Harvard alumni across the globe will now have access to a new accelerator for early-stage ventures.
The accelerator was created by Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs and Pegasus Tech Ventures, a global venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley, to scale startups founded by Harvard graduates into high-growth companies. The 10-week virtual program is set to kick off next month and is recruiting applicants.
“Since our beginning, HAE has been committed to providing alumni entrepreneurs all over the world with the support and resources needed to succeed,” Regina Ryan, president of Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, said in a press release. “That is why we have partnered with Pegasus Tech Ventures and purposely designed the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator as a virtual accelerator — to democratize access and give all our alumni the best training that Boston and Silicon Valley have to offer.”
Startups will participate in a series of trainings on business growth tools, as well as workshops to apply these concepts to their companies. Topics will include financial projections and funding strategy, building a marketing and sales engine and the pathway to scale and profitability. The accelerator plans to use a peer-mentoring process to build connections between participants and to create an online community of entrepreneurs and faculty mentors that continues after the 10-week program.
“We see this collaboration as an opportunity to develop a global community of entrepreneurs supporting each other to build companies that will generate value and stimulate innovation in all corners of the world,” said Bill Reichert, a partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures and a Harvard College graduate.
Each startup will present to industry experts and investors during a demo day at the end of the program. One Harvard startup will then be selected to compete for a $1 million prize at the Startup World Cup championship event in San Francisco in September 2022.
The program is currently accepting applications from companies with at least one founder with a Harvard degree. Startups across all industries and geographies are eligible for the accelerator, but those with outside funding and an initial product and customers will receive preferential treatment during the selection process. Up to 10 startups will be chosen to participate in the program’s first cohort starting next month.
Interested entrepreneurs can attend an information session on Thursday, January 13 at 9 a.m. ET.
