Dr. Jinane Abounadi

Jinane Abounadi is Executive Director of the MIT Sandbox Innovation Fund Program. She brings a unique combination of experiences, from academic research to senior operational and strategic roles in start-up companies and large businesses. As the founding Executive Director, she has built MIT Sandbox into a leading student entrepreneurship program, funding over 500 student ideas per year and supporting over 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs per year. Since the launch in 2016, MIT Sandbox has supported the launch of numerous successful and highly innovative startups. Jinane was recently honored with the 2021 Monosson Award for Entrepreneurial Mentorship for her leadership in supporting entrepreneurship at MIT, and the Underscore VC 2021 Core Award for her contributions to Boston’s academic entrepreneurial ecosystem and her leadership in empowering the next generation of student founders. Prior to MIT Sandbox, Jinane held leadership roles in two of the most successful local Boston area start-ups, ITA Software and Kayak, where she gained deep knowledge about the travel technology sector. Most recently, she ran a global portfolio of 3rd party products for Travelport, giving her the opportunity to establish partnerships with companies across the globe and to advise and evaluate a number of start-ups in the travel sector. She earned her PhD in electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, a BS in electrical engineering from Caltech, and a BA from Bryn Mawr College. She has several publications in the fields of machine learning and communication networks and is passionate about teaching and working with college students.