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.

Ventures that qualify for the PIC typically have made substantive progress beyond the initial ideation and validation stages. They usually 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.

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 Health Care + Life Sciences Track for alumni and affiliates 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 health care services, including therapeutics, devices, and digital health. Ventures may address a wide range of issues, from improving access to personalizing therapeutics.

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

The Open Track for alumni and affiliates 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 Open Student 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, Web3, consumer products, food and beverage, and virtual and augmented reality applications.

The Social Impact Student Track is open to student ventures that make our planet safer, more equitable, sustainable, and beautiful. The critical sectors these ventures address include social and economic inequities, climate change and sustainability, education, preservation of arts and culture, and more.

The Ingenuity Awards celebrate early-stage ventures in the Student i-lab membership and recognize committed founders with high-potential ideas that could be world-changing.