The purpose of the MIT GeneSys project is to contribute to the survival and growth of micro and small businesses in developing countries by improving their operations and supply chain management decisions.
Since 2016, we have advanced the partnership with approximately 20 universities in 8 countries in Latin America (Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina). More than 500 students from these countries have collected primary data from +800 companies applying our methodology, which includes the use of the GeneSys mobile application, available in both AppStore and Google Play. This data collection has allowed the students from the GeneSys community to provide real-case implementations, which in turn have served as a starting point to improve productivity and survival of small firms in the region
We have developed a robust training program for the students and their advisors and conducted more than 20 workshops since 2016, with three workshops during 2019 in Mexico and Colombia. These workshops have helped us to better understand the challenges of the micro and small firms and they have served as kick-off for the data collection phase. Currently, the collection of the data is conducted through our mobile App in three languages, i.e. English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Support the survival of small businesses
By supporting our research, you will be helping improve the survival of micro and small firms in developing countries. Join us and get involved by donating to the program.
What is next?
We are currently working on a plan to scale up the data collection in other regions besides Latin America (i.e. Africa and Asia), and we are expecting to receive one MIT Ph.D. student for the GeneSys team starting in September 2020. Be sure to follow our progress by subscribing to our newsletter or finding us on social.