Marina Hatsopoulos – Entrepreneur & Author
There are scientists devoted to knowledge and entrepreneurs devoted to the market. Marina Hatsopoulos moves effortlessly between both worlds — and, most importantly, at the point where they meet. Where research ceases to be theoretical and becomes a force for real change.
Based in Boston and rooted at MIT, where she teaches Entrepreneurship for Hardware Startups to mechanical engineers, she tries to help young scientists see beyond the laboratory.
“I teach entrepreneurship to mechanical engineers so they can explore the possibility of bringing their research to market, understand what that entails, and how it can change the world,” she explains.
Not by abandoning science, but by expanding it.
“Many researchers do not realize the impact their work could have if it found its way into the marketplace,” she notes. For her, entrepreneurship is not a commercial compromise — it is a social responsibility.
Her professional trajectory reflects this philosophy. As founding CEO of Z Corporation, one of the first MIT spin-offs in 3D printing, she was at the forefront of a technological revolution long before it became mainstream. Later, through board roles in public and private high-tech companies, she gained deep insight into how innovations scale — or fail.
“STEM offers tremendous opportunities for exciting careers”
Today, as Chair of the Board of Levitronix Technologies, a global leader in bearingless magnetic levitation motors, she continues to support technologies that require patience, market education, and long-term vision. At the same time, she is President of the Hellenic Innovation Network which acts as a bridge between Greek innovation and the U.S. ecosystem, offering access, mentorship, and realism to startups.
She regularly speaks about entrepreneurship at MIT, Brown, and other institutions, and her profile has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Boston Business Journal, and Technology Review.
Her articles have been published in VentureBeat, The Observer, CEO World Magazine, Design News, Time Compression Technologies, and Jumpstart.
She does not romanticize entrepreneurship. She describes it as demanding, often lonely, and filled with rejection. “The more radical an idea is, the harder it is to convince others of its value,” she says. Failure, for her, is not an exception but a daily reality — and a powerful learning tool.
The key is not to internalize it as personal failure, but to transform it into information. Beyond technology, she maintains an active relationship with art and creative writing. A graduate of Brown University in Mathematics and Music and holder of a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, she embodies a rare synthesis of analytical thinking and creativity.
Based in Boston, she is also deeply involved with startup communities in Athens and Milan.
Her message to the next generation — especially to girls considering a path in STEM — is simple and essential:try. Enter the field, because there are tremendous opportunities for exciting careers.
