This raises another question: how can SMEs afford annualized rates exceeding 70%? The answer lies in short loan tenures and high profit margins. Many supply contracts have short tenures of 1-2 months, meaning the interest accumulated is minimal relative to the loan term. Moreover, as I learned durin...
In October 2024, the Legatum Center for Development Entrepreneurship at MIT conducted a two-day workshop titled "Hedging Currency Risk: Innovative Lending Strategies for SMEs in Africa." The workshop brought together a diverse group of entrepreneurs, investors, economists, and thought leaders to tac...
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...
Raafet Azzouz, SFMBA ’24, explores his remarkable journey from a small town in Tunisia to global finance and entrepreneurship.
Hundreds of alumnae will convene in Boston on March 28 for the 2025 MIT Women’s Conference.
This paper employs the MIT framework for innovation-driven entrepreneurship to assess the development of Deep Tech and innovation ecosystems in Central Asia, focusing on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
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.
The MIT New Colossus Project celebrates the success stories of first-generation immigrant trailblazers in America.
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...
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...
