Rym Baouendi is the Director of Alumni Innovation + Engagement at the i-lab.
Rym is a seasoned impact catalyst and ecosystem builder who spent the last two decades cultivating innovation for impact across disciplines (design/engineering, ecosystem building, public policy), sectors (climate/sustainability, built environment, blue economy), and geographies (North America, Europe, Middle East, and Africa). Rym began her ecosystem-building journey in her home country, Tunisia, as a social entrepreneur, by co-founding Cogite: Tunisia’s first coworking hub. Cogite was recognized by Forbes as one of the “Best Coworking Spaces on Earth”. Rym then led initiatives and advised organizations advancing entrepreneurship in Tunisia, the Middle East, and other emerging markets.
Prior to joining the i-lab, Rym was the inaugural Managing Director of WAVE, a global collective action platform accelerating regenerative solutions for the Ocean and prior to that a Senior Advisor to the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship and a Climate Advisor to pan-African PE/VC firm AfricInvest. Rym was also a founding board member of the Tunisian chapter of Endeavor and currently serves on the board of the pan-African entrepreneurship support organization Open Startup. She also mentored founders at various global startup incubators and accelerators and is equally as passionate about inspiring youth and introducing them to change-making through initiatives like Oboot, which she co-founded with her younger son.
Rym holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, a M.A.Sc in Building Engineering from Concordia University, and a dual degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture from INSA Lyon and the School of Architecture of Lyon in France. Rym is also an alumna of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program, a THNK fellow, and a BMW Responsible Leader.
