Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is MIT Enterprise Forum Poland?
   We are a local chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum. The MIT Enterprise Forum (MITEF) is a global organization of dedicated professionals with local chapters, affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through MIT Technology Review.
2. How does the program work?
   – Your team applies via the online form
   – A panel of 3 international reviewers scores your application
   – We assign to you at least 2 mentors (one Polish, second international)
   – We share MITEF knowledge and processes during a custom made Polish acceleration program based on Bill Aulet’s “Disciplined Entrepreneurship” methodology and knowledge of MIT Enterprise Forum experts (You will participate in 4 workshops, each lasting one and a half days.)
   – You get to the competition finals, where you’ll pitch your business idea to a panel of international judges, who select top teams
   – You get a chance to go to Boston/Cambridge for a MIT custom based acceleration program, where you will meet fellow MIT scientists from your field of research, investors, coaches and technology entrepreneurs
   – Your team gets recognized in a MIT Technology Review
3. Can I be a judge on Global MITEF platform
   Yes, a judge you need to be either:
   – A successful entrepreneur
   – An investor, partner at a venture capital firm, or an experienced angel investor
   – A partner at a law firm
   – A senior executive from an established enterprise with domain experience
   – A technical expert
   If you want to become a judge please fill the form  and the global MITEF team will get back to you once an opening for judges happens – this usually takes place a couple of times a year.
4. Can I be both a judge and an acceleration program participant?
   No, you cannot.
5. Is the program free of charge?
   Yes, it is. However you need to be prepared to pay the costs of transportation (to Warsaw and to Boston) and accomodation in Warsaw and Boston.
6. Who is eligible to apply?
   Teams of:
   – technology entrepreneurs at an early stage of development
   – at least 50% of the team members must be Polish nationals
7. Can I submit more than one entry?
   No, you can not. Each participating team may only submit one entry in the program.
8. Are there any age restrictions on participating?
   Each of the participating team members must be over 18 years old
9. Are there any restrictions on team size?
   Each participating team must consist of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 individuals.
10. I have a company incorporated less than 4 years as of the submission. Are there any other requirements I need to satisfy to be able to participate in the program?
    Yes. Your company cannot have accepted more than 2 mln PLN equity funding from an institutional investor (e.g. seed or vc fund)
11. What is digital signature in the end of application?
    When you complete the application you will be asked to digitally sign your form. Please simply put your first name and surname in the boxes and click the button.
12. Which level of product’s technology readiness is required to apply?
    Of course that depends on the complexity of the product, but  the  6th / 7th level on the scale of the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) Scale would be accurate.
13. Is this program can be addressed to students or only for professional scientists?
    Our program is addressed to everybody over 18 years old, who has got great, innovative idea and wants to change it for flourishing business.
14. How many characters my elevator pitch should have ?
    Maximum of 500 characters, as it is required in the application form.
15. What kind of information should I put in my executive summary, should I just copy information from previous parts of application?
    Requirements are included in the application form. Make sure that your executive summary includes the most important content of the project in the good graphic form.
16. Is the video statement required?
    Video statement is required
17. Do I have to attach the personal statement?
    Personal statement is optional but will strengthen your application.
18. How many team members have to take part in the workshops?
    We expect 2 of the team members. Individual cases of absence  should be discussed with MIT Enterprise Forum Poland team member
19. Does the MIT Enterprise Forum Poland have any rights to my idea, or can MITEF Poland require any shares in the company in case we will be winner of the this acceleration program?
    No, MITEF Poland is non-profit organization and we hold no rights over your idea or IP nor require any equity stake in your venture.
20. What was the minimum points number required for the qualification?
    Choice of the best projects was based on the ranking of arithmetic means with additional condition that the difference in assessments of the judges within an each application is not questionable.