MIT has renamed its Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship to the MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship. This was from a major gift from alumni Sayuri and Craig Sharper. This marks a renewed focus on supporting innovation-led entrepreneurship in growth markets—especially Africa.
Announced at the Prosperity Through Entrepreneurship conference. The name change highlights the center’s goal: to empower entrepreneurs as key drivers of economic growth. The center is dedicated to helping innovators tackle real-world problems, build scalable solutions. They will also be able to integrate Africa and similar markets into the global tech and knowledge economy.
“The Sharpers’ gift allows MIT to deepen its impact across Africa,” said MIT Sloan Interim Dean Georgia Perakis. “We’re ushering in a new era of visionary entrepreneurship.”
Africa’s Entrepreneurs at the Forefront of Transformation
Since 2007, the center has supported over 400 student fellows from 67 countries. This support was through $10.5 million in tuition aid, leading to 286 ventures 75% still active today. African entrepreneurs have been central, launching transformative businesses in sectors like fintech, health, energy, and deep tech.
MIT Kuo Sharper Centre will grow its core programs. Including fellowships, off-campus bootcamps, and global partnerships to expand research, attract investment, and support sustainable development.
“This change is more than symbolic,” said Executive Director Dina Sherif. “It reflects a shift in mindset—recognizing African entrepreneurs as global innovators.”
With leaders from across the continent meeting at the center’s annual conference in April 2025, the focus is clear: unleash Africa’s full entrepreneurial potential and shape a more inclusive, innovative global future.
The MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship is a trusted space for entrepreneurs and ecosystem players, dedicated to advancing innovation-driven entrepreneurship in global growth markets. Through leadership and venture building education, tailored mentorship, and exposure to a dynamic, global community, the Center creates space for entrepreneurs to acquire the right tools to build and scale impactful ventures that tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. It also brings together key stakeholders to co-create solutions to support sustainable prosperity across global growth markets.
Through its work, the Center is intentionally reshaping the narrative around growth markets, or what is more commonly referred to as ‘emerging markets’ or the ‘Global South.’ Our goal is to highlight the vast potential of growth markets, positioning them as places of abundance, dynamism, opportunity and innovation.
