MBA Experience
Entrepreneurial Support
Entrepreneurial Support
Entrepreneurial Support
Across HBS, Harvard, and Boston, there are many resources to support students interested in founding or joining a climate start-up. The resources below highlight opportunities for those looking to 1. learn about climate entrepreneurship, 2. test potential start-up ideas, 3. develop your start-up while at school, and 4. access funding for their start-ups. If you're a climate entrepreneur, you can learn more and access more resources through the iLab's Climate Innovation at Harvard page.
Learn About Climate Entrepreneurship
The classes listed below are not a comprehensive list of all entrepreneurship focused course at HBS. Instead, this list highlights classes that are particularly relevant to students interested in climate technology entrepreneurship. For a comprehensive look at all entrepreneurship focused courses, please visit the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship’s website.
HBS EC Course - Tough Tech Ventures - Joshua Lev Krieger and Jim Matheson
While tough technology has the potential to transform incumbent industries and tackle our most pressing societal issues, the tough tech ventures which design and deploy these solutions confront a number of challenges that are distinct from those faced by more mainstream startups. This course has been built from the ground up to dig deeply into these challenges and to provide impactful and actionable frameworks which build on all the tools learned so far at HBS to overcome them in order to drive impact at scale. For the full listing, click here.
HBS EC Course - Public Entrepreneurship - Mitchell Weiss
This course is designed for students who may found, join, or fund private startup companies that sell to (or around) governments to solve giant problems or who may want to become extreme innovators inside government at some point themselves. The cases feature a broad range of contemporary technology applications, and the course may be of particular interest to students curious about AI, autonomy, blockchain, sensors, crowdsourcing, platforms, and related topics. The course also tackles career questions for students who wonder how to spend time making a difference in both the private and public sectors. For the full listing, click here.
iLab Training - How to Create a Climate Venture
“How to Create a Climate Venture” focuses on five key areas: unpacking climate solutions, coming up with your idea, leveraging tools to test the viability of your idea, and connecting with fellow climate entrepreneurs to hear their stories and build your network. For the full listing, click here.
Harvard Law School Climate Solutions Living Lab
An innovative, project-oriented course in which advanced students from graduate schools across Harvard University work together in teams to design real-world practical tools for advancing climate change goals. Spring Course. Learn more here.
MIT Climate Ventures
The class gathers cross-disciplinary skills (technology, business, policy, law, etc.) to form teams around new technologies emerging out of several of MIT’s labs. Over the course of the semester, students will work with their team to build out the venture’s business and market-launch efforts. Open to Harvard Graduate students. Application due in August. Learn more here.
Advising Resources
Rock Entrepreneurs-in-Residence
EiRs come to campus 6-7 times per year to meet with students 1:1, help facilitate Rock Center programs, and work with faculty on research and course development. Students interested in climate entrepreneurship are welcome to meet.
iLab Resources - Expert Resources
You can schedule 1:1 time with seasoned experts to gain valuable knowledge and support. Browse profiles to discover the experts who are the right match for you. You can search by expert type, industry, or area of expertise – specific climate expertise is searchable in the expert type field. Experts schedule office hours once a month between September and April.
iLab Resources - Advising Resources
Whether you’re looking discuss your idea or venture, discover tools and techniques to fast track your venture, practice your pitch, or more, our amazing team of staff advisors are here to support to Harvard students and alumni.
Test Start-up Ideas
Harvard Climate Entrepreneurs Circle
A selective incubation program for high-potential ventures working to address climate change. Participants have access to world-class coaching, legal counsel, warm connections to industry leaders, and a peer group of ventures that are all working on innovative solutions to tackle climate change. Applications due in December. Learn about the range of Climate Circles Teams here.
Nucleate Eco
Nucleate is for all current academic trainees who want to launch a life-science venture and offers mentorship, feedback, networking, and up to $10,000 in funding. Applications due in November. Contact: boston@nucleate.xyz
Develop Your Start-up
Rock Summer Fellows
Secure funding for a summer well spent between your RC and EC years developing your own new venture or joining an early-stage start-up.
GreenTown Labs
A climate tech startup incubator founded by entrepreneurs that offers equipment, labs space, advice, workshops, networking opportunities, and access to investors.
The Engine Blueprint Program
Helps Tough Tech leaders navigate the commercialization process through programming concerning technology risk mitigation and experimentation planning, market discovery and selection, IP, team building, storytelling, etc. Provides participants access to The Engine team, Tough Tech founders, investors, policymakers, and representatives from major corporations.
Access Funding
HBS New Venture Competition: Tough Tech Prize
Secure funding for a summer well spent between your RC and EC years developing your own new venture or joining an early-stage start-up.
Climate and Energy Prize @ MIT
A competition for student-led climate startups where teams compete for more than $100,000 in prize money and have access to mentoring and other resources. Applications due in January.