Startups, sped up
Entrepreneurs-in-training from across the University gathered at the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab) last weekend for the second annual StartUp Scramble, a mad-dash affair designed to take their business ideas from concept to polished pitch in just 48 hours. The plan was straightforward. Stick more than 60 students in a room for a couple of days — along with a never-ending supply of coffee and an impressive number of Boloco burritos — and you just might inspire the next big startup success. The end results “showcase the bright ideas that come from putting Harvard students together for a weekend of intensive innovation work,” said Gordon Jones, the i-lab’s managing director. Though some of the participants, who hailed from 12 of Harvard’s Schools, arrived Friday evening with dreams of Zuckerbergian glory, most were there to connect with like-minded students, to learn more about the startup scene, and to push themselves to finish what amounted to...