CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, January 2025 — The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is excited to announce the second ecosystem tour of the 2024-25 Foundry Fellowship program, set to take place in Egypt from January 17-24, 2025. Over th...

The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is proud to announce the launch of its Business Circle, a community of business leaders and investors from across global growth markets, who will also serve as the Center’s Advisory Board.

For too long, startup funding in emerging markets has been fragmented and insufficient, leaving entrepreneurs without the right financial instruments to grow. In her latest blog, Salma Baghdadi challenges this status quo and issues a call to action for ecosystem builders, investors, and policymakers...

This blog by Dr. Nadia Shalaby explores the critical link between fertilizer production and food self-sufficiency in global growth markets. Tracing the history of the Haber-Bosch process and its outsized impact on modern agriculture, Dr. Shalaby examines why Africa—despite rapid population growth—re...

In the second blog of her two-part series, Dr. Nadia Shalaby explores how cutting-edge microbial technology could revolutionize agriculture across Africa. Building on research from MIT’s Furst Lab, she introduces “Mighty Microbes”—bioengineered, antioxidant-coated organisms that survive extreme cond...

From corporate-unicorn partnerships to the power of local trust, here how our Entrepreneur-In-Residence Andrea Kates outlines the real-world imperatives facing entrepreneurs, scaleups, and executives alike. The blog previews upcoming topics in the series, including AI in emerging economies, infrastr...

Why are so many founders in Central Asia building companies with one foot out the door? In this provocative piece by Shamil Ibragimov, Beyond the Hype: Rethinking Innovation Ecosystems in Central Asia, Ibragimov challenges the dominant startup narrative in emerging markets. Rather than fueling br...

Humans are built for the connection that comes from community. It gives us strength and more often than not, comfort. For entrepreneurs who are solving complex societal challenges in countries that are unpredictable and rapidly evolving – being a part of a community is often a matter of survival.

Advancing Innovation, Economic Agency, and Global Competitiveness across Global Growth Markets

This spring, the Sustainability Initiative joined 20 MBA students on a sustainability-themed Study Tour to Scandinavia during Sloan Innovation Period (SIP) and spring break. Our group explored how businesses across the region are turning sustainability commitments into action—while also immersing ou...