Poorvi Vijay (MBA ’21) talks with Yasu Sasago (MBA ’20) about the startup that he and Masato Nakamura (MBA ’20) are developing. Tell us about your journey of how you thought about starting a business while studying at HBS. When I came to HBS, I knew that I wanted to try something entrepreneurial. But I…
LeverEdge, the brainchild of two HBS students, is continuing to disrupt the world of student loans. Asha Tanwar (MBA ’21) reports. With approximately $1.6 trillion in total debt outstanding and almost $9 billion of new student loans taken out in the last academic year in the United States, LeverEdge is uniquely positioned to capitalize on…
What is the problem you’re trying to solve? Institutional-quality, real-time financial market data is not affordable or accessible to individual end-users unless they (or the organization they are affiliated with) can afford to shell out tens of thousands of dollars for data charged by legacy providers. Olivier Porte and Steve Zheng (both MBA ‘18) are…
What are the greatest high-tech products and services ever launched? Apple’s iPhone? Tesla Model S? Amazon Web Services? Adobe Photoshop? Windows XP? How about the groundbreaking Netscape Navigator? This past year, Silicon Valley technology product leaders launched a Product Leader Summit series hosted by Spero Ventures and sponsored by The Omidyar Network, Women in Product…
With Round 1 MBA admissions in the books and Round 2 underway, we are now seeing the mix of HBS campus visitors shift from Class of 2020 hopefuls toward Class of 2021 prospects. For many, the decision to apply entails weighing benefits of the MBA—facilitating personal and professional growth, gaining access to a strong brand…
“There is no failure,” said Professor Mark Roberge on our last day of Harvard Business School’s Startup Bootcamp. “There’s only learning.” We – the Startup Bootcampers, a group of 188 first-year HBS students eager to immerse ourselves in entrepreneurship – had been preparing for the week-long HBS Startup Bootcamp since last October. My team, comprised…
Over January 12-19, 188 first-year MBA candidates participated in the 2018 HBS Startup Bootcamp. Below, you can hear from 26 Bootcamp teams directly about their startup ideas, their greatest lessons learned over the course of the Bootcamp, and the startups that they have on their radars. AlphaInvest Digital platform providing retail investors with access to…
People at HBS have always tended to be politically and socially active. Many students speak about a desire to work in the public sector after a successful business career. Others hope to promote change from a position of corporate influence. However, during the 2016 election cycle, the social and political problems in our country began…
What do you get when you have 500 million new internet users, a young and productive, burgeoning middle class and a workforce which defines global standards in technology? A vibrant and dynamic startup ecosystem i.e. India! Over the past 3 years, > $3 Billion was invested in startups in India. Leading venture investors like Sequoia,…
In the United States on average, there are 2.1 million people getting married each year. The industry is worth about $54 billion in the US and $300 billion globally. Most of the market has stayed the same over time, but with growth in the digital space, the market is slowly being disrupted by embracing new…
We all know Eventbrite as the platform where we buy (overpriced?) HBS event tickets – but what do we really know about the man behind this venture? Kevin Hartz, from the (in)famous Paypal mafia opens up about some other things that are also top of mind for HBS students (Networking, Silicon Valley and Communicating with…
Last year Rent the Runway partnered with UBS to launch Project Entrepreneur (PE), an initiative to provide women access to the tools, training and networks needed to build scalable, economically impactful companies. PE took shape as a multi-faceted national initiative that includes this robust digital hub, multi-city events, a venture competition, and a 5-week accelerator…
I have a Pinterest vision board (don’t we all) that is dedicated to hot fire work outfit ideas, but all the photos on it consist of models in perfect lighting and expensive accessories my budget and reality don’t support. Who can actually wear culottes chicly to the office? When can I wear my cocktail dresses…
New HBS start-up aims to provide convenience to moving-in experiences at campuses nationwide. The Harbus sits down with Pete Rispoli (NB), an ex-Marine, to discuss the start-up that he has been working on since he first came to HBS. Having lived abroad in various locales throughout his military career, Pete understands the pains of relocating…
Ask any current HBS student with a background or interest in venture capital this simple question: “What is the best-performing venture capital fund in the world?” Likely answers include Sequoia, Accel, NEA, Greylock or Andreessen Horowitz – each a smart pick. Yet, a quick look at CB Insights’ list of the top VC funds with…
Lucy Wang, HBS Class of 2017, interviewed Qasar Younis, COO of Y Combinator, on his route to becoming an entrepreneur and the lessons he learned along the way. Lesson 1: Just Do It “If you are a student at HBS, do it [entrepreneurship] now. You won’t have a chance like this, where you have time and…
Back in August when we incoming RCs were too intoxicated by the joy of starting business school or just too intoxicated from Yacht Week, we vaguely heard in the news that Harvard MBAs are shying away from investment banking and finance jobs. Then, the first two days of START coincided with the S&P 500 tanking…
Every year, Morgan Stanley runs the Sustainable Investing Challenge, which gives students a platform to create sustainable and profitable solutions to varying world problems. The organization’s study defines sustainable investing as “the practice of making investments in companies or investments which aim to achieve market-rate financial returns while pursuing positive social and/or environmental impact.” This…
With graduation fast approaching, it’s natural to feel apprehensive about finding a job that will be both interesting and fulfilling. Even if you manage to find a position that meets your wildest expectations, how do you know that your initial excitement will last? According to Forbes Magazine, a recent survey by the Conference Board indicates…
I often hear people talking about how they really want to start a business, but don’t feel ready because they don’t have “the right idea”. They claim that as soon as the find the idea, they would take the plunge. Most successful entrepreneurs don’t wait for an idea to strike. They just start. Facebook started…
On March 30, Harvard Business School’s admissions board sent out final decisions to round 2 applicants. Shortly thereafter, sources reported that pop sensation Justin Bieber is among the batch accepted into HBS’ class of 2018. The cherry on top for HBS is that Bieber had been accepted into Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB) earlier…
By Tiffany Zhou, Harvard Business School Class of 2017 There’s been an odd gloom on campus lately, and I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about those of us who are still figuring out what to do this summer. It’s understandably jarring—we spent all of first semester philosophizing about leadership, changing the world, finding…
By Jennifer Hurford, Harvard Business School Class of 2017 Secretly thankful you didn’t get any of those consulting/banking jobs you felt FOMOed into interviewing for? Here are some tips for getting a job in tech and VC brought to you straight from the mouths of HBS SF alums in big tech, start-ups, clean tech, and VC….
By Tamara Zagorovskaya, HBS Class of 2016 This time last year, I joined a FIELD 3 team that was planning to disrupt the food delivery business. Coming from a finance background and never having caught the entrepreneurial bug, I was afraid of taking risks and dreading the forced “opportunity” to start a company at school….
By Annie Lindseth, HBS Class of 2017 What could possibly happen when you send 900 MBAs to 12 countries to interview locals and develop new products? It turns out that you can’t anticipate everything, even with a GEO team organizing minute details. And that’s a good thing. Unexpected experiences made Field 2 travel more fun…
Harbus Sponsored Content By Zach Mayo, RelishMBA COO Before I started my MBA in 2013 at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, I worked in B2B sales for a series of small businesses and start-ups. I sold modular furniture sets, web marketing services, and software. I never had a passion for sales, and…
“How about $150,000 for 15% of your company?” asked Mark Cuban in a recent episode of Shark Tank. “Yes!!! We will take it!” The two founders on stage cried and hugged each other. They could not believe their goal of a $1M valuation while only giving up 10%-18% equity had come true. “DEAL”. This moment…
With acceptance rates at top MBA programs ranging from 7% to 20% and recent studies showing that over 50% of MBA applicants use an MBA consultant, the cost for competing begins early in the MBA pursuit process and has steepened dramatically. This advice comes at a steep price, though: the average hourly rate for admissions…
For our August edition, The Harbus spoke to five (former) members of the Class of 2016, who decided to drop out of HBS to pursue a range of other opportunities. This month, we spoke with five new members of the Class of 2016 – people who dropped out after their first year, and have come…
For the past 6 months, HBS EC student Tess Brooks has been building Confi (confi.co), an online community for young women seeking advice on health topics that can be uncomfortable to talk about (OB/GYN, sexual health, mental health, communication, etc.). Here, Tess reflects on her experience as a first-time founder, working full-time on her startup…