Michael Burtov

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Michael Burtov is a serial venture-backed entrepreneur who has grown multiple startups from initial ideas to millions in revenue and venture funding. He has appeared on Shark Tank, and his work has been covered in hundreds of major media outlets. He is also the subject of mini-documentaries by Discovery Channel and CNN’s “Great Big Story.” Additionally, Michael has worked with hundreds of high-growth startups to scale and fundraise, directly and through his involvement with leading innovation organizations, including Harvard Business School, Harvard Innovation Labs, and the MIT Enterprise Forum. He is also the author of “The Evergreen Startup,” a popular book on early-stage startup fundraising. He holds multiple patents and has received several awards for his work, including the Edison Universe Edison Award, the TIME Magazine Best Inventions Award, The Business Journals Top Inventor Award, Brandeis University Alumni Entrepreneur Award, and the TechCrunch Disrupt Wildcard Award.

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Permissionless innovation: How to survive the Wild West of entrepreneurship

The history of American permissionless innovation is checkered, and in many ways resembles today’s emerging Asian innovation economies. In its early years, America was a hotbed of intellectual piracy and technology smuggling, particularly in the textile industry, acquiring both machines and skilled machinists in violation of British export and…

Apr 11, 202305 min read

Are startup accelerators a bad idea for immigrant tech entrepreneurs?

Two weeks ago, an alumna of Y-Combinator (a leading U.S. startup accelerator) went viral with her account of shutting down her startup, as well as the mental health challenges that many founders face, and the subsequent friction she experienced with Y-Combinator. Her article struck a chord with me. Having…

Apr 3, 202324 min read