A Home for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Harvard
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A Home for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Harvard Welcome. The Harvard Innovation Labs are a vibrant, cross-disciplinary ecosystem for the Harvard community to explore innovation and entrepreneurship while building deeper connections. The Labs are an excellent example of the One Harvard vision and a leading catalyst for the Allston Science and Enterprise District. The Harvard Innovation Labs began in 2011 with the opening of the i-lab, expanded in 2014 when the Launch Lab opened its doors, and will continue to grow in both breadth and depth with future resources, including a Wet Lab which comes online in 2016 (projected). The Harvard i-lab The i-lab is the central component of the Harvard Innovation Labs ecosystem. It is an educational collaborative for all current Harvard students from any Harvard school to explore innovation and entrepreneurship at any stage. It provides open co- working space, a vibrant community of peer and mentor support, experiential programming, and a 12-week Venture Incubation Program helping student teams take their ideas as far as they can go. The Harvard Launch Lab The Launch Lab is a critical extension of the growing Harvard Innovation Labs ecosystem. It provides eligible Harvard alumni leading high-potential early- stage startups with a curated community including collaborative co-working space, business building programming, and access to i-lab advisors and mentors. It fosters continued connection between alumni, current students and the Harvard community as a whole. Moving Further, Faster There has never been a better time to be a part of innovation at Harvard. The Harvard Innovation Labs have an unprecedented opportunity to continue to shape cross-disciplinary collaboration at Harvard and serve as a catalyst to solving society’s most pressing needs through innovation and entrepreneurship. Please join us. 3,800 That’s how many different events the Harvard Innovation Labs have hosted for innovation-minded students and entrepreneurial members of the public since 2011. These events included: faculty-led courses, workshops, 1:1 business-advising/ counseling meetings, and educational seminars taught by i-lab Community Partner organizations. STUDENT VISITS UNIQUE TEAMS IN VENTURE INCUBATION PROGRAM More than More than 175,000 575 over 12 34% residency terms Harvard College students 33% HBS students JANUARY 2012 – 33% DECEMBER 2015 other Harvard students NEARLY $1.5 MILLION IN PRIZE MONEY FOR THE HARVARD LAUNCH LAB HARVARD PRESIDENT’S AND DEANS’ CHALLENGES 950 30 teams participated Companies in 12 challenges 50% EVENT BREAKDOWN Female Founders More than 104,000 3.9 event attendees events per day TOTAL VISITS TO THE I-LAB STARTUP WEEKENDS HOSTED SINCE OPENING ventures 475 80 tested 202,000 student participants REACH OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SOCIAL MEDIA 1,750,000 STUDENT ADVISING SESSIONS total visits to the i-lab website since October, 2011 Nearly 500,000 1,350 unique visitors to the i-lab website since October, 2011 one-on-one meetings with Experts-in-Residence 125,000 people reached in total each month, via i-lab website, 100+ Facebook, Twitter, and email accounts Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, Mentors, and Alumni Advisors 6,600 students attending meetings HARVARD LAUNCH LAB 4 STARTUP CAREER FAIRS HOSTED Founders from More than More than 8 different Harvard schools 4,600 400 student attendees startups in attendance 8,500 COMPANIES IN MARKET Square Feet More than 130 75 $250,000,000 Work stations companies in market raised Student Stories Our student and alumni entrepreneurs are the vibrant lifeblood of the ecosystem. Here are a few of their stories that share how student ventures have benefited from all that we offer. Jordan DeGraaf Harvard College ---- Trignis, Inc. Building a smarter BBQ smoker. Q How did you get started at the Q What’s the #1 resource you use Q If you had to give another i-lab? most at the Harvard Innovation student one piece of advice to A What started off as a course Lab? Why is/was it so useful? get the most out of the i-lab, what project quickly began morphing into A For us, our number one resource would it be? something more serious. We quickly has been the i-lab programming staff. A Try to meet as many people as needed a place to work, learn, and We really enjoy the Expert Office possible, and ask more questions grow as we worked on our new Hours, but when we just need general than you think you should. When we company. When we saw the VIP advice and a plan of attack, the i-lab first started, I didn’t want to bother application, we were excited by the staff is always there to answer our anyone with my trivial questions, opportunity to work in a space where questions, brainstorm with us, and and would struggle for way too long so many new ideas are taking off, and point us in the right direction. before asking for help. This mindset where we could easily connect to a does not work in the i-lab. Reach out range of opportunities and resources. Q What’s next for you and your early and often and you’ll learn so We applied because we needed a venture? much from everyone around you. working space, but quickly realized A We are working on a redesign, how much more the i-lab offers in raising a round of funding, fine-tuning Q Anything we missed? Feel free to terms of resources and connections. our design, and outsourcing a new wax poetic here… prototype to do user testing. A lot A iLove the i-lab. going on all at once. Tess Brooks Harvard Business School ---- Confi Designing an online platform to connect women to help about intimate topics. Q How did you get started at the Q What’s the #1 resource you use Q If you had to give another stu- i-lab? most at the Harvard Innovation dent one piece of advice to get the A I first came up with my business Lab? Why is/was it so useful? most out of the i-lab, what would idea in March and I started going A I love the space itself. It’s wonderful it be? to the workshops, Expert Office having a space to meet with my A I would recommend being very Hours, and meeting other students. team and be surrounded by other vocal about what you’re working I immediately found the i-lab to be entrepreneurs. I find it much easier to on and where you need help (e.g. my main resource in getting my be productive here than at home or in tell everyone that you’re trying to business up and running. Every step a cafe and am constantly meeting new learn about SEO or are looking for of the way I’ve felt really supported: people from the different graduate interns), and you’ll be surprised by the free legal office hours helped me schools. Socially, it’s fun getting to how quickly you’ll be pointed in form an LLC, the intern roundtable know people with a similar interest in the right direction. There are a lot helped me find great summer college entrepreneurship, and professionally, of workshops (Entrepreneurs-in- interns, Matt told me about the HBS people I’ve met here have told me Residence sessions, Boston events, Rock Fellowship (which provided me about new resources and introduced and other student teams to meet), and with funding for the summer), Alice me to really helpful contacts. it can feel difficult keeping track of introduced me to an OB/GYN who is everything, so the more you can help now our main expert adviser, I met Q What’s next for you and your others the more they will help you. a fellow i-labber (Tat) at the coffee venture? machine who has given me a ton A I’m going to keep working on Confi Q Anything we missed? Feel free to of web design advice, and I’m now throughout next year out of the i-lab wax poetic here… working here full-time this summer. and will work on it as an Independent A You don’t have to be a fully Project at the Business School. developed business to start using the Our focus this summer has been i-lab. It can feel a little intimidating on building out great content and at first seeing all the teams that are this fall we’ll switch gears to focus so far along, but it’s never too late to on spreading the word at university start, and all the teams were "just an campuses and testing revenue idea" at one point (and you can learn models. from them!). You’re welcome here even if you’re just starting out. Q What’s next for you and your on them, and let them help you find venture? the people you need to talk to. If A Aldatu recently moved into they don’t know the right person, Lab|Central, a life science incubator they definitely know someone who David Raiser in Cambridge just down the road does. And do the VIP and the Deans’ Harvard Medical School from the i-lab. (This move was largely or President’s Challenges – even if ---- necessitated by our need for lab you’re not successful, participating space.) We’re taking our recent funding will light the proverbial fire under Aldatu Biosciences successes (a large NIH grant and some your asses to finally get serious about Improving access to effective HIV business plan competition awards) and your venture and business plan. patient care worldwide with better, developing an affordable diagnostic kit faster, and cheaper diagnostic tools.