MIT-IIT Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
Entrepreneurship and design-thinking bootcamp focused on solving real-world problems through field research, rapid prototyping, and user validation.
I was selected as one of 48 participants from MIT, the IITs, and the Asian School of Business (ASB) for the MIT-IIT Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, organized by the MIT Sloan School of Management.
The bootcamp was led by Professor Rajesh Nair, Professor of the Practice at MIT Sloan, and focused on innovation, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and rapid prototyping.
Over several weeks at IIT Delhi and IIT Mandi, we worked in multidisciplinary teams to identify societal problems, conduct field research, build prototypes, and validate ideas with real users.
Rather than developing a single project, the bootcamp exposed us to a range of problems across accessibility, sustainability, healthcare, and social entrepreneurship.
Design Thinking in Action
Projects followed an iterative, user-centered process:
Identify → Research → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Iterate
We began by understanding problems through field visits and stakeholder interviews, then developed multiple possible solutions and tested early prototypes with users.
The emphasis was on learning quickly and validating assumptions, rather than attempting to build a complete solution from the outset.
Tinkerfest & Mentoring Future Innovators
As part of the Zero2Maker initiative in collaboration with NITI Aayog, I participated in Tinkerfest, where we worked with school students to turn their ideas into physical prototypes.
Students explored the engineering design process through 3D printing and rapid prototyping, taking ideas from problem identification through to working physical prototypes.
Project Highlights
Throughout the bootcamp, our teams explored problems across accessibility, sustainability, healthcare, and social entrepreneurship.
TreatTime
A pet-powered alarm clock.
Many people struggle to wake up despite multiple alarms.
Our team designed TreatTime, a device that dispenses a pet treat at a scheduled alarm time. The pet’s interaction with the device creates an additional motivation for the owner to wake up.
The prototype explored how existing daily routines can be leveraged to solve behavioral problems.
Low-Cost Trash Compactor
Affordable waste management for dense urban environments.
Working with local stakeholders in Delhi, we investigated challenges associated with municipal waste collection.
We developed a low-cost trash compactor using an inexpensive automotive scissor jack as the primary mechanical actuator.
The project demonstrated how readily available components can be repurposed to create practical engineering solutions.
Indoor Navigation for the Visually Impaired
Making unfamiliar environments easier to navigate.
Through interviews with visually impaired users, we learned that navigating unfamiliar venues independently could be a significant challenge, particularly during large social gatherings.
Our team explored a human-assisted navigation system in which volunteers could provide real-time voice guidance using existing communication tools.
We validated the concept through live trials and found that continuous audio assistance improved users’ confidence while navigating unfamiliar environments.
The project demonstrated how existing technologies can be combined to address accessibility challenges without requiring complex infrastructure.
Kamand Coasters
Supporting rural women entrepreneurs.
In Kamand village, local artisans produced handcrafted coasters, but each coaster required nearly two days of manual work, limiting productivity and income.
Our team approached the problem from both engineering and business perspectives:
- Designed a simple mechanical tool to streamline the weaving process.
- Developed a Business Model Canvas covering pricing, distribution, and market access.
The project reinforced that innovation can involve improving both the product and the business model surrounding it.
BUS (बस)
Improving accessibility in public transportation.
Public transportation can be particularly challenging for visually impaired commuters.
Our concept proposed a voice-first mobile application that would:
- Guide users to the correct bus stop.
- Provide audio navigation.
- Notify bus drivers when a visually impaired passenger was waiting.
- Assist users in identifying and boarding the correct bus.
The concept focused on improving independence while requiring minimal changes to existing public transportation infrastructure.
Beyond the Projects
The bootcamp extended well beyond workshops and project sessions.
Morning runs, late-night brainstorming, table tennis matches, weekend hikes, and exploring the hills around IIT Mandi created opportunities to build friendships and collaborate across institutions and disciplines.
Reflections
The MIT-IIT Entrepreneurship Bootcamp changed how I approach innovation.
The biggest lesson was to start with people, not technology. Field visits, interviews, rapid prototyping, and user feedback helped us uncover problems that would have been easy to miss from a purely technical perspective.
Across very different projects, the same principle kept emerging: good solutions come from testing assumptions, learning from users, and iterating continuously.
Innovation begins with empathy and succeeds through iteration.
