January 25, 2025

MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MEDIA SPONSOR

INDUSTRY SPONSOR

REALITY HACK SPONSORS / STARTUPS-IN-RESIDENCE

(CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED WHILE ONBOARDING)

PARTNERS

LAB COLLABS

(CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED WHILE ONBOARDING)

TECHNOLOGY THEME

  • EXPERIENTIAL Now and Soon: What technologies are EXPERIENTIAL, now and in the near term? What are they, and what potential and implications do they have for creating new kinds of technology-enabled human experience? How is this technology currently being enabled by other institutions for world development?

  • How to Foster Innovation. One core hypothesis behind the Reality Hack mission is that forms of technology development leave gaps in what problems are solved and who is served by new technologies. 

    What relevant methods and mechanisms have previously been proven successful for shepherding innovation? From enabling would-be innovators–with skills, self-efficacy, and a support network of people and resources–to deploying commercially successful solutions that solve problems and make the world a better place? What new mechanisms might be conceived and implemented?

  • Let’s Hack Reality. Our event has always been about bridging the gap between ideas and action. Our new EXPERIENTIAL conference is no exception: it’s a platform for public-facing discourse and a Call to Action. Other sections of our program cover a survey of technologies and methods for fostering innovation. How can we put these into action in service of Reality Hack’s mission? We invite participants to spring into action by using community, technology, and education to hack our way to a better world for everyone.

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

WHAT TO EXPECT

Agenda and locations subject to change without notice.

EVENT PHOTOS BY SEAN CHEE, 2024: 1st Annual Reality Forum

Tickets

Tickets

WHO TO EXPECT

Boarding is now in progress…

……. ANUJ GOSALIA  - Engineering Manager, Inference, OpenAI; Founding Director of Engineering, Oculus; Corporate VP, Microsoft Mixed Reality; Senior Director, Google (ARCore), Chief Software Architect, Magic Leap     ★      ANUSHA DANDAPANI - Chief Data and AI Officer, United Nations International Computing Centre     ★      HASEEB MUSA - Business Strategy Lead, Meta Reality Labs      ★      ALVIN WANG GRAYLIN - Bestselling Author, Our Next Reality; Global VP, HTC     ★     JUAN RAMIREZ - IFC, World Bank Group     ★    PARTH ARORA - Prototyping Researcher, UNESCO; Human Interaction, Raven Resonance     ★      KEN ZOLOT - MIT Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Entrepreneurship     ★    ASHER MARKS, MD - Co-Director Yale Center for Immersive Technologies in Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Yale University     ★      BERTRAND NEPVEU - Co-founding Partner, Triptyq Capital     ★      KIMBERLY HIEFTJE, PhD - Associate Professor, Yale Department of Pediatrics     ★     ALEX GOLDBERG - XR Innovations, Blue Origin     ★     MOLLIE JOHNSON - MIT AeroAstro; Flashlight Mission Operator, NASA JPL     ★    DOM HEINRICH - Global Head of AI Design, Coca Cola; cofounder, Creative AI     ★     SPECIAL GUEST TBA - Qualcomm Technologies â€¦â€¦.

OFFICIAL CONFERENCE RECEPTION

January 25, 2025 (7-10PM)

 314 Main St. Cambridge, MA 02142 Accessibility

What to Expect Startup Showcase . Live Music . Dessert . Signature Mocktails . Cash Bar

Exhibit your company in the Startup Showcase:

Due to limited capacity, attendance is firmly restricted to EXPERIENTIAL Innovation Conference ticket holders. These include:

  • Reception-Only Tickets ($150)

  • Full-Day Attendees ($550) and presenters

  • Press Badges

  • Startups-in-Residence ($3,000)

  • Rising Stars Startups ($550)

  • Conference Sponsors and qualifying MIT Reality Hack Sponsors with registered conference ticket

All proceeds directly support operating expenses for these volunteer-run events, including MIT Reality Hack (which enfolds the Startup Hack and the Hardware Hack) and the EXPERIENTIAL Innovation Conference.
You are not only supporting the experiential technology ecosystem, but you are helping us to keep participation in MIT Reality Hack free for hackers from all backgrounds.

Questions? Contact team@mitrealityhack.com

EXPERIENTIAL Conference Group

  • Scott Greenwald, PhD

    CHAIR, REALITY HACK BOARD of DIRECTORS

  • Maria Rice

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIT REALITY HACK

  • Mehek Gosalia

    DIRECTOR OF DESIGN and LOGISTICS, MIT REALITY HACK

  • Celso Reed

    OPERATIONS STRATEGY MANAGER

  • Mary Anne Powers, CSM

    SPONSOR RELATIONS, MIT REALITY HACK

  • Jonathan Hirshon

    PR COUNSEL, HORIZON COMMUNICATIONS

What is MIT Reality Hack?

2025 Hackathon:

January 23-27, 2025

MIT Reality Hack is an annual phenomenon that coalesces thought leaders, brand mentors, engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs around experiential technology: participants of diverse backgrounds attend from all over the world to form new teams and hack out working software and hardware prototypes, resulting in novel integrations and content developed for XR devices and platforms. Participants also explore the uncharted realms of deep tech, making inventive use cases for cutting edge hardware and AI enablers.

It is held at MIT in Cambridge, MA co-hosted by a team of community volunteers (alumni, friends, and others) with the Reality Hack Organization 501(c)3 and VR/AR@MIT. We all share a common goal: educate, empower and enable people to be part of the experiential technology industries. We invite participants to spring into action through technology education with a shared intention to build a more sustainable and equitable world for everyone.