Harvard’s $699 Startup Bootcamp Uses AI Avatars to Coach Entrepreneurs

Harvard Business School is using AI-generated versions of its instructors to provide personalised feedback to entrepreneurs enrolled in its eight-week HBS Foundry startup bootcamp.

The program costs $699 and combines weekly live sessions with AI-powered exercises. The digital instructors, created using technology from AI video startup HeyGen, provide feedback during simulated investor pitches and board meetings.

AI avatars provide startup feedback.

The New York Times tested the system by having reporter Sarah Kessler pitch an AI version of Flybridge Capital co-founder and Harvard instructor Jeff Bussgang. She proposed an“Uber for bananas” business, which failed to impress either Bussgang or his digital counterpart.

Kessler noted that the avatar maintained an unusually fixed smile during the exercise, illustrating some of the limitations of current AI-generated video. Bussgang acknowledged that seeing his digital replica can feel somewhat unusual, but said students have responded positively to it.

HBS Foundry project director Katharina Rings initially envisioned the program’s AI component as more of a chatbot. Feedback from students during an early trial instead pointed toward a more structured experience, leading the program to use instructor avatars for guided practice.

The approach allows participants to repeatedly rehearse high-stakes startup situations while still receiving live instruction from human faculty. For Harvard Business School, the combination offers a way to extend individualised entrepreneurial coaching beyond traditional classroom sessions.