Join this highly-anticipated collaborative event between CSAIL Alliances and Venture Mentoring Service: MIT innovation community's essential boot camp on intellectual property, now featuring a critical new perspective on corporate engagement, acquisition, and licensing!

This is more than a legal lecture, it’s a high-level masterclass for every startup founder, seasoned inventor, and mentor who wants to maximize the commercial potential of their work.

• What You Will Learn:
  The Portfolio Blueprint: Learn from patent attorney and VMS Mentor Bruce Sunstein on how to build a strategic IP portfolio. Find out why thinking beyond your very first patent application is the single most critical step to securing future value.
• The Corporate Playbook (New this year!): Get the unvarnished corporate law perspective on the startup journey. Hear directly from a legal/venture group at an industry leaders on the ground rules of the high-stakes game:
  -   What IP assets do strategic acquirers look for?
  -   How does a strong patent portfolio affect your valuation?
  -   What are the legal realities of a licensing deal or corporate M&A?
• The MIT Insider Track: A representative from the MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO) will be on hand to answer all your MIT-specific licensing questions, guiding you on turning MIT-developed research into a commercial reality.

Don't just file a patent — build a dynasty. Come learn the creation strategy, the MIT rules, and the corporate exit plan.

RSVP Today!

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

Thank you for your interest in joining us for our upcoming VC Breakfast—this event is limited to members of CSAIL, our CSAIL Alliances members, and selected guests from the MIT community as space permits. 

• Registration is required.
• You may attend this event as an audience member, or to pitch. The registration form will guide you accordingly.
• See the VC Breakfast FAQ page to get more important information regarding this event
• Ventures, submitting this form does not guarantee a slot to pitch; its a competitive process. A member of CSAIL Alliances will follow up on your application.

This event is sponsored by Underscore VC, with more information on the fund incoming.

For more information on Underscore VC visit https://underscore.vc/