Ken Morse leads the MIT effort to train leaders to bring innovative concepts and technologies to market and build successful high tech startup businesses. Based at the MIT Sloan School of Management, the MIT Entrepreneurship Center has the mandate to teach High Tech Entrepreneurship and to foster research and collaboration, Institute-wide. The student-run $50K Entrepreneurship Competition, as well as enrollment in New Enterprises and the Entrepreneurship Laboratory Courses, are open to students from Engineering, Science, and Management, encouraging multidisciplinary teamwork. Selected members of the MIT Entrepreneurship faculty and staff have been actively engaged with MIT alumni and friends in the Middle East for many years. Ken has been a speaker at all four annual conferences of the MIT Arab Alumni Association (MIT AAA) in Cairo, Amman, Beirut, and Dubai. Morse joined MIT in 1996 after 25 years as a serial entrepreneur helping launch six high-tech ventures. His batting average is 83%: of these six companies, 5 did well, while one was a total disaster., Europe and Asia. As a member of AspenTech’s Board of Directors from 1986 until 1995, he focused on AspenTech’s entry into new global markets, including high value applications of their enterprise software. From 1992 to 1996, he was AspenTech’s Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He built AspenTech’s business throughout the Gulf region, with strong customer relationships in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates. He also increased AspenTech’s EMEA business by ten fold, and opened and managed new offices in France, Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Switzerland and South Africa, as well as integrating the various European businesses acquired by AspenTech.
After a highly successful initial public offering (IPO) in October 1994, AspenTech quickly grew to 1600+ employees worldwide, with revenues exceeding $150 million. Ken then moved to MIT to “give back” to the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Ken’s interest in international high tech ventures began at MIT, where he graduated with a BS in Political Science in 1968. Following graduation, as President of AIESEC-US and an International Advisory Committee Officer for this global business student exchange program, he traveled widely on behalf of AIESEC before entering Harvard Business School. Morse received his MBA with honors in 1972 and joined Schroders, the UK-based merchant bank, where he worked directly for Jim Wolfensohn, now President of the World Bank.
In 1975 Morse formed a trading advisory company under the aegis of Chase Manhattan Bank to assist U.S. technology-based companies to enter emerging Asian markets. He lived in Beijing for five years during the latter half of the Cultural Revolution. As President of Chase Pacific Trade Advisors, he assisted IBM, General Motors, Hughes Aircraft, Measurex, Mine Safety Appliances, and Waters Associates to enter China and other developing markets.
In 1980, Morse relocated to Silicon Valley as a founding member of 3Com Corporation, where he was employee #8. As the first head of sales, marketing, and planning, he helped 3Com raise its initial venture \\funding and launch its first three products. After a successful launch he returned to the Boston area where he was a co-founder of several other MIT-related startup ventures.
Ken is a member of the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Cercle Royal Gaulois Artistique & Literaire (Brussels), and the Quissett Yacht Club. Prior to moving to Brussels, Ken was a member of the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge®; he currently serves on the Board of its parent, the MIT Enterprise Forum. Ken is a member of the Board of Advisors of four early stage Venture Capital Firms: Capricorn Venture Partners (Belgium), Darby Technology Ventures Group LLC, Polytechnos Venture-Partners (Munich), and Orchid Partners (Boston).
In the academic year 2001-2002, he served as the Émile Bernheim Visiting Professor in Entrepreneurship at the Solvay Business School, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (Brussels, Belgium). He is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster (Belfast).
Mass High Tech named Ken “High Tech All-Star” for his contribution to entrepreneurship education.
When time permits, Ken and his family enjoy tennis and sailing their wooden boat.
July 2003