams from MIT Sloan traveled to Malaysia's Asia School of Business (ASB) to tackle two projects: educational synergies and branding. The on-the-ground international work experience, particularly in ASEAN, was an enormous draw for students eager to go beyond case studies.