Tag: MIT-Stanford VLAB
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Will bacteria in the gut lead to new breakthroughs in personalized medicine?
A recent panel discussion at VLAB event at Stanford University examined the role microbes might play in human health. Mark Bunger, Senior Research Director at Lux Research, moderated the event. As an introduction, Bunger shared some information on what would define a microbiome, where it resides, and how big is a mircrobiome. Microbiome is an…
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Young Entrepreneurs: Changing the Game (Part I)
“I saw a problem and wanted to solve it.” “I didn’t realize I was starting a company; I looked at it like I was working on a project.” “I didn’t want to work for anyone else.” Whatever the motivation, all five of the panelists on our January “Young Women Entrepreneur| Unbroken” panel have become successful…
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Human Augmentation: Blurring the Line Between Biology and Technology
Restoring and augmenting hearing capacity. Augmenting cognition through the use of a Brian Computer Interface. Using a human exoskeleton to augment movement. Enhancing sensory processing.
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Big Data from Space: Actionable Intelligence on Earth
“Space is no longer being defined by larger, more established companies, but rather new companies that are extending the boundaries.” Amaresh Kollipara The Industry Value Chain On Dec 7, 1972, the Apollo 17 crew took the first picture of the whole Earth, entitled “The Blue Marble.” The industry involving space has evolved greatly since that…
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Hugo Fiennes: The Road to Electric Imp
VLAB refers to noteworthy entrepreneurs like Hugo Fiennes as luminaries. He’s been a serial entrepreneur with histories at both innovative startups and large, well known corporations. Now he leads Electric Imp, a venture-funded startup that enables the internet of things. The path to “noteworthy luminary,” however, is seldom short or easy. Hugo’s path was no…
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Collaborative Robots: Living Amongst Us
I’m going to program a robot to do my laundry and dishes for me, and be my personal butler. Unless some enterprising entrepreneur builds one and sells it to me first. May 29’s VLAB on collaborative robots showcased robots that can work side by side- collaborate- with humans. The industrial robots of the past remain…
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Algorithm Alchemy: Turning Talent Search Into Gold
How much do companies spend on people? Trillions of dollars… Winning or losing your market is based on whether or not you have not just good, but amazing people. -Dan Shapero, VP of Talent Solutions, LinkedIn As of today, no one’s found a scalable* way to provide general recruiting options. So far a cadre of startups…
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Click to Fit: How Startups are Personalizing Fashion
Scalable Fashion and Personalization. What is personalization? Fabric? Check. Tailor? Check. Fashion, particularly men’s fashion, started out highly personalized. After choosing fabric from a vast selection, the clothes were tailored to a perfect fit, after which personalized changes could be made to the design before the product was hand delivered. By the late 18th century,…
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Innovations in Food Technology
At VLAB’s February 2014 event on “Where’s the Beef: Startups Disrupting the Food Chain,” moderator Stacy Feld, Partner at Physic Ventures, broke the ice with a survey. Only one vegan raised her hand. “How many of you are meat eaters?” Over half the crowd. “Vegetarians?” Less than half. “Vegans? … Well at least we have one.”…
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Young Entrepreneurs Are Human, Need Guidance, and Will Succeed By Force Of Will
Adam Draper, moderator of the recent VLAB event on Young Entrepreneurs, had his work cut out for him. We may as well call him “Wrangler.” His panelists, through sheer force of personality, turned a collaborative Q and A into a Gen Y style debate. Or perhaps spirited and civil “battle of wits” would be more…