Paul Cheek

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Paul Cheek

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Paul Cheek is a global expert in innovation-driven entrepreneurship. Paul is a serial tech entrepreneur, educator, software engineer, and bestselling author of Disciplined Entrepreneurship: Startup Tactics. He is a Senior Lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to his role at MIT, he co-founded three ventures which earned him recognition by Forbes 30 Under 30, the definitive list of young people changing the world. Paul has been featured in publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Inc Magazine.

Paul was MIT’s first Hacker in Residence and has since taught, mentored, and advised thousands of entrepreneurs around the world. Paul designed and now leads a new advanced course he developed to help student entrepreneurs build their businesses called “Venture Creation Tactics”. Additionally, Paul teaches hundreds of MIT and Harvard undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students each year in the historic "New Enterprises" course. His teaching materials have been used by educators around the world.

Prior to his work at MIT, Paul was the co-founder of Oceanworks and Work Today. Oceanworks is a for-profit company with a mission to end plastic pollution. Work Today is a venture backed digital staffing and recruiting company. Paul has also built technologies for and consulted with LogMeIn, BlackRock, Prudential, Mazda, and more. He serves on the CNBC Disruptor 50 Advisory Board, the MIT Sandbox Funding Board, and judges the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s CO—100 Awards.

You can learn more about Paul on his website, PaulCheek.com, or follow him on LinkedIn.

Publications

Disciplined Entrepreneurship: Startup Tactics.

Cheek, Paul. John Wiley & Sons, 2024. Startup Tactics.

Recent Insights

Ideas Made to Matter

Download: Insights for success in entrepreneurship

From MIT Sloan experts, practical guidance for launching ventures, shaping strategy, and making innovation work.

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Ideas Made to Matter

Entrepreneurship and innovation strategy books from MIT

Fundamentals and frameworks for first-time and serial entrepreneurs alike. Plus, a practical new guide to engaging with innovation ecosystems.

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Media Highlights

Press Bloomberg

Business plan in hand, a founder starts searching for something to sell

During MIT Sloan's Entrepreneurship Development program students use a custom generative AI tool that leverages the 24-step Disciplined Entrepreneurship framework, developed by managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship Bill Aulet, to create a robust and refined business plan at record speed. Senior lecturer Paul Cheek said that entrepreneurship is more than just starting your own company. "It's about maximizing impact by teaming up with the best people in their fields and bringing real value to real people."

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