CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – January 28, 2025 – The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium today announced applications are now being accepted from technology startups to enter the annual Innovation Showcase. As part of the annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium being held on May 19, 2026, 10 outstanding early-stage companies will be selected based on their ability to provide solutions that combine value and innovation for enterprise IT.
On the day before the conference, May 18, 2026, an exclusive VIP pre-event will be held for 150 attendees. It will feature the Innovation Showcase winners, an inspirational talk, roundtable discussions, a networking reception, and the CIO Leadership Award Dinner.
“For technology startups that are solving real enterprise challenges and are ready to take the next step, the Innovation Showcase is a rare opportunity to connect with global CIOs, investors, influencers, and decision makers,” said Innovation Showcase Chair Anton Teodorescu. “Along with receiving meaningful feedback and visibility, the Innovation Showcase has proven to be a catalyst for putting the next generation of enterprise startups on the radar.”
Previous MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Innovation Showcase winners include:
- Gazzang: acquired by Cloudera
- HashiCorp: $1.2B IPO and later acquired by IBM
- Okta: IPO with current market cap of $16B
- Rypple: acquired by Salesforce.com
- Sqrrl: acquired by Amazon
- Yammer: acquired by Microsoft for $1.2B
- Zerto: acquired by HPE
Qualification Criteria:
Enterprise technology startups applying for the Innovation Showcase must meet the following criteria:
- Enterprise or departmental IT solution with products available in the market.
- Less than $10 million in annual revenues.
- Must show innovation and/or strategic value with potential impact on the top and/or bottom lines.
Selection Process:
The 10 early-stage companies included in the Innovation Showcase will be determined by the Innovation Showcase Organizing Team. The team includes early-stage investors, entrepreneurs, and MIT faculty and students.
Deadline:
The deadline to submit applications is March 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET. To apply, go here. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
About the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium
The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is the premier global conference for CIOs and digital business executives. CIOs, CDOs and senior IT executives explore enterprise technology innovations, business practices and receive actionable information that enables them to meet the challenges of today and the future. The Symposium offers a unique learning environment by bringing together the academic thought leadership of MIT with the in-the-trenches experience of leading global CIOs and industry experts. The MIT Sloan CIO Symposium is organized and developed by the MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association. For more information and to register for this year’s Symposium, visit the MIT Sloan CIO Community, and engage with the Symposium on LinkedIn.