Digital business strategy: the MIT approach

Goals:

• Make decisions based on data
• Understand AI applications in business
• Evaluate the value of data analytics

Content:

1. Principles of data-driven decision-making
2. Data types and quality
3. AI applications in practice
4. Automation of decision-making processes

Assignment:
Design an AI use case for your company inspired by Kensho.

MIT Case Study Company:

Kensho Technologies – a company born out of MIT and a model for data- and AI-driven decision-making.

Founded: Daniel Nadler, MIT alumnus, 2013.
Focus: Predictive analytics and data automation in finance.
Success: Acquired by S&P Global (~$550M), integrating AI into traditional finance.
Why it’s included: Shows the power of big data + machine learning + business use case. A model for transforming data into strategic advantage.

Goals:

• Design innovative business models
• Understand the power of platform-based solutions
• Apply the House of Quality methodology

Content:

1. Business model innovation
2. House of Quality methodology
3. Platform strategies
4. Case studies (Uber, Netflix, Spotify)

Assignment:
Design a new digital business model or platform for your company.

MIT Case Study Company:

Akamai Technologies – a company born out of MIT, an example of platform infrastructure innovation
• Founded: Prof. Tom Leighton (MIT) and Daniel Lewin (MIT student), 1998
• Focus: Digital content delivery, edge computing, internet security
• Success: Handles ~30% of global internet traffic
• Why it’s included: Exemplifies a scalable B2B platform model based on network effects and digital infrastructure.

Goals:

• Strengthen leadership through change
• Support digital culture
• Lead teams through uncertainty

Content:

1. Role of leaders in digital transformation
2. Building a digital culture
3. Communication and motivation
4. Crisis leadership

Assignment:
Assess your company’s leadership. Suggest improvements inspired by Formlabs.

MIT Case Study Company:

Formlabs – born out of MIT, a model for digital leadership and innovation culture
Founded: Maxim Lobovsky, Natan Linder, David Cranor (MIT Media Lab), 2011
Focus: Accessible, high-precision 3D printing (hardware + software)
Success: 100,000+ printers in 190+ countries, $250M+ in funding
Why it’s included: Combines technological innovation with agile leadership. Great example of building an innovation-driven organization.

Goals:

• Understand cybersecurity risks
• Explore ethical use of data
• Protect digital assets

Content:

1. Cybersecurity for managers
2. Security mechanisms and governance
3. Ethics and digital responsibility
4. Case study analysis of real incidents

Assignment:
Evaluate your company’s cybersecurity policy and suggest improvements inspired by Cybereason.

MIT Case Study Company:

Cybereason – a company born out of MIT, exemplary in managing cybersecurity and digital trust
Founded: MIT alumni and ex-Israeli intelligence officers, 2012
Focus: AI-powered threat detection and response
Success: Global clients, $700M+ in funding
Why it’s included: Cybersecurity as a strategic pillar. Not just IT — it’s about trust, accountability, and long-term reputation.

Goals:

• Understand key shifts in the labor market
• Create a digital strategy action plan
• Prepare teams for future changes

Content:

1. Trends: AI, hybrid teams, gig economy
2. Change management
3. Strategy implementation
4. Action plan (mission, goals, metrics)

Assignment:
Develop a digital transformation plan for your company. Inspiration: Ginkgo Bioworks.

MIT Case Study Company:

Ginkgo Bioworks – founded at MIT, a deep-tech model of digital transformation
• Founded: Jason Kelly, Tom Knight, and MIT Synthetic Biology team, 2008
• Focus: Programming living organisms (synthetic biology as digital engineering)
• Success: IPO in 2021, valued at $15B+, partnerships with Bayer, Moderna, and others
• Why it’s included: Shows how digitization can redefine industries from the core. A blueprint for deep strategic transformation.