Earlier this semester, I had the opportunity to attend orientation for the Harvard i-Lab Build-It program. The Build-It program is for student ventures that have some indication of product market fit (have already gone through customer discovery) and are looking to bring their products to market. I was a part of this program because of my involvement with Mission: Mentor.  The first half of the orientation was dedicated to learning more about the iLab program, semester schedule, and mentorship and networking opportunities. The second half was spent learning more about our specific cohort (B2B) resources and getting to meet the other teams and mentors. For this event, I practiced an elevator pitch with my cofounder.

​

This event helped me learn more about what opportunities are available at the Harvard Innovation Lab both in person and virtually. I gained knowledge about the resources in the Harvard i-Lab, both in contacts for experts in the space as well as the 40 fellow student entrepreneurs in my cohort (B2B). I got more experience networking with like-minded people virtually and gained a lot of launch pads for learning more specific topics, such as acquiring angel investments or your first 1000 customers. These skills and resources are important to me as I continue to explore a career in entrepreneurship, where I will need to be able to quickly communicate my ideas and needs then find the people who can best equip me. One challenge I encountered was that I felt a little out of place because I was a non-Harvard student amongst many Harvard undergraduate and graduate students (I was involved with the program because my cofounder is Harvard '24). However, being prepared ahead of time with a pitch made it easier to feel confident in my introduction. The event was a good opportunity for me to exercise my communication skills, both in prepared (pitching) and unprepared (networking) settings. I also got to brush up on some graphic design skills to create the pitch deck slides attached below. I was pleasantly surprised at how interactive the event was for a virtual event, with lots of people participating and asking questions during the informational section and later some really fun conversations in our cohort breakout room.

 

The questions I still have after attending this event primarily pertain to the next steps for the President’s Innovation Challenge, a contest that I am interested in entering and learning more about. As a follow-up to this event, I scheduled a meeting with Peter Gladstone, the primary organizer for the President’s Innovation Challenge and B2B cohort mentor to get feedback on my venture’s direction and positioning for the application. My next steps in my career development are to work on my startup in preparation for the President’s Innovation Challenge. I'm excited to learn more and meet more people from the iLab and see how I can apply the information!