Fuel Your Entrepreneurial Passion
The Harvard Business School (HBS) community is a place where students are encouraged and inspired to pursue their entrepreneurial passions. There is a vast ecosystem of resources that supports the unique needs of innovators both inside and outside the classroom.
The global perspectives brought together in the HBS immersive learning environment drive a constant flow of dynamic ideas, leading to true change and lasting impact.
Given our longtime legacy of entrepreneurship with over 50% of our graduates who create at least one new venture, we continue to support our alumni with robust programming for collaboration and lifelong learning.
#1 Pitchbook Ranking for 2023:
Female Founders / Number of Founders / Companies Founded / Capital Raised
Rock Center for Entrepreneurship
The Rock Center for Entrepreneurship supports students in their entrepreneurial ambitions through a variety of programming including the annual New Venture Competition, one-on-one meetings with our expert advisors including our Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and Rock Summer Fellows.
In addition, the Rock Center supports faculty research, fellowships, symposia, conferences and alumni programming like the Rock 100, a worldwide exclusive network for Harvard Business School founders of early stage, high impact ventures.
The New Venture Competition is an annual student competition sponsored by the Rock Center and Social Enterprise Initiative. There are two tracks for HBS students to participate in: the Business Track for ventures with economic returns that drive substantial market value, and the Social Enterprise Track for ventures that drive social change using nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid models. There is also a New Venture Competition Alumni Track which serves as a launch pad for innovative new ventures from HBS alumni, providing access and exposure to potential investors, mentors, and advisors.
Loan Reduction & Summer Fellows
Rock Center, in consultation with MBA Financial Aid, eagerly supports current students who want to pursue their passion for startups during their summer in between RC and EC years as a Rock Summer Fellow. One such way is through our Rock Loan Forgiveness program, a one-time need-based award of $10,000–$20,000 to graduating MBA students who are committed to pursuing their own for-profit entrepreneurial ventures.
Career & Professional Development (CPD)
CPD offers personalized career advice, opportunities to work one on one with 100+ career coaches, programming on various industries, workshops on interviewing skills, resumes, and cover letters. Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Venture Capital Partners and Legal Experts are also available by appointment.
New Venture Competition
Pitch your concept and get feedback, mentorship and a chance at $210,000 in prize money.
Courses
The entrepreneurial courses at HBS provide the foundation for understanding the processes, finances and context of entrepreneurship. They bridge the gap from the theoretical to the practical and offer invaluable takeaways for the real world of startups.
Students take a variety of entrepreneurship courses throughout both the Required Curriculum (RC) and Elective Curriculum (EC). There are 35 faculty members in the Entrepreneurial Management unit, one of the largest teaching units.
First year (RC) students can participate in Startup Bootcamp, an immersion program where you join a team and work alongside 150 students as you learn how to launch a new venture.
Harvard Innovation Labs
The Harvard Innovation Labs are a resource available to all current students from any Harvard school who are looking to explore innovation and entrepreneurship at any stage. They provide all the physical and intellectual resources students need to develop and grow, including one-to-one advising, office hours with industry experts, workshops, an incubator program, and a competition.
Boston & Cambridge
Students can take advantage of opportunities across Boston and Cambridge to attend local events, hackathons, groups, and conferences. Boston is one of the largest cities for startups in the U.S. with venture investment growing year-after-year, making it a breeding ground for innovative ideas to grow into new ventures.
I look at the startup journey as the next 10, 20, 30 years, and what HBS really gives you is a community of friends to go through it with. Startups can be really lonely but I don’t feel that way now.
Cathy Han , MBA 2020Co-Founder, 42 Technologies, Inc.
