Past Seed Grant Teams
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2008-2009 Legatum Center Seed Grant Recipients
Teams of students from across MIT submitted proposals for innovative projects on renewable energy, health, water, biotechnology, mobile services, and a host of other enterprise solutions to development challenges in low-income countries. Of the thirty-two proposals received, thirteen grantees were selected by the Legatum Center to receive funding.
Teams will use these grants to fund market research, project scoping, and pilot studies during MIT’s 2009 Independent Activities Period (IAP). "MIT students are full of creative ideas. This is a way of harnessing and advancing some of these ideas towards our goal of promoting bottom-up development in low-income countries," said Iqbal Z. Quadir, founder and director of the Legatum Center.
Alexander Sappok, CEO of Filter Sensing Technologies, and grant recipient for his work on an inexpensive fuel quality sensor that will increase availability of clean renewable fuels in low-income countries, notes that, “The Legatum IAP Seed Grant will enable the development and demonstration of a prototype system, as well as research into the most effective paths to market in these countries.”
According to Sarina Siddhanti, whose student-team will use its grant to explore micro-equity development in Mexico, "Our project explores the possibility of micro-equity as a source of financing entrepreneurs in developing countries. The Legatum IAP Seed Grant will be essential in enabling us to travel to Mexico and begin the preliminary field analysis for our model."
"These grants are meant to both recognize and propel MIT students who are applying their innovation and entrepreneurialism to improving the lives of ordinary citizens in low-income countries," said Michael F. Maltese, managing director of the Legatum Center.
With his grant, Joseph Mugisha Mushoka plans to found a software company that leverages open-source databases to provide record management systems for insurance companies in Africa. "The Legatum IAP grant will enable me to identify five insurance companies in Kenya that I can learn from and develop the initial product."
The Legatum Center’s seed grants have been made possible through the generous support of MIT alumnus Jack Hennessy, who was previously a board member of the MIT Corporation, the Chairman and CEO of Credit Suisse First Boston, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
The recipients of the 2008-2009 Legatum Center Seed Grants are below:
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Team: Biogas
Team Members: Rimi Chakraborty, Chris Tostado, Rob Crawford, Elizabeth McVay Greene, Cenk Alperdem, Alex Rosemblat, Jeremy Bratt
Geographic Focus: Nicaragua
Project: Introduction of unique triple-phase biodigester. This innovative technology will provide a more efficient, environmentally-friendly, and affordable fuel solution for rural farmers.
>>See interview
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Team: Bioprospecting
Team Members: Alex Robertson, Christoph Engert
Geographic Focus: Ecuador
Project: Scientific exploration and analysis of Ecuador’s unique biodiversity for useful functions such as antibiotic resistance and thermostability. Intellectual property from these findings will be commercialized.
>>See interview
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Team: Bio-Volt Fuel Cells
Team Members: GJ la O’, Joe Walish, Ethan Crumlin
Geographic Focus: Developing nations
Project: Renewable energy project focused on the development of microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology. Will provide clean and low-cost electricity for basic lighting and cell phone battery charging in developing nations.
>>see interview
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Team: Camera for Us
Team Members: Anna Kotova, Arka Prava Dhar
Geographic Focus: India
Project: Empowering children in India through photography. By putting cameras into the hands of India’s most underprivileged children and sharing their photos with the rest of the world, Camera for Us hopes to inspire change by opening eyes to the realities of poverty.
>>See interview
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Team: Community Water Solutions (CWS)
Team Members: Kate Clopeck, Mike Brown, Vanessa Green, Chuck Howe
Geographic Focus: Ghana
Project: Implementation of a commercially viable and transferable model for sustainable community-level water treatment in Ghana. From water treatment training to actual treatment and distribution, the CWS model will simplify access to, and improve quality of clean drinking water.
>>See interview
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Team: Malawi Bio-Fuels
Team Members: Andre Thomas, Clinton Blackburn, Prarthna Desai, Arjun Mehta, Greg Snyders, Ernest Kwan
Geographic Focus: Malawi
Project: Creation of sustainable micro-enterprise models focused on the emerging biofuel market in Malawi. Aims to innovate around issues of high energy costs and lack of access to electricity.
>>See interview
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Team: Micro-Equity Development Fund
Team Members: Sarina Siddhanti, Manvi Goel
Geographic Focus: Mexico
Project: Development of a new micro-equity model for microfinance. Model aims to increase opportunities for business growth of low-income entrepreneurs in Mexico and align investor-entrepreneur incentives.
>>See interview
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Team: Renewable Fuel Quality Detector for the Developing World
Team Members: Alexander Sappok
Geographic Focus: Developing nations
Project: Development of hand-held fuel quality and composition sensors made from inexpensive and locally accessible materials. Product intends to solve the problems of engine failures associated with poor fuel quality.
>>See interview
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Team: Software Solutions for Insurance Companies in Kenya
Team Members: Joseph Mugisha Mushoka
Geographic Focus: Kenya
Project: Creation of new, more efficient computer software for insurance companies in Kenya. This technology will allow insurance companies to operate more efficiently, thus lowering costs and improving opportunities for access to services.
>>See interview
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Team: Solar Cell Modules for Auto Rickshaw Pollution Reduction
Team Members: Vidya Ganapati, Jean Theurer
Geographic Focus: India
Project: Creation of unique solar cell modules that can be mounted onto auto rickshaws for the purpose of decreasing fuel consumption. Strives to address problems of air pollution in India.
>>See interview
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Team: Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) Innovates
Team Members: Liying Huang, Hannah Poole, Sumi Sinha, Sam O’Keefe, Elizabeth Scharpf, Kimi Ceridon
Geographic Focus: Rwanda
Project: Development of affordable sanitary napkins for impoverished women in developing countries. SHE aims to develop female-led manufacturing cooperatives which will use local materials to produce the products and provide local women with income-generating sales opportunities.
>>See interview
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Team: Vismate
Team Members: Winnie Cheng, Manas Mittal
Geographic Focus: Rural China and India
Project: Development of mobile phone software system for business transactions. System technology will increase opportunities for client-customer interaction over the phone.
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Locations of 2008-2009 Seed Grant Projects
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