Eligibility Considerations
-
01
Alumni Status
Applicants must have graduated from a degree-granting program and have Harvard alumni status, which is confirmed before acceptance letters are sent. Postdoctoral students are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
-
02
Venture Stage
Your pre-seed to seed-stage venture should be working towards product-market fit. Admitted ventures may have achieved some of the following milestones: monetization as proof of demand, an ongoing or completed pilot study, and/or meaningful feedback and traction from end-users.
-
03
Past Participation
Alumni who have participated previously in other i-lab programs – such as the Student i-lab membership, Climate Circle, Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, and the President's Innovation Challenge – as well as those new to the Harvard Innovation Labs are both welcome to apply.
Our goal is to accept ventures at similar stages. If you are just developing your idea, exploring potential customers, or validating the problem, you are likely too early in your journey to join LLX at this time.
Additional Eligibility Requirements
- Teams must have at least one Harvard alum as a full-time founder; the Harvard founder cannot be working in another role or capacity.
- Teams must demonstrate that they have funding to sustain their ventures for the six-month program.
- Ventures must have less than $2 million in revenue. In addition, they may not have raised more than $2.5 million (not including grants) in total debt/invested equity capital. Ventures must meet both criteria. Invested capital is defined as funding appearing on the plan’s balance sheet at the time the application is submitted. Ventures must disclose any prior funding received at the time of application.
- Harvard investors are not eligible to apply unless they are identified as a founder or cofounder who holds a majority stake in the venture and is involved full-time in day-to-day operations.
- The Harvard founder must be present at all events and be the pitch lead.
- Investment funds, acquisitions, and consulting services are not deemed “ventures” and are not eligible.
- Previous Launch Lab and Launch Lab X participants cannot apply with the same venture.
- The Harvard Innovation Labs reserves the right to remove an individual or team that violates the rules or spirit of the program. This decision is final and binding.
As a woman founder of color in FinTech, I sometimes feel out of place and lonely, but my LLX cohort and the Harvard Innovation Labs team remind me every day (with so much positivity, light, and enjoyment!) that I’m right where I belong.
Rebecca Kersch Founder, TANGGapp![Rebecca kersch presenting at 2023 PIC ceremony]()
Application Tips
- Remember that our application reviewers come from a diverse range of backgrounds. If you have a sophisticated venture or are entering a new space, please take care to fully explain the breadth and scope of your venture. It’s important to highlight how big the market opportunity is for your venture, the unit economics, and how you will generate revenue. Most importantly, we want to understand why you want to join the program and how you plan to contribute to the LLX community now and into the future.
- Provide high-level financial projections; we do not need to see your financial accounting. What are the key drivers of business economics (e.g., price points, margins, customer acquisition costs)? What do you anticipate as the primary cost/revenue streams? Please define your assumptions so it is clear that you have developed a realistic model. Upload any financial projections on the Portfolio tab.
