Week One Reflections

Now that we’ve started week two of Launch, we’ve asked our Launchies for their reflections on their first week here at the MIT Launch Summer Program. Read on to learn more and follow the journey with us!Check in Impressions:Q: What was going through your mind when you first got to Launch?A: Michael W. I arrived late, and it was amazing that people were eager to make connections, and there was such a community dynamic. It just made me so excited for the summer just from that one day. Launch Thoughts: During the first days at Launch there is an amazing buzz in the air. Students are so excited to be meeting their peers and potential teammates. They know that the students in the room could very well be potential business partners and not just for duration of the session.Entrepreneurship:Q: Your first class touched on the basics of entrepreneurship. What were your thoughts? A: Varun W. I was really impressed by guest speaker Jaylen Bledsoe. He is the same age as us but has already achieved so much. Read more about Jaylen here: http://jaylenbledsoe.com/Launch Thoughts: Jaylen Bledsoe is just one of the many incredible guest speakers we have here at Launch. Students are encouraged to apply the guest lecturers' lessons into their own companies.Self-Awareness:Q: The second half of day one was about how as entrepreneurs it is important to be self-aware. What did you learn? A: Adhiv D. Something I didn’t realize before was about how important the person is in regard to starting a company. It is about the kind of person we are, whether we are a hacker, a hustler, or a designer, or even a mix of all of them. I think it is cool how personal entrepreneurship is.Launch Thoughts: Adhiv is correct in that every entrepreneur is different and by knowing our strengths and weaknesses, we can be sure to hire teams that compliment our strengths.Customer Persona:Q: On Friday we learned about market research. We were lucky enough to have Entrepreneur in Residence, Elaine Chen, tell you a bit more about what a customer persona is. What is your company's customer persona? A: Nakul G. Our customer persona is an international student who is most likely a student from India. He misses the food of his home. He is a college student, and he has no meal plan, most likely a grad student. The second customer persona is a grad student who loves to cook and could cook a home cooked meal for the other student.Launch Thoughts: Identifying your customer persona is a crucial step in developing your venture. Launch students are continuing to sharpen their market research skills in week two.Closing Thoughts: We are excited for the second week, and we’ll be updating everyone soon! Check out our Instagram to see pictures from each day of our summer adventure!