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Harvard Innovation Labs
Harvard Innovation Labs is a program for full-time Harvard students building a venture. It offers two tracks: Start It for new ideas and Build It for...
Harvard Innovation Labs
Harvard Innovation Labs is a program for full-time Harvard students building a venture. It offers two tracks: Start It for new ideas and Build It for accelerating ventures. Founded in 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts, the program has made 149 investments and has 4 portfolio exits.
General information
Firm type
University-affiliated Innovation Lab
Year founded
2011
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Boston
Corporate office
Cambridge, MA, United States
Principals
Matt Segneri
Executive Director
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Does Harvard Innovation Labs take equity in the startups it supports?
No. The labs do not take equity, charge for programming, or require any founder ownership. They operate as a free resource for Harvard students and alumni (per the firm's official communications).
How is Harvard Innovation Labs different from Harvard's venture capital funds?
Harvard Innovation Labs is a non-equity incubator and accelerator — it does not invest capital. Harvard Management Company oversees the endowment's venture investments, which are separate from Innovation Labs' programming. The labs focus on education and resource access, not financial returns.
What kinds of startups does Harvard Innovation Labs support?
The labs support ventures across all sectors — software, biotech, hardware, social enterprise — through three dedicated spaces: the i-lab for early-stage, Launch Lab for later-stage, and Life Lab for life-science ventures (per the firm's official communications).
Who qualifies to use Harvard Innovation Labs?
Any Harvard student, alumni, faculty, or staff with a venture idea can apply. The labs serve roughly 1,500 ventures per year, with no affiliation restrictions beyond the Harvard community (per public record).
What is the Harvard Life Lab?
The Pagliuca Harvard Life Lab is a wet-lab and biotech-focused space within the Innovation Labs ecosystem, opened in 2018 through a $15M gift from alumnus Stephen Pagliuca. It provides bench space, regulatory support, and equipment for life-science startups (per Harvard Gazette, 2018).
Does Harvard Innovation Labs operate globally?
No. The labs' physical operations are concentrated in Allston, Boston, and Cambridge. Some virtual programming extends to alumni globally, but there are no international campuses or physical offices.
How is the success of Harvard Innovation Labs measured?
The labs track startup survival rates, follow-on funding raised (over $20B collectively), job creation, and number of ventures launched. They do not evaluate based on internal financial returns since they do not invest (per public record).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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