Jhonatan Rotberg

Contact
jrotberg (AT) mit (DOT) edu

Jhonatan Rotberg is the founder and director of the MIT NextLab Program. As a Lecturer at MIT's Engineering Systems Division, he works closely with corporate partners to design MIT-industry programs that develop mobile technologies for the next billion users. These technologies are then spun off as joint MIT-Industry innovations, new open-source initiatives, or for-profit startups.

To date, his work at MIT has spun off 29 projects in 13 countries, some which have received recognitions such as the Vodafone Wireless Innovation Award, the m-Health Alliance Award, and Best NFC Service of the Year by the 2009 NFC Forum Global Competition. For their work at NextLab, Rotberg's students have won two IEEE Gold Humanitarian Awards, two OpenMRS internships for Google Summer of Code, and the Massachusetts Medical Society's Information Technology Award. In October 2010, Rotberg was recognized with the "Future Mind" award from Discovery Channel and Quo science magazine, for "creating technologies that transform lives".

NextLab is a featured course of MIT's Open Courseware, and was recently selected as one of ten "Editor's Picks" from over 2,000 offerings online. It has been widely covered by the media, including CNN, the Boston Globe, New York Times News Service, Discovery Channel, Fast Company, CACM, MIT Entrepreneurship Review, Expansion and Televisa. Rotberg has been a speaker and panelist at events sponsored by Telefonica, Dell, Gigaom, Motorola, MIT Communications Futures Program, MIT Enterprise Forum, Xconomy, CIDE, TiECON, the Lemelson Foundation, Boston University, and the Harvard Kennedy School, among others.

As an entrepreneur, Rotberg has co-founded three startups in the financial and high tech sectors, one of which was acquired by GE in 2003. His program at MIT spun off the 2009 mobile tech runner up of MIT's $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, the 2011 winner of Harvard Business School's Business Plan Contest (social venture track), and a funded for-profit startup currently operating in Mexico and Nicaragua. During 2010, he served as Senior Technology Advisor to the Inter-American Development Bank's mobile technologies incubator.

Rotberg is formerly a Lecturer and the Telmex Visiting Scientist at the MIT Media Lab, where he founded and directed the Next Billion Network, an original concept selected to the Smithsonian Institution's 2010 Design Triennial: "an exhibition of work by designers and firms who are setting trends and transforming their disciplines". Previous to his tenure at Telmex, Rotberg was a financial consultant at Accenture, and an equity analyst at Baring Securities and Deutsche Bank. A native of Mexico, he is a graduate of Brown University.

Contact
jrotberg (AT) mit (DOT) edu

Research Brief 2012

Summary

As its main research line for 2011-12, the MIT NextLab Program sets out to augment the Triple Helix model of innovation, composed of government-academia-industry, specifically focusing on innovation and entrepreneurship in information and communication technologies (ICTs) within emerging markets. Higher income emerging markets such as Russia and Singapore have recently invested hundreds of millions of dollars to bring together academia and industry, following the Triple Helix model of innovation (i.e. Skolkovo and SUTD), where the government brought together academic and industry partners in a physical setting to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. But most other emerging economies do not have the resources to follow in their footsteps. We propose a new, augmented Helix model that repositions existing academic institutions, catalyzes public-private participation, promotes international collaboration, and leverages the power of online social networks to create a more accessible approach to ICT innovation and entrepreneurship for middle-income emerging economies.

Triple Helix Model

The Triple Helix model states that for countries to move towards a knowledge economy, where the drivers are innovation and entrepreneurship instead of low-cost manufacturing or labor, three different sectors must collaborate—the government, academia, and industry. For emerging markets, this model can provide a strong framework for economic development if it is augmented with new thinking, an innovative technological platform, and cost effectiveness.

charts_Research_Brief_2012

Figure 1. Triple Helix model of innovation[1]

Social-Network Augmented Helix for ICT Innovation in Emerging Markets

As noted by Dzisah and Etzkowitz (2008)[2]:

"In all developing countries, the essential triple helix elements exist. The missing component is often the lack of a coherent strategy to integrate the fundamental ingredients necessary for socio-economic development. This is the purpose of integrating triple helix circulation into the core of development theory, policy and practice."

We believe that a specially designed social network can augment the Triple Helix by integrating all parties in a platform that helps form a coherent strategy for ICT innovation and entrepreneurship. To investigate this, we propose the following research question:

Can we design and host a social networking platform that augments the Triple Helix model as a fourth, technology collaboration-driven pillar, in order to augment ICT innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging markets?

charts_Research_Brief_2012_2

Figure 2. A New Helix Model for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Middle Income Emerging Markets

We focus on information and communication technology for two reasons. First, given that it is talent based, the barrier to entry for this industry has steadily decreased, allowing individuals, small companies, and larger institutions in emerging markets to compete on equal footing with any other company in the world. Second, ICTs can be applied locally to improve productivity and competitiveness of local industry, strengthening and growing the regional economy that uses its applications, services, and innovations.

Track Record

In these emerging markets, we will run a mobile applications course developed at MIT and offer access to a specially adapted social networking platform to augment the Triple Helix model. This course replicates many aspects of the NextLab course from MIT, which spun out a handful of startups over the years. By adapting this course to local conditions, we encourage universities to build relationships with local industry, expose students to market needs, connect young entrepreneurs and mentors, and create a framework for startups to transition from academia to the market. This innovative environment aims to catalyze this augmented Triple Helix model on a regional scale.

In this modified model, the following are the main actors:
• Federal government in each country provides seed funding and encourages collaboration.
• MIT NextLab provides entrepreneurial expertise, technical experience, and mentorship, as well as designs and hosts the social networking platform.
• Local industry provides funding to local universities and establishes the market need.
• Local universities provide training and human capital.
• Startup incubators and local entrepreneurs provide the engine for new technologies and new ventures.
• A private social network connects all parties and builds social bonds that help spur cluster formation.

Research Topics

We plan to conduct our initial research on these topics in Latin America, with the help of partners in industry, academia, and government. The following topics will be explored:

charts_Research_Brief_2012_3A

Figure 3. Research Topics that Stem from MIT NextLab

Current Status

MIT NextLab has started working on two approaches towards this research. First, it has created an online social networking platform for entrepreneurs in Latin America and paired them with staff and students at MIT. This platform will enable NextLab to investigate how online collaboration can be used to augment sustainable ICT innovation and entrepreneurship in emerging markets. Second, it has organized a consortium of thirteen Mexican universities and generated interest from the Ministry of Economy to fund local Helix initiatives. The work with this consortium will help research all three of the main research topics mentioned above.

Social Platform for Entrepreneurs in Latin America

Previous research shows that an entrepreneur’s social network plays a significant factor in helping him or her find resources, technical assistance, mentors, etc., and these networks play different roles during different phases of a startup [3]. We wish to look at a set of startups in emerging markets that have access to an established network of mentors and are all at first-round funding stages, to see how their activity on an online social networking platform correlates to several indicators of startup success. We will do this by using social network analysis tools on our private, online social platform at http://innovacion.mit.edu.

Network Analysis
Using established visualization tools, such as IBM’s Many Eyes, or social network analysis software, such as Pajek, we will look for trends in the behavior of over one hundred and fifty entrepreneurs in four Wayra country offices. Wayra academies have been established in eight countries overall, with ten startups in each academy. All have received initial funding from Telefónica, the fourth largest telecom provider in the world.

Using these tools, we should be able to analyze the activities of specific industries, countries, and individual entrepreneurs. Some of the participants on the platform will be mentors from Wayra, MIT, and other innovation-focused universities. Data from the platform can be analyzed over time, to see trends during a Spring 2012 MIT course, when student strategy mentors from MIT and Harvard will work directly with a subset of Latin American entrepreneurs.

Startup Indicators
Using data from Wayra and the startup companies, we will look for a correlation between activity on the social platform and real-world indicators for business performance. Since not all Wayra startups will receive direct mentorship, we may be able to compare performance of those startups with student strategists against those without strategists. Over time, we may also be able to look at the correlation between successes of each startup participating in our platform versus their online social activity.

Businesses use many types of key performance indicators (KPIs); some are financial and some are not. We will take a few core indicators and apply them to this analysis, such as:
• Time to reach cashflow breakeven point
• Attracting additional investors (non-Wayra)
• Growth rate (in terms of users, financial, etc.)
• Revenues and profit

Research Questions
The questions we are exploring with this line of research are:
• How can a social networking platform enable an online ecosystem to augment ICT innovation and entrepreneurship in Latin America? This can be divided up into two, more specific lines of inquiry:
• How does mentorship from staff and students from well-developed innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems augment ecosystems and startups in emerging markets?
• How does participation in an online ecosystem affect ICT startup performance in Latin America?

University Consortium in Mexico

MIT NextLab has assembled a consortium of thirteen Mexican universities where we will pilot the augmented Helix model (http://tricentenario.mit.edu). They have each signed on to find four local industry partners and integrate these partners into a NextLab-style local program focused on the design and launch of mobile applications. The Mexican Ministry of the Economy, through its FINNOVA fund, has expressed interest in financing this type of innovation and entrepreneurship model and its participation would complete the model. All participants would be invited into the online social networking platform to entice their collaboration. As the organizing figure, MIT NextLab will play a mentorship role to participants and help them identify locally appropriate ways to implement the augmented Helix.

Analysis
The analysis of these pilot programs would run during an entire academic year. Student teams at each Mexican university will work closely with industry partners to create an innovative ICT solution to a forward-looking problem in that industry. Students will not be assigned to solve a specific problem, but rather will be presented with an open-ended topic area that the company would like to address. These teams will analyze the potential market and create a functional prototype of a solution.

By looking at the success of the student projects and the spin-off rate, we can analyze our effectiveness in fostering sustainable ICT innovation and entrepreneurship. As a mentor to each pillar of the Helix, NextLab would train-the-trainers instead of directly training entrepreneurs. In this manner, we hope to create sustainable change. Interviews and surveys of each stakeholder can also inform us of the effectiveness in bringing together the three components of the Triple Helix—government, academia, and industry. We will survey the industry partners to look at the use of these projects in industry and their effects on productivity.

Research Questions
This research thrust addresses the following research questions:
• Can we effectively bring together government, academia, and industry, through this Helix framework and a specially designed social networking platform?
• Through the ICT products created by student teams, can we measure a spillover effect on local industry productivity?
• Does mentoring of university “trainers” reposition Latin American universities and create regional centers of ICT innovation and entrepreneurship?

__________________________________________________________________
[1] Etzkowitz, Henry and Loet Leydesdorff. The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and “Mode 2” to a Triple Helix of university-industry-government relations. Research Policy. Vol 29, No 2, pp 109-123. 2000.
[2] Dzisah, James and Henry Etzkowitz. Triple helix circulation: the heart of innovation and development. International Journal of Technology Management and Sustainable Development, Vol 7 No 2, pp 101-115. 2008.
[3] Greve, Arent and Janet W. Salaff. Social Networks and Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship, Theory and Practice. Fall 2003, pps 1-22.

Contact
jrotberg (AT) mit (DOT) edu

EM StartupLab: Strategy and Deal-Making for High Tech Startups in Emerging Markets

Instructors:
- Jhonatan Rotberg, Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division
Staff:
- TA - Lucy Wang, MBA Student, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Camilo Salazar, Research Affiliate, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
Hosting Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
Period: Spring 2012
Meetings: Tuesday 4:00-5:30pm at E51-057
Class size: Maximum 22 students
Listing: ESD.S21 - 9 units (2-1-6) for the full semester

Meeting Times and Room:
• Lecture and in-class discussion: Tuesdays 4:00-5:30pm in room E51-057.
• Meetings with local startups: Thursdays, via Skype, time TBD by each team.
• Students with schedule/listing conflicts can still enroll as all lectures will be videotaped, and made available online.

Prerequisites:
• Course open to graduate students, and to undergraduates with permission of instructor.
• Interest in entrepreneurship and technology for developing countries is important, as is the desire to collaborate with early stage entrepreneurs in resource-constrained environments. Students must be able to think and make decisions under uncertainty and absence of full data.
• Spanish language and cultural awareness of Latin America not a prerequisite, but a strong plus.
• Interested students from other Boston-area universities are invited to submit their resumes to obtain one of a limited number of spots available for cross-registration to the class, as well as for upcoming opportunities at the Emerging Markets StartupLab @ MIT.

Course Description:
ESD.S21 is a unique, impact-oriented class where students play the role of Chief Strategy Officer for an early-stage startup, selected from Wayra’s broad portfolio of funded ventures in emerging markets. Wayra is Latin America’s largest high-tech accelerator, and a division of Telefónica, the world’s fourth largest telecoms provider. As the core course of the Emerging Markets StartupLab @ MIT, ESD.S21 guides teams of students and local entrepreneurs through their participation in the MIT $100K Business Plan Contest, and entices them to design a 12-18 month strategy that should prepare the business to secure the key alliance and/or deal it needs to ensure success in the market. Course objective is that student strategists analyze the current state of the venture, distill its core ideas and assets, and “leap” it into a business model that can both win the MIT$100K BPC, and attract a partner for a substantial alliance or business deal. Wayra Entrepreneurs and management will be active stakeholders in the class, have online access to lecture videos, and a say in the assessment of student Deliverables. They will also help determine the winners of the three Wayra-funded Awards, given to the best performing students on business strategy, deal making, and synergies with the Telefónica group. Internships and resources will be available for students interested in travelling to spend part or all of the summer working locally with their startups (not compulsory for the class).

Wayra-funded Awards:
During the semester, the Emerging Markets StartupLab @ MIT will recognize the best performing students with three Wayra-funded Awards at the end of the semester:

• the Business Strategist Award, which recognizes the insights and strategies with the greatest potential for success in the market, within a period of 12 to 18 months
• the Deal-Maker Award, which recognizes the most substantive advancement for securing an alliance and/or deal between a startup and a real-world partner
• the Telecoms Synergy Award, which recognizes proposals that create the best opportunities for leveraging Grupo Telefónica’s global infrastructure (including other Wayra local offices) for the benefit of a given startup

Opportunities for Summer Internships:
A limited number of internships and funds will be available for students that prepare a one-page proposal for work in the following locations:

- Buenos Aires, Argentina      - Sao Paulo, Brazil           - Bogota, Colombia
- Mexico City, Mexico             - Lima, Peru                     - Caracas, Venezuela
- Madrid, Spain                       - Cambridge, MA (MIT Campus)

NextLab V: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Hi-Tech Startups in Emerging Markets

Instructors:
- Jhonatan Rotberg, Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division
Teaching assistant:
- Arturo Ochoa, MSc student, MIT Sloan and Engineering Schools
Hosting Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)
Period: Fall 2011
Meetings: Mondays 6:00-8:00pm at E51-372
Class size: Maximum 22 students
Listing: ESD.S22
Units: 3 units (2-0-4 for half semester)

Subject Description:
Students will collaborate with founders and technical teams of currently incubated startups in emerging markets to design their 6-12 month road maps, and determine their strategic alternatives. Through a joint program with Wayra, Latin America’s premier hi-tech accelerator (funded by Telefónica), MIT teams will select one of its ten Mexico-based portfolio companies, work to structure a key deal (strategic, financial, commercial, or technological), entice potential partners from anywhere in the globe, and make it happen. Merit-based funds for IAP internships will be awarded.

Goal and Impact
This course offers students the opportunity to apply what they’ve learned at MIT to real-world situations where the stakes are high, time is short, and there is intense pressure to deliver. Students will immerse themselves into the founding team of a fledgling venture in a developing country, in order to determine the company’s mid-term roadmap, thereby learning the challenges of hi-tech entrepreneurship in a resource-constrained environment. They will also find themselves acting as the bridge between those challenges and MIT’s highly developed entrepreneurial ecosystem, while trying to structure a deal that brings emerging market hi-tech startups to global markets. Class content will alternate between lectures, class discussions, and student presentations in which each MIT team will share with the rest of the class the problems faced by its selected startup, and the deal they’re working on. We will have a semester-end event to present results and, based on that, students may obtain the opportunity and resources for travel to personally work on their deal, hands on, during IAP.

NextLab´s Tricentenario Project
This is the pilot for a Latin America-wide relationship that the MIT NextLab Program (http://nextlab.mit.edu) is developing with Wayra, Telefónica’s hi-tech startup accelerator (www.wayra.org) and the federal governments of the region. We’re beginning with Mexico, and are actively working with Wayra Mexico, the Mexican Ministry of the Economy (www.se.gob.mx), and the National Science and Technology Council (www.conacyt.gob.mx) to develop a national strategy that includes industry-government and local academia for creating “ecosystems of innovation and entrepreneurship” hosted at technical universities across the country (http://tricentenario.mit.edu). Within the next 12 months, we plan to engage the other 7 Latin American countries in which Wayra has presence, and expect to replicate this model across the region.

NextLab IV: Mobile Innovation for Enterprise On-Demand

Instructors:
- Jhonatan Rotberg, Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division
- Jen-Hao (Paul) Yang, S.M., MIT Systems Design and Management Fellow, MIT Engineering Systems Division
- Juan Pablo Garzon, Lecturer, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
- Angela Carrillo, PhD, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
- Alexandra Pomares, PhD, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Hosting Institution: Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogota (Colombia)
Period: Spring 2011
Meetings: Tuesday 4:00 - 5:30pm (2-202); Thursdays 4:00 - 5:30pm (2-308)
Class size: Maximum 22 students
Prerequisites: Programming course

NextLab is a hands-on technology development and business case design course in which student teams collaborate with industry partners, field experts, NextLab alumni, and students from universities worldwide to deploy ground-breaking platforms of smartphone technologies that address challenges of global significance. These mobile platforms then become the basis for out-of-the box innovation within industries (i.e. m-Logistics@Estafeta Mexicana), new open source initiatives (i.e. Sanamobile.org), or fundable startups (i.e. EmpleoListo.com).

After developing the vision and prototype for a mobile logistics platform in 2010, the MIT NextLab Program continues its mobile innovation research in 2011 by expanding it beyond distribution networks into other areas of the enterprise. Enterprise On-Demand is the coined term for research and development of mobile prototypes aimed at crowdsourcing as many organizational roles and functions as possible, in an attempt to disaggregate the enterprise, flesh out its inefficiencies, and envision the nimble, networked organization of the smartphone age. Students will develop a smartphone solution based on a specific opportunity of innovation with one of our Industry Partners.

NextLab III: Mobile Innovation for Global Challenges

Instructors:
- Jhonatan Rotberg, Lecturer, MIT Engineering Systems Division, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
- Jen-Hao (Paul) Yang, S.M., MIT Systems Design and Management Fellow, MIT Engineering Systems Division
Period: Spring 2010
Meetings: Tuesdays 2:30-5pm
Room: 9-057 (linc room, with live distance education transmission to ITESM Cuernavaca, Mexico)
Units: 3-1-8 (12 H-level units)
Class size: Maximum 35 students
Listing: ESD 938
Prerequisites: none for graduate students; permission of instructor for undergraduates

NextLab is a hands-on technology development and business case design course in which multi-disciplinary student teams collaborate with industry partners, field experts, NextLab alumni, and students from universities worldwide to deploy ground-breaking platforms of smartphone technologies that address challenges of global significance. These mobile platforms then become the basis for out-of-the box innovation within industries (i.e. project Hammock), new open source initiatives (i.e. Mocamobile.org), or fundable startups (i.e. EmpleoListo.com).

For Spring 2010, the course will focus on the use of smartphones for creating mobile, organic logistics and distribution networks at the base of the pyramid (BOP), akin to India's Dabbawala phenomenon. Students will develop a smartphone platform based on a specific case in Mexico, collaborating with Estafeta -Mexico's premier courier company- and with students from ITESM, a 33-campus strong university system, widely considered the country's top technical institute.

During the summer (optional, but recommended involvement), MIT and ITESM students will team with Estafeta executives to deploy the m-platform and run a live pilot test in Estafeta's local operations, including a number of delivery routes. The results of this deployment will inform the work for NextLab Fall 2010, and form the basis for a case study or white paper to be presented in academic and industry proceedings later on.

Fall 2010 NextLab students (optional, but recommended enrollment) will focus on building apps and value added services on top of the m-platform, and on launching full fledged deployments that leverage it as a catalyst for out-of-the-box industry innovation, the basis of new open source initiatives, or fundable startups.

NextLab II: Launching Mobile Ventures for the Next Billion Consumers

Instructor: Jhonatan Rotberg
Period: Spring 2009
Meetings: Tue/Th 2.30-4pm
Room: 56-154
Units: 3-1-8 (12 H-level units, 6 Engineering Design Points, EDPs)
Class size: Maximum 30 students
Listings: MAS.967, 6.978. This course is also an approved Product-Level subject for meeting Entrepreneurship and Innovation Requirements at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Prerequisites: none for graduate students; permission of instructor for undergrads. NextLab I is NOT prerequisite for taking NextLab II. Students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds welcome, particularly those with interest in innovation, entrepreneurship and international development.

NextLab II is a hands-on technology implementation and business execution course in which students develop high-impact mobile ventures. Such ventures are intended to enable mobile phone applications to scale-up and have widespread social benefit in developing communities and countries worldwide.

Students work in multidisciplinary teams on term-long projects, closely collaborating with project partners, experts in communications technologies and sustainable business models, field practitioners, and with NextLab alumni. Students are expected to leverage technical ingenuity in both mobile and internet technologies together with entrepreneurial zeal in order to implement viable solutions that address social challenges in areas such as health, economic empowerment, education, and civic engagement.

Similar to all NextLab courses, NextLab II's final class period will be an open event in which all student team projects are presented to the pubic through live demos, poster sessions, and formal presentations. NextLab II students may follow up their projects with Summer travel grants for deployment in target markets.

NextLab I: Designing Mobile Technologies for the Next Billion Users

Instructors: Jhonatan Rotberg and Luis Sarmenta
Period: Fall 2009
Meetings: Mon/Wed 1:00-2:30pm
Room: 37-212
Units: 3-1-8 (12 H-level units, 6 Engineering Design Points, EDPs)
Class size: Maximum 30 students
Listings: MAS.967, 6.978. This course is also an approved Product-Level subject for meeting Entrepreneurship and Innovation Requirements at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

NextLab I is a hands-on design course in which students research, develop and deploy mobile technologies for the next billion mobile users in developing countries. Guided by real-world needs as observed by local partners, students work in multidisciplinary teams on term-long projects, closely collaborating with NGOs and communities at the local level, field practitioners, and experts in relevant fields.

Students are expected to leverage technical ingenuity in both mobile and internet technologies together with social insight in order to address social challenges in areas such as health, microfinance, entrepreneurship, education, and civic activism. Students with technically and socially viable prototypes may obtain funding for travel to their target communities, in order to obtain the first-hand feedback necessary to prepare their technologies for full fledged deployment into the real world (subject to guidelines and limitations).

Information and Communications Technologies for Development

Instructors: Gari Clifford, Rich Fletcher, Jhonatan Rotberg and Luis Sarmenta
Period: Spring 2008
Meetings: Tue/Thur 1:00-2:30pm
Room: 32-144
Units: 3-1-8 (12 H-level units, 6 Engineering Design Points, EDPs)
Class size: Maximum 30 students
Listings: 6.976, MAS.962, HST.481, SP.716.
Prerequisites: none for graduate students; permission of instructor for undergrads. Students with both technical and non-technical backgrounds welcome, particularly those with interest in innovation, entrepreneurship and international development.

ICT4D is a design studio course in which students learn about, and work on, applications of information and communication technologies (ICT) for use in developing countries and underserved communities. Students work in multidisciplinary teams on term-long projects in collaboration with community partners, field practitioners, and experts in relevant fields. They will be expected to leverage hands-on technical skills in both mobile and fixed digital technologies together with social insight in order to address relevant development problems in areas such as health, microfinance, entrepreneurship/economic innovation, education, and civic activism/people empowerment. Emphasis will be placed on projects aiming to serve actual underserved communities (through international project partner organizations). Students with technically viable, sustainable projects may apply to obtain funding for travel and stay in their target communities, in order to truly understand the constraints faced when designing for developing countries.

MAS.664 Digital Innovations

Instructors: Alex Pentland, Federico Casalegno, Jhonatan Rotberg
Course hours: Tuesdays 4-6PM
Course location: E15-387
Course units: 3-0-6 (G)
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor

Within the last few years, mobile technology has progressed rapidly to now include Wi-Fi, GPS, and even mobile banking capabilities. Yet, today's mobile technology is limited to addressing Western needs. People in developing countries differ significantly from consumers in developed markets with respect to demand, supply, and the use of communications. These nascent mobile communications system offer endless possibilities for empowering individuals in their quest for economic advancement. It is the goal of this workshop class to address developmental concerns hand-in-hand with sustainable forms of entrepreneurial collaboration. In collaboration with Telmex, students will work with low-income communities in Costa Rica to design a revolutionary mobile communication system that is user-oriented, open-source, multi-functional, and scalable. Students with backgrounds varying from design, engineering, to business will work together in multidisciplinary groups.

Contact
jrotberg (AT) mit (DOT) edu

Moca

The NextLab team collaborated with Centers for E-Health and Tele-Medicine in Southeast Asia to develops a mobile-linked web application that allows doctors to diagnose and recommend treatment for rural patients remotely using text, photo, audio, video, and other data collected by mobile phone. The Moca Dispatch Server, a plugin of OpenMRS, is developed to handle the communication between mobile phone and OpenMRS server. Moca is now a growing student-run open source movement.

Assured Labor

Assured Labor seeks to improve the lives of workers in developing countries by using mobile phones to match dependable workers with honest employers in Brazil. In Spring 2008, NextLabbers worked with Assured Labor executives and developed the technology that enables the Assured Labor service. Assured Labor then released its first beta on July 2008, and is now running as a for-profit company with expansion plans across Latin America.

Dinube

A runner-up at the mobile track of the MIT $100K Business Plan Contest, DINUBE was developed by NextLab students as a mobile-enabled, cloud-based payment and transaction platform targeted at the under-banked population that is fully interoperable with network carriers and financial institutions. It being prepared to launch as a for-profit startup in the Mexican market.

Interactive Alerts for Child Pneumonia

In Spring 2008, NextLab students designed and developed a system that uses commodity mobile phones with Near Field Communication (NFC) capability (normally used for contactless payments and transit applications), for facilitating the tracking and care of patients in collaboration with Interactive Research and Development (IRD) in Karachi. Subsequently IRD adapted the system and integrated it into their larger system and deployed in collaboration with Nokia and the Hindus Hospital on-site in Pakistan during Dec 2008. In April, the project won "Best NFC Service of the Year 2009," and "Most Innovative NFC Research Project of the Year 2009" at the NFC Forum Global Competition 2009.