THE PROFESSOR TANGLED UP IN A TECH CEO’S ‘PONZI-LIKE’ SCHEME.

The article focuses on Faiz Chowdhury, an entrepreneur whose claimed academic ties and technological innovations helped him raise nearly $27 million from investors for his startup, Disruptive Technology Innovations (DTI), before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accused him of misusing funds to support a lavish lifestyle. Chowdhury promoted breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and electric vehicle batteries, often leveraging associations with respected academics like MIT professor Ian Hunter, who denies being a formal co-founder. Despite some genuine academic collaborations and sponsored research agreements, many of Chowdhury's claims and products were exaggerated or false, leading to lawsuits alleging fraud and misappropriation of investor money. The case highlights challenges in how universities manage technology transfer and partnerships with entrepreneurs, as well as the risks of reputational damage when such collaborations fail.