PROGRAMMING

Our goal is to create i3 programming that meaningfully energizes and educates student founders. Programming offers ample opportunities for feedback (and hopefully pivots!) as well as a network of mentors and peers to move forward with in a founder’s journey.

COFFEE COACHINGS

February 1-19

Founded in 2020, Coffee Coachings are an initiative created to give founders a chance to receive feedback prior to submitting their applications. Coffee coaching mentors include Harvard Ventures board members, investors, industry experts, and even judges. In these 15-30 min coaching sessions, applicants can ask questions, go over details of their application, and gain any other insights in order to feel best prepared for application submissions on February 26. You can sign up for a Coffee Coaching with one of our mentors here: https://tinyurl.com/i3coffeecoachings21. You must use your Harvard .edu email to access the signup sheet. Please note Coffee Coachings will only run from February 1-19. It is important to CC i3 Student Director Georgia Messinger gmessinger@college.harvard.edu on any email correspondence with our Coffee Coaches, and reach out to Georgia with any questions.

FEMALE FOUNDERS LUNCHEON

February 21

Happening for the first time in i3 history in 2021, Harvard Ventures Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) team will be inviting a diverse group of female identifying founders for a panel discussion on navigating entrepreneurship as a woman. The luncheon will give the next generation of women entrepreneurs the education, mentorship, and resources they need to succeed. This is an opportunity for i3 participants to ask panelists any questions about how they navigated male-dominated spaces, raised and negotiated funds, overcome imposter syndrome, and more! 

PITCHING WORKSHOP & OPEN MIC

March 25 + April 1

Before the semifinals, we will be hosting a pitching workshop for applicants to practice and perfect their pitches. The workshop will cover the fundamentals of storytelling, staying cool under pressure, maneuvering Q&A, building a pitch deck, and more. Shortly after, an open mic event will follow where founders can offer advice peer to peer on each other’s pitches and learn from a panel of expert judges available for Q&A and feedback. 

PROGRESS REPORTS

April 1

We will be requiring all semifinalists to submit 1 minute progress updates in the form of a video. Between the submission deadline for these reports and when applications were first released over 10 weeks will have passed. In this time, we hope i3 programming has helped accelerate your idea’s traction, and we look forward to reviewing your application holistically with an emphasis on how well you’ve been able to take feedback and learn throughout the challenge. Specifics of how to submit progress reports will be provided to semifinalists over email.

SEMIFINALIST PITCH EVENT

April 8

Join us to hear a fabulous selection of startup pitches from our top i3 teams accompanied by live Q&A and feedback from an expert panel of judges.  

RSVP now at bit.ly/i3semifinals

AWARDS + FINALIST PARTY

April 22

Celebrate the months of hard work with keynote speakers and the grand reveal for who our 2021 i3 winners are! 

Event page for RSVPS coming soon.