Close proximity is the key to knowledge spillovers among startups
New research from MIT Sloan finds that physical distances within 20 meters lead to more knowledge spillover among startups.
Faculty
Christian Catalini is the founder of the MIT Cryptoeconomics Lab, and a Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School.
Christian is a also co-creator of Diem (formerly Libra), and the chief economist of the Diem Association.
Christian was previously the Theodore T. Miller Career Development Professor at MIT, and Associate Professor of Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management at the MIT Sloan School.
Christian's research focuses on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, and he previously worked on the economics of equity crowdfunding and startup growth, and the economics of scientific collaboration.
He holds a PhD from the University of Toronto (Rotman School of Management), and MSc (summa cum laude) in Economics and Management of New Technologies from Bocconi University, Milan.
His research has been featured in Nature, Science, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, WIRED, NPR, Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, VICE news and the Washington Post among others.
Christian has presented his work at a variety of institutions including Harvard University, MIT, Yale University, London Business School, New York University, UC Berkeley, Stanford University, the Federal Reserve Bank, the US Treasury, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the World Bank, the IMF, the White House OSTP, and a number of central banks and regulators.
Catalini, Christian, and Joshua S. Gans, MIT Sloan Working Paper 5347-18. Cambridge, MA: MIT Sloan School of Management, June 2025.
Catalini, Christian, and Xiang Hui, MIT Sloan Working Paper 5564-18. Cambridge, MA: MIT Sloan School of Management, January 2025.
Roche, Maria P., Alexander Oettl, and Christian Catalini. Management Science Vol. 70, No. 12 (2024): 8245-8264.
Catalini, Christian and Jai Massari. TechREG Chronicle, June 2024.
Catalini, Christian. Forbes, April 2024.
Catalini, Christian. Forbes, February 2024.
New research from MIT Sloan finds that physical distances within 20 meters lead to more knowledge spillover among startups.
MIT Sloan’s Christian Catalini said Facebook will keep financial and social data separate.
"Texas has spent the last few years becoming one of the key centers of bitcoin activity, especially on the mining side," said research scientist Christian Catalini. "Once you've made that bet on infrastructure and industry, adding some bitcoin exposure at the treasury level is a natural next step," Catalini said.
Research scientist Christian Catalini wrote: "Much like the music industry had to be dragged kicking and screaming from CDs to streaming — only to realize streaming was a goldmine — banks are fighting a transition that will ultimately save them."
Bitcoin's design is simple. A fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, a predetermined issuance schedule, and proof-of-work securing the chain. It is digital scarcity in its purest form. Research scientist Christian Catalini frames it clearly in "Some Simple Economics of Stablecoins:" Bitcoin's supply expands "slowly and predictably in the short run" and is "capped in the long run," meaning demand shocks "directly translate into sharp fluctuations in its price."
Research scientist Christian Catalini wrote: "The strategic allure of a proprietary solution is powerful. But history is clear: the most enduring, economy-spanning value is never created within walled gardens. The market has a reliable memory. Closed systems offer a faster start, but when the need to experiment at the edge outgrows the sponsor's capacity to approve experiments, gravity shifts to open."
This course provides you with a balanced perspective of the crypto space. Over eight weeks, you’ll gain insights into the economics of blockchain technologies, including digital assets, stablecoins, DeFi, NFTs, and Web 3 applications. You’ll also learn about the future of blockchain technology and the possibilities that lie ahead in the crypto space — from finance to the metaverse.
This online program draws on the work of leading MIT faculty and cryptoeconomics expert, Professor Christian Catalini, to examine blockchain technology from an economic perspective. You’ll be offered a foundational overview of how blockchain technology works, in order to demystify the technology and to understand its possibilities and limitations. Over the course of six weeks, you’ll be guided to understand blockchain technology beyond the fundamentals, and to appreciate its application and promise in the context of your own organization.