Events

Hosted by our friends at Mission Innovation X, this stop in the CSAIL Alliances Startup Success Journey focuses on dual-use and what that means for technology.

(Not sure what we're talking about? Learn about the Start Up Success Journey and MIT IAP).

The Dual-use Ventures IAP course is a learning opportunity for students, technology builders, companies, and member of the broader community looking to understand:

• Why dual-use technology is important for innovation in the U.S. and among its allies.
• How to build, grow, and scale dual-use ventures domestically and globally among like-minded, open societies.
• The key challenges ventures face when developing technology that serves both government and commercial customers and how to navigate these challenges.

We’ll discuss frameworks, funding opportunities, entrepreneur roadmaps, and government resources.

Participants will co-author a whitepaper synthesizing learnings from the course.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 12:00pm to 5:00pm EST

Thursday, January 29, 2026 12:00pm to 5:00pm EST

Friday, January 30, 2026 9:00am to 12:00pm EST

This MIT IAP credited course is offered by CSAIL Alliances member Sony Interactive Entertainment (the team behind PlayStation). Curious about IAP? Learn more.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), creators of the PlayStation platform, and the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) joined forces January 2025 to launch a new IAP course exploring the nexus of video games and artificial intelligence. This highly popular course brought together students, researchers, and industry practitioners to examine how AI is transforming the design, play, and social impact of games.

This year, an expanded version of the course will be available for credit and will be led by Professor Fredo Durand. Like last year, the course will combine a series of lectures and hackathon-style projects, the latter chosen from a list of examples or otherwise devised, to introduce students to game creation, current game-related research and an exploration of the technology, the art and the fun of video games. The program is designed to be accessible to a broad MIT audience, requiring no specialized background in computer science or game development. We encourage students with an interest in art, psychology, writing, social impact and design of games to participate.

Format: 12 Lectures (60–75 minutes each) with Q&A, culminating in student team projects presented on January 30.

See the full details and register: https://calendar.mit.edu/event/the-nexus-of-games-and-ai-nexus-ii-mit-iap-2026

Are you a CSAIL entrepreneur? Are you curious about the resources that CSAIL Alliances, as well as the rest of the MIT Ecosystem can offer you?

Register for Time: https://calendly.com/ckalfas/office-hours

Sign up for Office Hours to ask these questions and more! Your questions may include: 

• Where can I get funding?
• Can I get connections to industry partners?
• How can I get pitch help?
• How can CSAIL Alliances help me?
• And more!

This month, CSAIL's Christiana Kalfas will be joined by Rob Ashcraft from Samsung Ventures, a CSAIL Alliances Member Company.

Christiana Kalfas, Senior Client Relations Coordinator (CSAIL Alliances), brings a rare blend of expertise to the entrepreneurial journey, anchored by an MS in Computer Information Systems and a BA in Neuropsychology. This background shapes her focus at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and human potential. With over eight years dedicated to accelerating ventures within the MIT ecosystem (including roles at CSAIL Alliances and MIT VMS), she has a proven track record of helping deep-tech ideas transition from the lab to the market. A recipient of multiple MIT Spot Awards, she specializes in building impactful programs and actively leveraging her role within CSAIL Alliances to directly facilitate connections between deep-tech ventures and senior industry leaders, helping translate complex research into scalable business plans. As an active Member of the Greek Scientists Society, she also offers an expanded perspective on global community and network building. Leverage her office hours to gain strategic guidance, access key institutional resources, and tap into the knowledge required to launch a successful MIT-affiliated venture.

Rob joined the Samsung Ventures in 2023. He explores broadly across the technology spectrum relevant to Samsung Group, with specific focus areas in energy storage & generation, clean & climate tech, display technologies, and advanced materials applicable many different fields. Prior to joining Samsung Ventures, Rob worked for 11 years in the Open Innovation group supporting the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), where he developed internal R&D strategy and supported external collaboration activities. He has experience in energy technologies, batteries, quantum computing, and advanced materials. Rob has also served as a volunteer mentor in the startup ecosystem, including for the Creative Destruction Lab and The Engine’s Blueprint program. Rob has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from MIT and a BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State University. Prior to joining Samsung in 2012, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University in Belgium and worked for Exponent as a technical consultant in their Thermal Sciences practice.

Samsung Ventures is headquartered in Seoul and has a strong presence in the world’s innovation hubs across the United States, Europe, Israel, India, China, and Japan. SV backs emerging technology startup founders, whom we believe will pioneer and shape the future.

Curious to learn more about our Startup Programs? Info here.

Open to the public!

This event is part of the MIT Sloan Tech Summit 2026, the largest student-led event at the MIT Sloan School of Management. CSAIL Alliances is not organizing this event, but is pleased to offer support.

Learn more and register for Cafe Compute.