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The Legatum Center at MIT

The Legatum Center provides entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools to help them create and scale businesses in developing countries, while generating research and ideas that promote the principles of entrepreneurship around the world.

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The Legatum Center at MIT

The Legatum Center provides entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools to help them create and scale businesses in developing countries, while generating research and ideas that promote the principles of entrepreneurship around the world.

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Legatum Legatum Center at MIT C01
Overview

The Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT is a community hub for students, alumni and faculty who seek to accelerate social and economic progress through innovation-driven entrepreneurship. The Center was founded in 2007 by Legatum, together with entrepreneur and fellow philanthropist, Iqbal Quadir, and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Legatum Center provides aspiring MIT student entrepreneurs with the education, resources, community and funding they need to create and scale their businesses in low income countries and economies.

Today, the Legatum Center operates under the leadership of Executive Director, Dina Sherif, who previously founded Ahead of the Curve, an organisation that promotes sustainable business and societies.

Legatum remains one of the key supporters of the Center, alongside the Mastercard Foundation, HRH Princess Moudi Bint Khalid, and the Jacobs Foundation.

Background

Legatum has long held the belief that ‘business is development’ and that entrepreneurship is the key determinant in transforming societies and improving a country’s prosperity. The Legatum Center was founded as a way to advance these ideas and demonstrate how entrepreneurial leadership can create jobs, improve lives and build a better world.

The Legatum Center is led by Executive Director, Dina Sherif, who has over twenty years of experience in integrated sustainable development, strategic philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, youth unemployment and women’s economic inclusion.

Faculty Director, Fiona Murray, oversees the Legatum Center as Associate Dean for Innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Fiona is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and is also the Co-Director of the Innovation Initiative at MIT, and a Member of the UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology (CST).

Approach

The Legatum Center runs a competitive annual fellowship programme that selects 20-25 students who are committed to building and scaling ventures in the developing world. The Center supports these students with tuition and prototyping support as well as access to mentors, special seminars, travel grants and other resources tailored to their specific needs. Students are also taught practical skills for navigating business environments, reaching venture milestones and how to effectively build and lead teams globally.

The Legatum Center aims to maximise their Fellow’s likelihood of success as principled, impactful leaders in emerging markets, who are committed to improving the lives of others in the developing world.

Beyond its educational remit, the Legatum Center’s goal is to encourage a conversation around the role of entrepreneurship in developing nations, with a focus on front-line community development through business and innovation.

Analysis

The Legatum Center demonstrates the power of entrepreneurship to generate opportunities and help innovative businesses increase prosperity across the developing world.

Legatum Center Dina Sherif
Dina Sherif
Executive Director at the Legatum Center at MIT
Dina joined The Legatum Center at MIT in 2019 after a career in academia and entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
is
the
engine
of
growth
and
development
Mark Stoleson
CEO, Legatum Limited
Stat Icon ENTREPRENEURS
92
Legatum Center entrepreneurs active in frontier markets
Humble beginnings

As with many of Legatum’s initiatives, The Legatum Center at MIT was the result of a bit of serendipity and being in the right place at the right time. The team met Iqbal Quadir at the Templeton Foundation Summit in 2006 where the idea took root.

Dina1
Why I decided to join the Legatum Center at MIT
Dina Sherif, Executive Director of the Legatum Center at MIT, reflects on the mindset that guided her decision to join the organisation.
Read More
$10.2m
in fellowship funding
15,000+
jobs created
348
fellows supported
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