Harvard Business School launches $699 AI-avatar accelerator

Harvard Business School (HBS) has rolled out an eight-week accelerator called HBS Foundry, priced at $699. The program uses AI-generated avatars created by startup HeyGen to deliver personalized feedback. The avatars operate alongside twice-weekly live sessions with human mentors, but the digital versions handle analysis of pitches and meeting simulations presented by early-stage founders.

New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching a venture called “Over Bananas” to an avatar of Jeff Bussgang, co-founder of Flybridge Capital. She reported that both the real Bussgang and his digital double were unimpressed with the business model, but the digital version displayed a “frozen smile” throughout the pitch, a detail Kessler said stood out in the synthetic interaction.

Project lead Katharina Rings said the original goal was to create an experience closer to an open-ended chatbot. After a trial run, students asked for more structured guidance, and the team adjusted the product accordingly. The shift reflects a known tension in LLM-based education tools between conversational freedom and the need for a clear pedagogical framework.

Contrary to occasional student criticism of AI in coursework, Foundry participants told Kessler they actually enjoy the avatars. Bussgang himself admitted his digital copy is “a bit creepy,” but added that his students “are dying on it.” The gap between the personal feel of the duplicate and the audience’s reception may signal where entrepreneurial education is headed, at least in the version HBS currently offers.