NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation
Funding for the OCW Entrepreneurship Course List is provided by The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation, Inc. The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation was established in 1994 and is supported entirely by contributions from The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. The mission of The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation, Inc. is to promote and provide opportunities through collaborations and initiatives that foster educational programs and charitable activities in line with The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.'s Mission.
The NASDAQ OMX Educational Foundation is also dedicated to supporting our communities and those who are in need. The Foundation has a history of providing humanitarian relief to those affected by natural disasters and other tragic events. Over the years the Foundation has provided humanitarian relief support following 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti.
Joseph Hadzima
Guidance for the initial development of the OCW Entrepreneurship Course List, as well as the site's contextual information, was provided by Joseph Hadzima. Joseph Hadzima is a Senior Lecturer in the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.
Hadzima works in the areas of entrepreneurship, startup phase companies, business plans, venture capital, corporate governance, and intellectual property strategy. He has been involved in the founding of more than 100 companies as a founder, investor, director, legal counsel, or employee, and has advised entrepreneurs, high-growth businesses, and venture capitalists.
Hadzima is a founding judge of the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition and has taught the popular course, “Nuts and Bolts of Business Plans” at MIT Sloan School of Management since 1989. He is a frequent speaker for the MIT Enterprise Forum’s Satellite Broadcast Series (SBS), including programs on company valuation and structuring venture capital deals.
Hadzima is the managing director of Main Street Partners LLC, a venture development and technology commercialization firm, as well as the president of its portfolio company, IPVision, Inc., an intellectual property management, systems, and services firm.
He was a director of the Global MIT Enterprise Forum for over 25 years and was its chairman of the board for four years. Hadzima practiced law for 17 years, first at Ropes & Gray in Boston and then at Sullivan & Worcester as founder and director of the High-Tech/New Ventures Group. He is a former director of the New England chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors and of several private and public companies. His “Starting Up” column appeared regularly in the Boston Business Journal. A member of the MIT Venture Mentoring Service, he has advised federal and state government agencies, universities, and nonprofits on the creation and support of entrepreneurial ecosystems to create economic growth. He is the recipient of the MIT Bronze Beaver Award, the highest MIT alumni award, for his work in entrepreneurship. He was the second recipient of the Adolf F. Monosson Prize for Entrepreneurship Mentoring.
Hadzima holds a BSc from MIT, an SM in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a JD from the Harvard Law School.
William Aulet
Guidance for the initial development of the OCW Entrepreneurship Course List was provided by William Aulet. William Aulet is a Senior Lecturer and Managing Director in the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship at the MIT Sloan School of Management.
He conceived, developed, and teaches a MIT graduate-level class called “Energy Ventures,” which explores the new brand of entrepreneurship and innovation required to meet the energy challenge. He is also the chairman of the MIT Clean Energy Prize.
A highly accomplished business leader, Aulet has a long track record of success. For over 25 years, he has raised more than $100 million in funding for his companies and has directly created hundreds of millions of dollars in market value. Aulet started his career at IBM and after 11 years was named a prestigious MIT Sloan Fellow. Upon graduation, he became a serial entrepreneur running two MIT spinouts as the president/chief executive officer of both Cambridge Decision Dynamics and then SensAble Technologies. The latter became a two-time Inc. Magazine 500 Fastest-Growing Private Company. With a presence in over 20 countries, SensAble also won more than 24 awards and was featured in Fortune Magazine, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications for its innovative products and strong business foundation.
In 2003, Aulet was recruited as chief financial officer to help turn around Viisage Technology, a security technology company with a dual focus in the areas of drivers’ licenses and facial recognition. During his tenure of two and a half years, Viisage developed a new strategy, overhauled its operations, made three major acquisitions, and executed two major fundraising rounds totaling over $55 million, including a highly successful public offering. During this time, the market value for Viisage increased from approximately $50 million to over $500 million.
Aulet works around the world with single entrepreneurs trying to launch new ventures, and with large corporations—such as Danfoss, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Mobilink, and Saudi Aramco—seeking to achieve their goals through entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, and innovation. He also serves on the board of directors or advisors for a number of companies. Aulet is a regularly featured speaker at management leadership programs on topics such as entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, entrepreneurial marketing, technology innovation, creating sustainable and rapid profitable growth, financing strategies, and operational excellence. He also contributes as an Xconomist on these subjects to the popular and respected blog Xconomy. A former professional basketball player, Aulet lives in Belmont, Massachusetts with his wife and four sons.
Aulet holds a BS in engineering from Harvard University and an MMS in business management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
