
innovation labs
Venture Program – Build It
Building an incredible team? Tested your idea with users? Already building a loyal customer base?
The Build It Venture Program is for Harvard-student led ventures that have reached this critical stage in their development and would benefit from one-on-one advising and mentoring tailored to their specific needs.
In the Build It Program, you’ll gain an in-house advisor who can guide you through all the tough parts of building a venture. You can also choose to be matched with a mentor with real-world expertise who can help you understand today’s professional landscape.
Based on the direction of your venture – whether in social entrepreneurship, healthcare and life sciences, consumer goods and services, or technology and B2B – you’ll be matched with an in-house i-lab advisor who’s with you for every step of the way as you bring your venture into the world!
Pair with an entrepreneur or specialist in your field who can guide your venture’s progress based on your unique goals and needs.
Schedule one-on-one meetings with entrepreneurs, lawyers, funders, and other specialists for advice rooted in real-world experience.
Connect with industry experts who can form your venture’s essential network.
Build It Founders can attend both Build It and Start It workshops, giving you a complete set of foundational knowledge that will help you take your venture to the next level. Program topics include:
The colleagues and friends you make in the Venture Program can help you think through (and challenge) your ideas, and help support you through your frustrations AND your wins!
Whether we’re meeting in-person or virtually, these are a fun way to get to know fellow entrepreneurs and leaders from across Harvard!
Our roundtables allow student founders to discuss topics impacting their ventures in an intimate environment.
Practice pitching in front of an audience of peers who can offer feedback and even open up possible collaborations.
Get to know your fellow Build It founders in these informal, fun, virtual events!
After graduation, Build It ventures are eligible to apply for the Harvard Innovation Labs alumni and professional labs to continue their venture within the Harvard i-labs ecosystem. Learn more about these labs here!
There is no way the four of us would have randomly come together at the same time in our lives with a shared interest without having some kind of an ecosystem for that to happen.”
— Michael Schrader
Co-Founder, VAXESS
Applications for the Fall Venture Program are due January 5, 2022. Apply here.
January 5, 2022
Application Deadline
January 26, 2022
Cohort Announced
February 1, 2022
Orientation