With more than 10 years of experience working in entrepreneurship education, Megan Mitchell is the Director of Fellowships and Student Programs for the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT. The Legatum Center (and Megan individually) supports student entrepreneurs interested in or building and scaling companies in emerging markets including Latin and South America, Africa, Asia, and elsewhere. In January 2020, Megan participated in a Launchpad Campus Director AMA on the topic of supporting international student entrepreneurs.

While American student entrepreneurs usually focus on business opportunities in already fully developed and efficient markets, non-U.S. student entrepreneurs often have a unique view into opportunities elsewhere, often related to innovative solutions to “big problems” in global markets. Building businesses focused on, and based elsewhere, however, presents unique challenges and can be more difficult for a campus director to support.

These special internationally-based obstacles differ depending on whether students are in an exploratory, validate and refine, or launch and scale stage of their business. Two critical strategies to help students navigate challenges in each of these phases, Megan has found, are:

• Leveraging peer-to-peer learning - connecting current international student entrepreneurs that have overcome similar issues in earlier stages, and
• Facilitating alumni mentor contacts - introducing recent (often 4-6 year out) international alumni who have experience with the same kind of later stage hurdles.

Other important topics and trends Megan discussed during her AMA included the F-1 visa Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension for students studying STEM, cap-exempt H-1B visas, and partnering with other offices and departments within her university to help overcome challenges.

LaunchPad campus director questions that Megan addressed include:

• How does she help fundraise for the center’s internationally-focused programming and what is her experience helping international student teams fundraise for their businesses?
• What staff resources are helpful in supporting international student entrepreneurs?

For Megan’s answers to these questions and many more, check out our recording of her LaunchPad Campus Director AMA: