Harvard Business School has introduced a $699 online startup bootcamp featuring AI clones of its faculty, allowing founders to rehearse investor pitches, sales calls, and board meetings. The eight-week program, part of HBS Foundry, offers personalized AI mentorship modeled on seven professors and senior lecturers. Since its launch, 760 founders have participated, with the program culminating in a chance to pitch for $100,000, according to fortune.com.
The AI faculty clones can hear the same pitch multiple times and provide consistent feedback, enabling founders to practice extensively before real meetings. Participation by professors was voluntary, involving interviews, recording sessions, and ongoing feedback to ensure quality. Kat Rings, Foundry’s director, explained that the AI experiences were developed in response to founders’ requests for more practice opportunities to make mentor and investor conversations more meaningful, per fortune.com.
This initiative reflects a growing trend in entrepreneurship education, where AI tools supplement traditional mentorship to enhance founder readiness. Harvard’s approach is notable for integrating AI versions of established faculty with expertise in venture capital, business model design, and startup strategy. The program’s $100,000 pitch prize and the involvement of seasoned instructors position it as a competitive offering within the startup training landscape, according to fortune.com.
The bootcamp has already engaged 760 founders, demonstrating demand for AI-enhanced entrepreneurial training. Harvard’s Foundry continues to expand its AI-native digital workspace, aiming to provide scalable mentorship solutions. The program’s next cohort details and investor pitch dates have not been disclosed, as reported by fortune.com.