Today, the Harvard Innovation Labs is opening the application for the 2025–2026 Launch Lab X (LLX), an eight-month accelerator for Harvard alumni founders who want to grow their ventures and their community.
The LLX accelerator is adaptive, milestone-based, and, most importantly, customized. The accelerator supports alumni innovators from all 13 Harvard schools, fostering a global ecosystem of entrepreneurs who are truly changing the world. Over the last seven years, LLX has grown into a leading university accelerator program, nurturing hundreds of Harvard alumni-led ventures in scaling their teams, refining their products, and expanding their customer bases.
More than 200 Harvard alumni-led ventures applied to join last year's cohort. The 19 admitted ventures represent six countries and eight Harvard schools. More than half of the ventures had a woman founder or co-founder, marking the third consecutive year that the majority of LLX ventures are women-led.
Harvard alumni founders who are interested in joining for the 2025-26 cohort are encouraged to attend an upcoming info session to learn more before applying by the May 9 deadline.
Welcoming New Leadership
In 2025, the Harvard Innovation Labs welcomed two new leaders for the Launch Lab X program, with deep expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship:
Rym Baouendi, Director, Alumni Engagement
Rym Baouendi has spent the last two decades cultivating innovation for impact across disciplines, sectors, and geographies. Baouendi began her ecosystem-building journey in her home country, Tunisia, as a social entrepreneur by co-founding Cogite, Tunisia’s first coworking hub. Cogite was recognized by Forbes as one of the “Best Coworking Spaces on Earth.” Prior to joining the i-lab, Baouendi was the inaugural managing director of WAVE, a global collective action platform accelerating regenerative solutions for the Ocean. Prior to that, she was a senior advisor to the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship as well as a climate advisor to pan-African PE/VC firm AfricInvest.
Baouendi holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, a master of applied science degree in building engineering from Concordia University, and a dual degree in civil engineering and architecture from INSA Lyon and the School of Architecture of Lyon in France. Baouendi is also an alumna of the INSEAD Social Entrepreneurship Program, a THNK fellow, and a BMW Responsible Leader.
Joanna Furgiuele, Senior Manager, Alumni Programs
Joanna Furgiuele is passionate about entrepreneurship and education, bringing experience in building partnerships, designing impactful programming, and driving operational excellence to support innovation. After moving to the Boston area, Furgiuele worked at a business accelerator, developing programs to equip early-stage entrepreneurs with essential skills and networks. Most recently, she served as a fundraiser and grant writer, securing funding for youth programs—including entrepreneurship initiatives—at a local chapter of a global nonprofit.
Furgiuele earned her bachelor’s in biology and ecology from the University of Montana. She then pursued an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University.
Thara Pillai has taken leave from her position at the Harvard Innovation Labs through the 2025-26 academic year to serve as director of the Harvard Business School’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. With nearly two decades of experience in entrepreneurship, business development, and media, Pillai has played a pivotal role in shaping the Harvard Innovation Labs’ alumni accelerator since joining the university innovation center in 2019. As she steps into her role at the Rock Center, Pillai will bring her deep expertise in advising startups and venture community building to further advance the Center’s mission of supporting entrepreneurial students, alumni, and faculty across HBS.
