Harvard Innovation Labs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harvard Innovation Labs
IndustryEducation
Founded2011
Headquarters
Boston
Key people
Matthew M. Segneri
(executive director)
Srikant Datar (faculty chair)
Websitehttps://innovationlabs.harvard.edu/

faHarvard Innovation Labs (i-Lab) is an institution which aims to promote team-based and entrepreneurial activities among Harvard students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and members of the Allston and Greater Boston communities.[1] The i-Lab's mission is to bring together students from Harvard's various schools to foster innovation across the University.

Administration[]

Gordon Jones was named the inaugural director of the i-Lab in 2011.[2] Jodi Goldstein succeeded Jones in 2015 and served in the position through the 2019-20 academic year. The current executive director of the i-Lab is Matthew M. Segneri who most recently served as director of the Social Enterprise Initiative at Harvard Business School before succeeding Goldstein in 2020. [3] Professor Srikant Datar serves as faculty chairperson. The i-Lab has approximately 14 administrative and support staff members.[4]

Facilities[]

The i-Lab is headquartered at 125 Western Avenue, Allston, MA 02163. The i-Lab occupies over 30,000 square feet of space divided into three areas: the lobby area which is open to the public, a multi-media lecture hall used to host RSVP events, and a flex-space open area for registered i-Lab residents. The i-Lab also has more than 20 reservable conference rooms and a stocked kitchen.

In 2014, the facilities were extended to include the Harvard Launch Lab,[5] a space for Harvard alumni to continue business incubation. Unlike the i-Lab, which is free for Harvard students, the Launch Lab functions on a pay-for-table model. In 2015, the Launch lab added an addendum facility to foster 35 more teams.[6]

Challenges[]

The i-Lab hosts several competitions open to students across the university ("Challenges"). The Challenges are similar to traditional business plan competitions in which teams submit proposals, give presentations, and are judged by a panel of experts. There are cash and in-kind prizes awarded to Challenge winners. Challenges at the i-Lab include:

  • President's Challenge: The President's Challenge is designed to help students develop and execute solutions to complex systemic problems facing the world. Past winners and finalists include Vaxess Technologies[7] and SurgiBox.[8]
  • Deans' Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge: The Deans’ Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge calls upon visionary and entrepreneurial students to develop solutions for expanding the role of the arts in society and supporting arts and artists in a sustainable manner.
  • Deans' Health and Life Sciences Challenge: The Deans’ Health and Life Sciences Challenge encourages students from across the University to find entrepreneurial solutions to the task of delivering affordable health.

Venture Incubation Program[]

The Venture Incubation Program (VIP) is open to full-time degree-seeking students and select alumni of any of the Harvard schools that are working on an entrepreneurial or innovative ventures.[9] The 12-week program has fall, spring, and summer cohorts. As of November 2018, 1,146 VIP student teams have participated.[10] In the first half of 2020, several VIP teams played significant roles in addressing the COVID-19 global pandemic, from making personal protection equipments (PPE) to providing key economic data for the Harvard COVID-19 Business Impact Center.[11][12][13] While the program does not provide funding to teams, it does provide them with:

  • Shared co-working space
  • Private workshops
  • Industry-specific roundtables
  • Mentor-matching program
  • Founder Dinners with visiting entrepreneurs
  • Exclusive Office Hours with guest experts
  • i-Lab Staff Advisor
  • Technical resources including hosting credits
  • Access to an Augmented Reality Studio
  • Access to a hardware prototyping lab

Fall 2016 Venture Incubation Program Cohort Statistics[14][]

Teams by Industry
Venture Industry Number of Teams
Consumer & Business 37
Health & Sciences 18
Social Impact & Cultural Innovation 26
Total 81
Teams by Harvard Affiliation
School Number of Teams
Harvard Business School 26
Harvard College 18
Harvard Kennedy School of Government 11
Harvard Medical School 4
Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences 4
Harvard Law School 4
Harvard School of Public Health 2
Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences 3
Harvard Graduate School of Education 3
Harvard Graduate School of Design 2
Harvard Extension School 2
Harvard Divinity School 1
Harvard School of Dental Medicine 1
Total 81

Each team has one self-designated team lead. Statistics are based on the school affiliation of the team lead only.

References[]

  1. ^ "Take a tour of Harvard's i-Lab (Boston.com 02-19-2013)". The Boston Globe.
  2. ^ "Harvard Innovation Lab Appoints Director (Xconomy 04-29-2011)".
  3. ^ "Harvard University Appoints Matt Segneri New Executive Director of I-Lab - News - Harvard Business School". www.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  4. ^ "Harvard Innovation Lab Website: Our Staff (i-lab.harvard.edu 06-16-2016)".
  5. ^ "First look: Harvard's new Launch Lab, a home for alumni startups (betaboston.com 06-16-2016)".
  6. ^ "First look: Harvard's Launch Lab turns one, adds space for 35 more alumni startups (betaboston.com 06-16-2016)".
  7. ^ "10 finalists in President's Challenge".
  8. ^ "Harvard i-lab honors student innovators - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  9. ^ "Venture Incubation Program – The Harvard Innovation Lab". Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  10. ^ "Apply for the i-Lab's Spring 2016 Venture Incubation Program". 2015-12-11. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  11. ^ "Two weeks of sleepless nights turn 3D card maker into PPE provider". Lovepop. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  12. ^ Library, HBS Baker. "Read emerging HBS faculty research and insights on COVID-19's impact on the economy". www.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  13. ^ Library, HBS Baker. "Global Policy Tracker | Baker Library | Bloomberg Center | Harvard Business School". www.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  14. ^ Venture Team Profiles Booklet, Fall 2016

External links[]

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