Alumni and affiliate-led ventures currently participating in Launch Lab X, the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab, or Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood are eligible to apply for the PIC.

If selected as a semifinalist, your venture will be placed in the appropriate alumni and affiliate track. For more information, please contact your program administrator.

Ventures led by at least one fully matriculated, degree-seeking Harvard student, from any Harvard school – including undergraduates, graduates, postdoctoral fellows, and clinical fellows – are eligible to apply for the PIC.

While we encourage collaboration with entrepreneurs, scientists, and industry executives – and welcome team members who are outside of the Harvard community – we require that a Harvard student be a founder, committed leader, and integral part of each venture. The Harvard student founder will be the primary point of contact and will be required to pitch on behalf of their venture.

We encourage scalable ventures across all industries to apply, whether selling to businesses (B2B), selling to consumers (B2C), focusing on social impact, or innovating in healthcare and life sciences.

Ventures that qualify as semifinalists typically have made substantive progress beyond the initial ideation and validation stages. Most have gained market traction, such as customers, revenue, pilots, partnerships, engaged users, or funding from professional investors or donors. High-impact biotech, life sciences, or tough tech ventures that have done substantial technology validation and initial commercialization explorations are also encouraged to apply.

Early-stage ventures that are still validating customers and ideas are also encouraged to apply — especially those with innovative approaches to solving real-world problems. The Ingenuity Award category (which distributes a total of $15,000 in prize money) recognizes select early-stage venture teams for their outstanding ideas.

We know venture competitions may feel intimidating. Please don’t count yourself out. We believe great ideas come from all of us, and we encourage founders from all backgrounds and addressing a full range of topics to apply. Redefine what’s possible for your venture — and yourself as a founder!

To see which ventures have been successful in this competition, browse past winners. If you are unsure whether your venture would qualify for the PIC, we recommend meeting with a staff advisor.

• All student ventures must submit an application by the stated application deadline to be considered (Dec. 5, 2024).
• Ventures may only submit one (1) application.
• Applicants may be listed on only one (1) application and not be part of multiple teams.
• For student applicants, one of the venture’s founders must not graduate from Harvard until May 2025 or later.
• For ventures with additional team members who are not Harvard affiliates, the Harvard founder must submit the application and serve as the primary point of contact.
• If selected as a finalist, the venture's Harvard founder must pitch in person at the awards ceremony on May 7, 2025.
  
• Use of the i-lab and its resources will be subject to the i-lab’s Terms of Use.
• Ventures or team members may be removed from an i-lab program and/or the President’s Innovation Challenge at the discretion of i-lab staff.
• The limit for capital raised is $750,000 or less in dilutive funding. Ventures that have raised more than $750,000 by the stated application deadline are ineligible to participate.
• Ventures that have won a $75,000 or $25,000 PIC prize within the past two years, across any track, are not eligible to participate in the PIC.

The Alumni + Affiliates Healthcare + Life Sciences Track is open to ventures in Launch Lab X, the Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood, or the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab that are improving the efficacy of healthcare services, including therapeutics, devices, and digital health. Ventures may address a wide range of issues, from improving access to personalizing therapeutics.

The Student Healthcare + Life Sciences Track is open to any student-led venture improving the efficacy of healthcare services, including therapeutics, devices, and digital health. Ventures may address a wide range of issues, from improving access to care to personalizing therapeutics.

The Alumni + Affiliates Open Track is open to ventures in Launch Lab X, the Blavatnik Harvard Life Lab Longwood, or the Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab. These commercial enterprises could sell to businesses and/or consumers. Popular industries include education technology (whether selling to government, schools, or families), finance, e-commerce, information technology, Web3, consumer products, food and beverage, and virtual and augmented reality applications.

The Student Open Track is for student-led commercial enterprises, selling to businesses and/or consumers. Popular industries include education technology (whether selling to government, schools, or families), finance, e-commerce, information technology, climate and sustainability, Web3, consumer products, food and beverage, and virtual and augmented reality applications.

The Social Impact Student Track is open to student ventures whose success is judged on societal impact and path to scale. This may include sectors like education, social and economic inequities, public and global health, climate change and sustainability, arts and culture, and more.

The Ingenuity Awards celebrate early-stage ventures in the Student i-lab membership and recognize committed founders with innovative solutions to real-world problems that carry high potential for future impact.