‘WIT Talks’ Series Kicks Off with Industry Advice for Students

As he spoke before a late-afternoon audience in the Center for Engineering, Innovation and Sciences, Michael Santora recounted his journey from Wentworth Architecture graduate in 2005 to founding his own companies and now returning to campus to work with students on the development of a robot. 

“I had trouble making choices when I was younger. I love art and fashion, but I also love designing and building things,” he said. “I credit Wentworth with helping me find my career.” 

As the inaugural Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Accelerate, Santora has been working firsthand with students on campus as they build the Logic robot as part of a capstone project, and he will serve as an advisor for all students involved in Accelerate who are looking to take their innovative ideas to the next level. 

“Accelerate is not just a plan to come up with ideas, it’s a plan to be able to try things in the real world,” Santora said. “I hope to bring a mix of business and technical expertise, and help you figure out viable ways to bring your ideas to market.” 

Santora kicked off a new Accelerate series on April 5 entitled “WIT Talks,” which aims to bring industry leaders to campus and afford audience members the chance to ask direct questions. It also serves as a way to learn more about the opportunities Accelerate provides students.  

“Accelerate helps bring your ideas to life and we're open to everyone joining,” said Associate Provost for Transformational Learning and Partnerships Susan Duffy at the start of the event. “Come find us to talk about your idea and we will brainstorm it with you.” 

Santora started his first company at age 24 and found a niche in zoning. After the recession of 2008, he rebuilt and has since grown his business year over year, leading Santora to move from consultant to owner, buying real estate in New York City. In the ensuing years, he has also remained close to Wentworth, currently serving as a University Adviser.  

His latest venture, Logic, looks to transform warehouses and the shipping industry as a whole.  

He fielded questions at the WIT Talk event from students, faculty, and staff. 

Question: How did you find your own advisors? 

Santora: Universities are great places to keep in contact with, and there is also a substantial amount of time that needs to be spent networking. If you know someone who can do something you want to do, ask them; most people will want to help a young entrepreneur. And almost every industry has people running companies who came from Wentworth. 

Question: How do you deal with red tape when trying to grow a business or idea? 

Santora: States vary in regulations, so look into where it might make the most sense to have your headquarters. Don't exhaust resources trying to get something approved and see if innovation takes you in a different direction, especially if there are regulations involved. 

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Question: What will you do with Accelerate? 

Santora: I'll be a mentor, but I also want to show you some of my projects to demonstrate the different steps in the process and what things might look like for you when you reach them. 

I'll talk about the business process and how to go for funding, approvals and other stages. And I’ll create a curriculum of how the Logic robot works and build out a step-by-step process. 

Question: Failure is often considered essential. What was a fail you learned from? 

Santora: I started a [transit] platform screen doors program. It was a good program with private support, but it didn’t have government interest. No matter how cool something is, sometimes people just don’t want it. A big mistake is holding onto something for too long. Can you start again? Can you reapply it? Look at it a different way and see if it hits then. 

Question: How do you know difference between a good idea and a bad idea? 

Santora: Vet it with other people. If you have to go through an entire pitch before people get it, then it might not be a good idea. Also, find the intimidating people, let them tell you an idea sucks, and then tell them why it doesn’t.  

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