MIT Solve


MIT Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a mission to solve world challenges. Solve is a marketplace for social impact innovation. Through open innovation Challenges, Solve finds incredible tech-based social entrepreneurs all around the world. Solve then brings together MIT’s innovation ecosystem and a community of Members to fund and support these entrepreneurs to help them drive lasting, transformational impact.
In 2019, nearly 1,400 people from over 100 countries submitted solutions to Solve’s four Global Challenges. Past Solve Challenges include Work of the Future, Frontlines of Health, Coastal Communities, and Teachers & Educators.
Solve's current advisors include Laurene Powell Jobs, Colin M. Angle, and Ursula M. Burns.

Background

Solve was born out of the office of MIT President L. Rafael Reif in 2015, with a mission to identify the best solutions to specific, actionable challenges through open and collaborative innovation, and to build and convene a community of leaders to create partnerships needed to pilot, implement, and scale these solutions.
Innovators and entrepreneurs of all backgrounds are invited to participate, from those just starting to build their solutions and teams, to those running pilot companies, to innovators ready to scale their existing solutions.

Mission

Solve is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a mission to solve world challenges. Solve is a marketplace for social impact innovation. Through open innovation Challenges, Solve finds incredible tech-based social entrepreneurs all around the world. Solve then brings together MIT’s innovation ecosystem and a community of Members to fund and support these entrepreneurs to help them drive lasting, transformational impact. Join Solve on this journey at solve.mit.edu.

Method

Each year, Solve announces new Global Challenges for which it seeks solutions. The first round of judging takes place once solution applications close. Solve staff screens all solutions submitted on its online open innovation platform and funnels strong applicants to the Challenge Leadership Group, a panel of industry leaders. The Challenge Leadership Group then selects finalists for each Challenge. Finalists are invited to a live pitch event where the most promising solutions are selected to make up that year's Solver class.
Once selected, the Solver class gains access to Solve’s community. The Solve staff helps match-make between the Solver class and leaders from the tech industry, business, philanthropy, government, and civil society who seek partnerships and opportunities to implement innovative, ideas.
Members of the Solve community support Solve’s mission and the Solver teams who are piloting and implementing solutions to specific Challenges. This support may include, but is not limited to: expertise, human capital, technology, and funding. In addition, Solve members gain access to innovative ideas and the Solver teams who pitch them, build partnerships with other members and Solver teams to implement solutions, and make connections with other impact leaders at Solve events to realize common social and environmental impact objectives.
Membership is by invitation only.

Key advisors

As of May 2018, key advisors for Solve are:

Solve at MIT

Solve’s annual flagship meeting takes place on MIT’s campus. Solver teams present their solutions and participate in workshops with Solve members to develop partnerships to pilot and implement solutions. The next set of Solve Challenges are also planned at this event.
The three-day event spotlights leaders from corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, government, academia, and the media through multiple plenary sessions. In addition to engaging with these top speakers, attendees are able to attend Challenge workshops on Solve’s current and new challenges, with the aim of developing partnerships to pilot and scale solutions.
Notable speakers at past Solve at MIT meetings include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Technical Advisor and Board Member of Alphabet Inc. Eric Schmidt, Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and Senior Vice President of Amazon Alexa Tom Taylor, among many others.
The event is open to Solve members, and to the MIT community for select sessions.

Challenge Design Workshops

Solve encourages community members to host Challenge Design Workshops all over the world to source insights on pressing issues communities face today. Through Challenge Design Workshops, Solve gives community members the opportunity to shape Solve’s annual Challenges.

Solveathon workshops

Solveathon workshops are independently-hosted events focused on rapid ideation and refinement using Human Centered Design to brainstorm solutions to Solve’s Challenges. Solveathon workshops are spaces to form and reshape ideas, evaluate and reevaluate designs, and prototype and collaborate. Ideas developed during a Solveathon are submitted to Solve's online open innovation platform, and the team can continue working on it after the event or the ideas can inspire others.
Solveathon workshops have been hosted across the world, from Vietnam, to Ecuador, to India.

Solve Challenge Finals

The Solve Challenge Finals are held during the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. During the Solve Challenge Finals, finalists selected by Solve’s Challenge Leadership Group are invited to pitch their solutions live. Those chosen by Solve’s judges during the Challenge Finals join the Solve community as members of the Solver class.

Solver teams

Each year, a new Solver class is selected at the Solve Challenge Finals. Notable selected Solver teams include: