Rock Venture Catalyst

For Founders Ready to Build

Formerly known as the Rock Summer Fellows program, the all-new Rock Venture Catalyst has been redesigned to meet the demands of today’s entrepreneurial environment.

The Rock Venture Catalyst is a summer immersion where ideas gain momentum and founders turn ambition into action. For the summer, a select group of founders set aside internships and distractions to build their ventures full time with the Rock community behind them every step of the way.

Highlights

• 4-week in-person Boston module to provide a strong foundation for growth - required

• Dedicated space and time to test and validate ideas

• Faculty-led “learning by doing” experience and Startup Fundamentals

• Guidance and insights from seasoned coaches, experts and investors

• Accountability to a strong, supportive peer community

• Summer Showcase

• Non-dilutive summer funding

Late nights turn into prototypes. Early ideas evolve through feedback, testing, and perseverance. By the end of the summer, many Fellows emerge not only with tangible progress such as customers, investors, or products but also with a renewed sense of confidence in their ability to lead, adapt, and build. The journey goes beyond the classroom, transforming potential into purpose.

The Rock Venture Catalyst program gives students the ability to pursue their ventures full time over the summer, removing financial barriers, allowing founders to focus deeply without taking on traditional internships.

Tangible outcomes:

Many Fellows leave the program with real progress such as prototypes developed, letters of intent signed, and even early-stage venture funding secured.

Why it matters:

The program serves as a powerful bridge between classroom learning and real-world execution. For many, it is a pivotal launchpad for long-term entrepreneurial success.

The Application Process

This program is very rigorous and competitive. We will be extending fellowships to 60 students for the summer of 2026. To ensure that all students are fully committed, students are required to provide a faculty recommendation from one of the faculty members from the Entrepreneurial Management Unit. The faculty member must be able to vouch for the student's entrepreneurial pursuits or speak to the student's potential as an entrepreneur. Students may also be asked to interview with the Rock Venture Catalyst admissions committee in person. Please note that only MBA students who graduate in 2027 are eligible. Joint degree students can apply any year but will only be awarded once.

Mid-Summer Checkpoint

The Rock Venture Catalyst program will also have a rigorous mid-summer review of each team. All students must be in good standing and have met all program requirements in order to receive the second tranche of funding. Students that are not in good standing at that time will be asked to leave the program.

Key Dates

• November 12: CPD Summer Fellows Info Session

• November 20: Rock Venture Catalyst Info and Panel Session

• January 5: Application portal opens for the 2026 Rock Venture Catalyst program

• March 9: Application deadline

• March 23 - 27: Applicant interviews

• March 30: Notification of decisions sent

• May 26: Boston Module Kickoff

• May 26 - June 18: Boston Module (in person attendance mandatory)

• June 18: Boston Module Celebration

• June 19 - July 30: Virtual Module (HBS Live Online Classroom)

• August 13: Rock Venture Catalyst Showcase

Hear from Our Fellows

“I thought the value of Rock was just having time to work on my startup over the summer. I was impressed by all the resources - our coach, advisory board and EIRs have been incredibly valuable in shaping our strategy and getting the right connections to investors!” —Andrea Corleto

“Thank you so much! It has honestly been a highlight for us both to be in the Rock community, collaborate with our peers, and take advantage of all the resources and experts you line up for us. I wish there was a way to postpone fall semester and extend for another 3 months.” —Jennifer Arnold

“The Rock summer program gave me the unique opportunity to carve out time to fully commit to building my venture, supported by generous funding. I found immense value in working with the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, who offered thoughtful feedback and served as trusted sounding boards throughout my journey.” —Smita Mohindra

Notes

The Rock Venture Catalyst program (formerly the Rock Summer Fellows program) is generously funded by gifts from Arthur Rock and the John F. Lebor Family, providing an opportunity for students exploring an entrepreneurial path to focus on founding a new venture.

Students interested in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) are encouraged to find internships with search funds and apply to the General Summer Fellows Joiner track. Rock Venture Catalyst does not support an ETA pathway through the Founder track.

Start-up joiners, please contact summerfellow@hbs.edu for application information and details. We encourage you to apply to the General Summer Fellows Joiner track.