Harvard i-lab

Harvard i-lab
Name	Harvard i-lab
Founded	2011
Location	Allston, Massachusetts
Type	University-based startup incubator
Parent organization	Harvard University

Harvard i-lab The i-lab is an innovation incubator linked to Harvard University that supports entrepreneurial ventures originating from Harvard affiliates. It provides mentorship, workspace, and programming that connect students, faculty, and alumni with investors, industry leaders, and civic institutions. Founded in the early 2010s, the i-lab has hosted companies, nonprofit projects, and research commercialization initiatives that intersect with technology, healthcare, finance, and social impact sectors.

History

The i-lab was established amid institutional efforts involving Derek Bok, Lawrence Summers, Drew Faust, Claudine Gay, and leaders from Harvard Business School, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard School of Public Health. Its opening in 2011 occurred during concurrent development projects tied to Allston planning and partnerships with municipal stakeholders such as City of Boston and regional actors including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and MIT Media Lab collaborators. Early programming drew on models from Y Combinator, Techstars, and incubators at Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley, while grant and gift support referenced donors associated with The Rockefeller Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and alumni foundations like Harvard Alumni Association. Over subsequent years the i-lab expanded through initiatives influenced by accelerators at Columbia University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and corporate partners including Google, Microsoft, and General Electric.

Mission and Programs

The i-lab mission aligns with priorities articulated by Harvard University leadership and centers such as Harvard Innovation Labs affiliates, aiming to catalyze ventures across sectors represented by schools like Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Graduate School of Design. Core programs emulate fellowships and accelerators similar to Startup Bootcamp, 500 Startups, and university programs at Princeton University and Yale University. Offerings include mentorship drawn from networks including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bain Capital, and executives from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Amazon, and Facebook. Topic-focused cohorts have covered biotechnology linked to Broad Institute, energy ventures tied to Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and social enterprises collaborating with Ashoka and Skoll Foundation partners.

Facilities and Resources

Physical space in Allston and Cambridge provides lab benches, prototyping shops, and conference rooms comparable to facilities at MIT.nano, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and hospital-affiliated labs at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Resources include access to patent and legal advising informed by connections to WilmerHale, Goodwin Procter, and in-house counsel modeled after counsel at Harvard Office of Technology Development. Startup services leverage investor networks featuring Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bessemer Venture Partners, and angel groups akin to Boston Angel Club. Programming uses digital platforms similar to Crunchbase, PitchBook, and collaboration tools comparable to Slack and GitHub.

Governance and Funding

Governance structures reflect collaboration among deans from Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with oversight practices resembling boards at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Funding has come from university allocations, philanthropic gifts linked to donors such as members of the Harvard Corporation and trustees comparable to benefactors at Yale Corporation, supplemented by corporate sponsorships from IBM, Siemens, and Goldman Sachs. Endowment-like support channels mirror mechanisms used by Harvard Management Company while grant relationships have intersected with agencies like the National Science Foundation and foundations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Notable Alumni and Startups

Alumni enterprises emerging from the i-lab have included ventures in biotechnology, software, education, and social impact, drawing comparisons with startups from Harvard Business School and incubators at Stanford. Companies associated with the i-lab have pursued partnerships with institutions such as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, and corporate pilots with IBM Watson and Amazon Web Services. Founders and advisors have included alumni and faculty who previously worked at Google, Facebook, Tesla, Microsoft Research, and venture firms like Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners. Several teams have progressed to accelerator programs at Y Combinator, Techstars, and investment rounds involving Andreessen Horowitz and GV.

Community and Outreach

The i-lab engages local and global communities through events and competitions modeled on MIT 100K Competition, Harvard President's Challenge, and forums akin to TED Conference and South by Southwest. Outreach partners include civic organizations such as City of Boston initiatives, nonprofit networks like Ashoka and Skoll Foundation, and educational collaborations with institutions such as Boston University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Public programming has featured speakers and mentors from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, leading entrepreneurs from Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, and policy figures formerly associated with United States Department of Commerce and international organizations including World Bank.

Category:Harvard University