BOSTON—On Saturday, March 25, seventy-one Harvard Business School (HBS) student-led teams pitched their startups to 84 judges in the first round of the HBS 2018 New Venture Competition Business Track, managed by the School’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Fifteen semifinalist teams were selected to move on to the next round of judging. Four finalists will be selected on April 10 and invited to pitch at the April 18 Finale on the HBS campus in Boston.
In early March, the School’s Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) saw a record 69 teams enter the Competition’s Social Enterprise Track. After evaluating these submissions, a panel of judges selected 16 teams to advance to the semifinal round. The Social Enterprise finalists are expected to be named on Friday, March 30. The Social Enterprise Track is for eligible graduate students across Harvard University with new ventures that drive social change using nonprofit, for-profit, or hybrid models.
Finalists will pitch at the Competition’s Finale for a share of $315,000 in cash prizes to fund their startups. The School will offer a $75,000 Grand Prize for top winners. Additional prizes are a $25,000 Runner-Up Prize, $5,000 Audience Award, and in-kind services.
More than 200 judges from such fields as venture capital, private equity, law, accounting, philanthropy, impact investing, and social entrepreneurship vigorously review the new ventures in each round of judging.
A large audience from Harvard Business School, the Greater Boston community, and beyond is expected to attend the New Venture Competition Finale in Shad Hall on the HBS campus on April 18, when the winners in each track will be revealed.
Learn more about the New Venture Competition at hbs.edu/nvc and track Harvard Business School’s New Venture Competition on Twitter at #HBSNVC. Past winners are listed here.
NVC 2018 Student Business Track Semifinalists
Started in 1997, the Student Business Track is for HBS student-led ventures with economic returns that drive substantial market value. Past winners include Cloudflare, Grab, Alfred, and Rapid SOS. This year’s student Business Track semifinalist teams are:
ADAY: Liquid universal workforce platform
ALPHA VANTAGE: Cloud-based financial data platform
COVR HYDROGEL TECHNOLOGY: Lubrianct technology for medical devices and targeted consumer products
DIVAQUA: Leveraging science to eliminate toxins from wastewater
EMCASA: Disruptive Real Estate technology platform for Brazil
FASTFLOSS: Dental flossing device
HOUR72+: 3-day insect repellent
LOCAL LOCKER: Urban self-storage
LULLABY: Marketplace for refurbished and recertified baby products
MYOS: Crispr cell therapy for Duchesnes disease
NALAGENETICS: Data analytics platform for genetic prone drug interactions
PING: Mental Health data analytics app
TOP-UP: Disrupting mobile data plans in Mexico
WASH DAY: Premium salon for textured hair
X-COR THERAPEUTICS: Respiratory dialysis technology
NVC 2018 Student Social Enterprise Track Semifinalists
The Social Enterprise Track, launched in 2001, provides an opportunity for students to explore social entrepreneurship and test ideas for social innovation in a rigorous and supportive environment. The Social Enterprise Track brings together expert judges from the field to evaluate entries based on the idea, its potential for social value creation, and the likelihood of achieving success. Past winners include Saathi, Careport Health, and Tomato Jos. The 2018 Social Enterprise Track student semifinalist teams are:
C3 SOLUTIONS: A carbon capture and utilization developer reducing emissions from industrial companies
CAREZOOM: An online platform with evidence, experts, and advice for your healthcare delivery project
COVALENT NETWORKS: A software platform designed for employer-led workforce development programs
DIGNIFY: Matches refugees and locals in the developing world to globally outsourced digital work
EATWELL: Makes healthy eating more available to low-income families with a 30-minute, 1-pot meal kit
FONTES IRRIGATION: An “on-demand” irrigation services business that serves farmers in Mozambique
HOOM: The $10,000 home…the smart, sustainable solution for the global housing crisis
IMMERLEARN: Uses machine learning and novel data to maximize effectiveness of social and public programs
JORO: Helps people track their real-time CO2 emissions to make sustainability a daily practice
NEPTUNE: Builds a better grease trap to keep our sewers clean
ONTRACK BIRTHS: Utilizes India’s extensive railway network to provide access to quality maternal care
SHLD (SELF-HEALING AND LOVING DIALOGUE) : Provides teens with daily wellness tips and suicide prevention care through Snapchat
STEMGEM: An internet of things device toolkit that allows learners to build real, useful, and relevant technology
TREY: Empowers future college athletes to use sports as a springboard to lifetime success
UMBULIZER: Developing a low-cost, portable ventilator for patients in resource-constrained markets
UPON: Eliminates labor underutilization and increases women’s access to the workforce.
