For many, entrepreneurship is simply the act of creating a new business.
Bill Aulet, SF ’94, (Ethernet Inventors Professor of the Practice; Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship) espouses an alternative definition.
“Entrepreneurs are people who embrace change and make it a positive thing,” he told an audience in Wong Auditorium last year. “That’s what we’re doing, so we’re going to just jump right into it.”
Aulet was guiding alumni attending MIT Sloan Reunion 2025 through a demonstration of Orbit, the website and mobile app designed to help MIT entrepreneurs with finding resources, networking, accessing mentorship, and identifying opportunities. They were demonstrating JetPack, a generative artificial intelligence tool trained on Aulet’s book Disciplined Entrepreneurship and Paul Cheek’s book Startup Tactics.
“Who has an idea for a new company?” Aulet asked the crowd.
Ed Hallen, MBA ’12, and Andrew Bialecki did when they formed Klaviyo, the marketing automation platform, at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship in 2012.
“Through their ingenuity and drive, they have created an iconic tech company here in Boston with the support of our ecosystem,” Aulet told MIT News. “Through their willingness to give back, many more students will now be able to follow their path and become entrepreneurs who can create extraordinary positive impact in the world.”
Recently, Hallen and Bialecki—who serve as Klaviyo’s chief strategy officer and co-CEO, respectively—made a substantial gift to the Trust Center and the MIT delta v educational accelerator.
We’ve seen the difference delta v can make for founders, and we’re excited to help the Trust Center extend that opportunity to the next generation of students.
A new direction for MIT delta v
Since 2012, the MIT delta v educational accelerator has empowered student startups from across the Institute and beyond to transform their entrepreneurial ideas into reality.
“We’ve seen the difference MIT delta v can make for founders,” Hallen told MIT News, “and we’re excited to help the Trust Center extend that opportunity to the next generation of students.”
“In the early days of Klaviyo, we learned almost everything by building, testing assumptions, making mistakes, and figuring things out as we went. MIT delta v creates that same learning-by-doing environment for students, while surrounding them with mentorship and resources that help founders build with clarity and momentum,” he continued.
Bialecki agreed, adding that “the world needs more entrepreneurs.”
“MIT delta v plays a critical role in developing founders early, not just helping them start companies but helping them build companies that last. Supporting that mission is something Ed and I care deeply about,” he told MIT News.
With the help of Hallen, Bialecki, and other founders at leading companies—many of whom are also MIT Sloan alumni—the Trust Center will “accelerate the accelerator.”
MIT delta v plays a critical role in developing founders early, not just helping them start companies but helping them build companies that last. Supporting that mission is something Ed and I care deeply about.
Accelerating the accelerator
The widespread availability and potential opportunities of generative AI tools are impacting how student entrepreneurs are able to build companies. Between the rise of AI-powered tools like JetPack and increasing student interest in learning about entrepreneurship, the Trust Center is eager to get to work.
In addition to Hallen and Bialecki’s gift, MIT delta v will be introducing a partner model composed of leading founders from companies such as HubSpot, Okta, and Kayak. They include Insurify’s Snejina Zacharia, SF ’13; Hubspot’s Dharmesh Shah, SF ’06, and Brian Halligan, SF ’05; and Okta’s Frederic Kerrest, MBA ’09. Along with other notable alumni, these partners will provide significant guidance and mentorship to participating student ventures.
“MIT Sloan is the place for entrepreneurship education, part of a unique ecosystem of collaboration across MIT to solve problems,” Richard M. Locke, PhD ’89 (John C Head III Dean, MIT Sloan School of Management) told MIT News.
“The MIT delta v program is a great example of how MIT students dedicate their energy to starting a venture, connect with mentors, and incorporate proven frameworks for disciplined entrepreneurship. This gift from Ed Hallen and Andrew Bialecki will provide additional funding for this important program, and I’m so grateful for their support of entrepreneurship education at MIT.”
To learn more about the MIT delta v accelerator and how you can contribute, please email Dena Patterson (Executive Director, Development) in the MIT Sloan Office of External Relations.
