Industry Education Founded 2011 | Area served Worldwide Headquarters Massachusetts | |
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Key people Jodi Goldstein
(Managing Director)
Srikant Datar (Faculty Chair)
Chris Colbert (Director of Programming) Website | ||
The Harvard innovation lab (i-lab) is a new initiative fostering team-based and entrepreneurial activities among Harvard students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and members of the Allston and Greater Boston community. The i-lab encourages entrepreneurship and innovation across the University, bringing together many cross-curricular interests, including students from Harvard Business School, Harvard College, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Harvard School of Public Health.
Contents
Administration
Gordon Jones was named the first Managing Director of the Harvard innovation lab in 2011. Jodi Goldstein is the Director of the i-lab and Professor Srikant Datar is the Faculty Chairperson. Chris Colbert is the Director of Programming and Madeline Meehan is the Director of Operations. The i-lab has approximately 14 administrative and support staff members.
Facilities
The i-lab is headquartered at 125 Western Avenue, Allston, MA 02163 on the first floor of originally was the WGBH-TV public television station headquarters. The i-lab occupies over 30,000 square feet of space that is divided into three areas: the lobby area which has a cafe and flexible seating and is open to the public, a multi-media presentation and lecture hall used to host RSVP events and a flex-space open area for registered i-lab residents.
The i-lab facilities are designed to foster entrepreneurship and team-based learning so there are lots of open spaces, 20+ reservable conference rooms, a well-stocked kitchen, and even a conference room with a treadmill to exercise on while on the computer or talking with peers.
In 2014 the facilities were extended to include the newly opened Harvard Launch Lab. The Launch Lab is a space for Alumni of Harvard Affiliated schools to continue business incubation. With access to all of the i-Lab resources, the Launch Lab acts as an extension and compliment to the facilities and is intended to allow for ongoing support of Harvard Affiliated startups. Unlike the i-Lab which is free for matriculated Harvard students, the Launch Lab functions on a pay-for-table model. One year later, the Launch lab added an addendum facility to foster 35 more teams.
Resident Ventures
Notable long term residents of the i-lab include:
Former long term residents include:
Current residents include:
Challenges
The i-lab hosts several competitions open to students across the university ("Challenges.") The Challenges are similar to traditional business plan competitions where teams submit proposals, give presentations and winners are selected by a panel of judges. There are cash and in-kind prizes awarded to Challenge winners. Past or current Challenges at the i-lab include:
Venture Incubation Program (VIP)
The Venture Incubation Program is designed to help students currently affiliated with any of the Harvard schools on their entrepreneurial ventures. The 12-week program run has Fall, Spring, and Summer cohorts. As of December 2015, 575 VIP student teams had participated. While the program does not provide funding to teams, it does provide them with access to several resources to guide them, including:
Fall 2016 VIP Cohort Statistics
Each team has one self-designated team lead. Statistics are based on the school affiliation of the team lead only.
Application Process
Teams must include at least one member who is a current, full-time, degree-seeking student at any Harvard school across the University. The application requires teams to elaborate on their venture idea, progress to date, and goals for the term of the program. Applicants must produce a short video introducing their team and idea. The acceptance rate for new VIP applicants is less than 50%. Teams who have already participated in VIP for at least one term are eligible to reapply as Renewal VIP teams. The Renewal application is much shorter, focusing on the team's biggest achievements of the past term.