Lemelson-MIT Program
The Lemelson-MIT Program is a non-profit invention education initiative within MIT's School of Engineering that funds high school InvenTeams, recognizes collegiate and mid-career inventors through prizes, and delivers invention-education curricula and professional development to students and educators nationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Lemelson-MIT Program firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lemelson-MIT Program
- Legal name
- Lemelson-MIT Program
- Website
- https://lemelson.mit.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Lemelson-MIT Program is a non-profit invention education initiative within MIT's School of Engineering that funds high school InvenTeams, recognizes collegiate and mid-career inventors through prizes, and delivers invention-education curricula and professional development to students and educators nationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lemelson-MIT Program industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Education and Invention Recognition
- NAICS
- Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Teacher Training & Curriculum Providers (Robotics/Maker Education) (EDAMADAM), STEM Competitions & Olympiads (Science Bowls, STEM Challenges) (EDAMABAL)
Keywords
Where Lemelson-MIT Program is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lemelson-MIT Program business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Grant Funding and Donations: The Lemelson-MIT Program operates as an educational nonprofit at MIT funded primarily through grants and charitable donations. Programs include the Lemelson-MIT Prize ($500,000 awarded to mid-career inventors), Student Prize, and InvenTeam grants to high school students. No commercial revenue streams.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Lemelson-MIT Program product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Lemelson-MIT Program funds and operates invention education programs for K-12 and collegiate students, including the InvenTeams grants initiative (up to $10,000 per high school team), JV InvenTeams for grades 7-10, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for collegiate inventors, professional development workshops for educators, and patent/IP education through The Inventor's Patent Academy. The program also recognizes outstanding mid-career inventors through the historic $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize and runs the annual EurekaFest showcase event at MIT.
Product overview
The Lemelson-MIT Program is a national initiative at MIT that serves as an umbrella for multiple invention education and recognition programs. The core offerings include the InvenTeams grants initiative for high school students and JV InvenTeams for middle school students, which provide hands-on invention experiences; the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize ($500,000) and Student Prize for recognizing outstanding inventors; EurekaFest as the annual celebration event; and Professional Development Workshops for educators. Supporting resources include Invention Education Resources (curricula, webinars, patent handbook), The Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA), Student Fellows Program, and the Partners In Invention Education (PiE) network. Together, these programs form a comprehensive ecosystem that celebrates invention, inspires youth to invent, and provides educational resources for students and educators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- InvenTeams: A national grants initiative for high school students, educators and mentors to invent technological solutions to real-world problems.
- JV InvenTeams
- Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
- EurekaFest
- Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA)
- Student Fellows Program
Products and services
- InvenTeams A national grants initiative for high school students, educators, and mentors to invent technological solutions to real-world problems through yearlong invention projects. Teams receive up to $10,000 in grant funding to develop and present prototypes at EurekaFest.
- JV InvenTeams A program for students in grades 7-10 to hone hands-on skills and enrich STEM education through invention-based design activities.
- Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Award program recognizing promising collegiate inventors across the country, with categories such as 'Cure it!', 'Eat it!', and 'Use it!' for innovative solutions in healthcare, food/agriculture, and consumer devices.
- Professional Development Workshops Summer and fall workshops for educators on invention education methodologies and curriculum implementation, provided at no cost to participants.
- The Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA) A program providing education and resources on patents and intellectual property for student inventors.
- Student Fellows Program A research fellowship and internship program for students interested in invention and innovation.
- Invention Education Fellows A fellowship program for educators to develop expertise in invention education methodologies.
- Partners In Invention Education (PiE) A network connecting educators, organizations, and industry partners to advance invention education across communities.
- Invention Education Resources Educational materials including curricula for invention, webinar recordings, inventor handbook, patent resources, and the LMIT Possibility Bank.
- EurekaFest A multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit held annually at MIT campus where InvenTeams showcase their invention projects and prizes are awarded.
Companies that use Lemelson-MIT Program
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lemelson-MIT Program technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Lemelson-MIT Program partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- QualcommminorPartnered with Río Hondo College's Río Innovates Symposium alongside The Lemelson-MIT Program to support invention and innovation programming.
- Boy Scouts of AmericaflagshipCollaboration to develop and launch the Inventing merit badge for Boy Scouts, designed to encourage Scouts to be inventive and solve real-world problems. The badge was announced June 17, 2010 at EurekaFest.
- Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)coreGrant funding for clean energy career pathway programs at Massachusetts high schools including Watertown High School and Haverhill Public Schools. MassCEC sponsors in-house field trips and the High Performance Building Innovators Club.
- New England Invents (NEI)coreCollaborator with LMIT and Haverhill Public Schools on the $400,000 MassCEC grant to advance clean energy career pathways for high school students.
- Beyond BenignminorJoint initiative to introduce the JV InvenTeams Green Chemistry Activity Guide, encouraging students to use green chemistry principles to invent bioplastics.
- Haverhill High SchoolcorePartner school in the MassCEC grant program, where students tackle clean energy challenges as part of the LMIT-led initiative.
- Río Hondo CollegecorePioneer in invention education with 'Innovation, Invention and Entrepreneurship Certificate' for students. Hosted Río Innovates Symposium featuring Dr. Stephanie Couch as keynote speaker.
- California Community CollegescoreStatewide initiative to catalyze innovation and invention to solve social challenges, inviting all Californians to become social enterprise inventors through LMIT-supported programs.
- MIT Day of Climate InitiativeminorGrant-funded initiative with a goal to develop climate and sustainability curriculum to pK-12 classrooms. LMIT's Liza Goldstein developed the 'Eco Textile Fun' curriculum.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lemelson-MIT Program competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- STEM Next Opportunity Fund: National funder and field-builder for informal STEM learning through community organizations; complements LMIT's mission of expanding high-quality STEM experiences beyond traditional classrooms.
- Code.org: Largest K-12 computer science education nonprofit offering free curriculum, teacher training, and advocacy; peer in scale and approach for free K-12 STEM curriculum and educator professional development.
Direct peers
- Maker Ed: Nonprofit advancing maker education in K-12 through teacher training, program resources, and school partnerships; aligns with LMIT's professional development workshops and invention-focused curriculum work.
- National Inventors Hall of Fame: Recognizes outstanding US inventors through induction and operates Camp Invention, a K-12 STEM summer program; overlaps with the Lemelson-MIT Prize inventor recognition function and InvenTeams-style youth invention programs.
- MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement): Pre-college STEM enrichment program targeting underrepresented students through hands-on projects, teacher training, and competitions; overlaps with LMIT's mission to expand STEM pathways for underserved K-12 populations.
- Project Lead the Way: Provides K-12 STEM curriculum and teacher professional development adopted by thousands of US schools; similar function to LMIT's Invention Education curriculum, PD workshops, and educator network for hands-on problem-solving STEM.
- Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Society for Science): Runs the world's largest pre-college science competition with affiliated fairs and recognition programs; directly comparable to the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and EurekaFest as collegiate-level science/invention recognition.
- FIRST: Operates K-12 STEM competition programs (FLL, FTC, FRC) with team grants, coach training, and national events; the closest comparable to Lemelson-MIT's InvenTeams grants, JV InvenTeams, and EurekaFest model of student invention competitions.
Emerging players
- Iridescent: Nonprofit delivering family-based STEM engagement programs targeting underrepresented communities; comparable target audience and educator-train-the-trainer model to LMIT's outreach work.
- Maker Media (Make: Community): Operates Make: Magazine and Maker Faire ecosystem that supports hands-on inventing and making culture; adjacent niche player in the same maker/invention space as LMIT's programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Lemelson-MIT Program social profiles
Digital presenceLemelson-MIT Program financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lemelson-MIT Program leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Lemelson-MIT Program funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lemelson-MIT Program M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lemelson-MIT Program
What does Lemelson-MIT Program do?
The Lemelson-MIT Program funds and operates invention education programs for K-12 and collegiate students, including the InvenTeams grants initiative (up to $10,000 per high school team), JV InvenTeams for grades 7-10, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for collegiate inventors, professional development workshops for educators, and patent/IP education through The Inventor's Patent Academy. The program also recognizes outstanding mid-career inventors through the historic $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize and runs the annual EurekaFest showcase event at MIT.
Is Lemelson-MIT Program a public or private company?
Lemelson-MIT Program is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Lemelson-MIT Program founded?
Lemelson-MIT Program was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Lemelson-MIT Program based?
Lemelson-MIT Program is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lemelson-MIT Program make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant Funding and Donations.
Who are Lemelson-MIT Program's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are STEM Next Opportunity Fund and Code.org. Direct peers are Maker Ed, National Inventors Hall of Fame, MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement), Project Lead the Way, Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Society for Science) and FIRST. Emerging players are Iridescent and Maker Media (Make: Community).
Does Lemelson-MIT Program have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lemelson-MIT Program.
What industry is Lemelson-MIT Program in?
Lemelson-MIT Program's product category is STEM Education and Invention Recognition. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAB, Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMADAM, Teacher Training & Curriculum Providers (Robotics/Maker Education). Its NAICS code is 611519 and its SIC code is 8200.