Harvard Business School Announces Rock Accelerator Teams for 2025
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BOSTON—Harvard Business School's Rock Center for Entrepreneurship has announced 16 teams for the 2025 Rock Accelerator. The Rock Accelerator is a competitive summer track within the Rock Summer Fellows program, designed for rising second year students at HBS who are serious about building a startup. This year’s selected teams will participate in a rigorous, hands-on experience that includes weekly cohort sessions, bi-weekly one-on-one coaching, and advisory board engagements. “The Rock Accelerator is an intense, high-impact opportunity for founders to explore, test, and accelerate their ventures over 12 weeks. What sets it apart is the freedom to make bold moves—to build, break, and reinvent—all with the support of world-class programming, experienced coaches, and a vibrant community of peers,” said Thara Pillai, director of the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Participants are chosen based on the strength of their venture concept, depth of customer discovery, and a demonstrated commitment to focus, execution, and peer-driven learning. The Rock Accelerator provides the guidance, support, and accountability student founders need to move from exploration to traction. “The Rock Accelerator gives students a way to take a real shot at building something—with structure, accountability, and a community around them,” said Shikhar Ghosh, MBA Class of 1961 Professor of Management Practice of Business Administration, and faculty co-chair for the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. “It’s a fixed period where they can test an idea, work without a roadmap, and see what it actually feels like to be a founder—without having to bet everything right away.” “Many past participants have called the Rock Accelerator a turning point—the moment they truly stepped into entrepreneurship and uncovered ideas that transformed their path,” Pillai added. “If you're serious about launching something meaningful, there’s no better way to spend the summer between your first and second year at business school.” Past participants in the Rock Accelerator include Jon Staff (MBA 2016), founder and CEO of Postcard Cabins (formerly Getaway, acquired by Marriott Bonvoy), thoughtfully designed cabins for private stays in natural locations; Tess Michaels (MBA 2020), founder and CEO of Clasp (formerly Stride Funding), a fintech venture that bridges the gap between education and employment; and Pascal Kriesche (MBA 2019), co-founder of Smoodi, a self-serve smart blender for retail that requires no labor to operate. The Rock Accelerator is designed to offer one-on-one coaching and peer support for teams as they navigate the challenging tasks of launching their startup, bringing in serial entrepreneurs such as Carolyn Childers, co-founder and former CEO of Chief; Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, co-founder of Gilt and Glamsquad; and Donna Levin, co-founder of Care.com and current CEO of Babson College’s Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurship. Teams in this year’s cohort are tackling a wide range of problems—from regulatory compliance to women’s health to climate solutions—reflecting both the depth and diversity of innovation coming out of HBS. The 16 teams in the 2025 Rock Accelerator are: Acorn Calena Dave Foggy Frootful Greenlight Jade Kitchen Lifelong Health Luca IQ Lyv Health Mixed LC Media Node OvaVision RentOui ReportCaddy UpcycleX For more information, please visit the Rock Accelerator section of the Rock Summer Fellows page. |
Mark Cautela
mcautela+hbs.edu
617-495-5143
About Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.