Full Breakdown
Harvard Business School Launches $699 AI-Avatar Startup Bootcamp
8/24/2026, 10:05:18 PM
Core Event: AI-Powered Foundry Bootcamp Debuts
Harvard Business School (HBS) has rolled out an eight-week online bootcamp called Foundry that costs $699 per participant. The program blends weekly live sessions with faculty-led instruction and AI-generated video avatars of HBS professors and venture-capital mentors. These avatars simulate pitch meetings, sales calls and board presentations, allowing founders to rehearse repeatedly and receive instant, strict feedback.
Background & Context
The project began in 2024 as a simple chat interface for entrepreneurial advice. After an October trial revealed demand for a more guided experience, the tool was expanded and made publicly available in April. The avatars are built with technology from HeyGen, a startup specializing in AI-generated video likenesses. Harvard has tested the product with more than 100 universities across 50 states, positioning it as a way to scale instruction beyond the roughly 900 MBA seats HBS admits each year.
Key Figures & Groups
- Jeff Bussgang — co-founder of Flybridge Capital and senior lecturer at HBS.
- Katharina Rings — project director of Foundry.
- Tom Eisenman — faculty co-chair of the project.
- Harold Solomon — principal at Georgia Tech’s entrepreneurship program Quadrant-i.
- HeyGen — the AI-avatar maker.
Data & Statistics
- Tuition: $699 per founder (?960,000 won).
- Reach: tested with >100 universities in 50 states.
- Summer 2024 enrollment: about 760 founders, 45 % paying individually.
- Faculty involvement: weekly live sessions supplemented by AI agents that draw on professors’ work and broader knowledge bases.
Why It Matters / Impact
Foundry is designed to overcome HBS’s small class size, extending its expertise to a national audience of early-stage entrepreneurs. The “anytime” avatars provide continuous critique, helping participants refine pitches more efficiently than occasional human mentorship. The model signals a shift in higher-education delivery, where AI can replicate high-stakes interactions that previously required scarce faculty time.
Official Statements & Responses
Project director Katharina Rings said student feedback pushed the team toward a more structured, avatar-driven experience. Tom Eisenman noted the AI agents are programmed to be “tough,” rarely approving a startup idea on the first try, mirroring HBS’s rigorous standards. Harold Solomon emphasized that faculty can only hold a limited number of face-to-face meetings each week, making AI expansion essential. Jeff Bussgang described the avatars as “a bit creepy” but affirmed that his students enjoy interacting with them.
On-the-Ground Reports
Participants reported that the AI avatars helped them focus their pitches. Ph.D. candidate Pranav Sultania (Boston University) said the avatars pushed him to highlight a single use case for his underwater propulsion technology and appreciated the ability to practice at any hour. Entrepreneur Dragana Savic (INIA Biosciences) highlighted the board-meeting simulations as a top feature, calling them “a good way to practice.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “I can have 20, 30 meetings a week, but beyond that, I literally can’t,” — Harold Solomon, Georgia Tech’s Quadrant-i
- “AI agents are trained to provide strict feedback to the extent that they rarely approve any business ideas in the first attempt.” — Tom Eisenman, co-lead professor
What's Next
HBS plans to link Foundry graduates to a later Catalyst program and a pitch competition that awards $100,000 in funding. Future iterations may allow other universities to add avatars of their own faculty, further expanding the platform’s reach.
