StartUp Partners
Startup Partners (SUP) brings together entrepreneurs facing challenges with HBS Alumni with real-world experience to “crack the case” and put the startup on an accelerated path for growth
Over the course of 90 minutes, entrepreneurs and HBS Alum dig into the business, discuss and debate approaches, and emerge with a clear set of recommendations and actions.
Startup Advisors
Are you an experienced but time-starved HBS Alum looking for a way to give back to the community and support startups?
Click the button below to learn more about being a SUP Advisor.
Entrepreneurs
Are you an entrepreneur with a challenge (or two) and want to getting outside perspective from experienced advisors?
Click the button below to learn more about how SUP can help
StartUp Advisors
Startup Partners is a high-touch, low commitment program embraced by HBS alums just like you who want to bring their seasoned business expertise to emerging business leaders and startups.
During SUP’s 90 minute sessions, you’ll meet other HBS alums, connect with an entrepreneur, and share your industry knowledge and business-building experience.
SUP advises startups from various industries, including Healthcare, Finance, Real Estate and related services, Consumer Products, GreenTech, and more.
As an Advisor, you’ll help entrepreneurs:
- Strengthen their business plans
- Consider strategies for raising capitals
- Focus their startup’s strategy & clarify customer pain points
- Gain insights on product-market fit and scaling business
- Refine their go to market plans
To be an Advisor, you must be:
- A current member of HBSAB or willing to become a member before your first Startup Partners’ session
- Available via Zoom from Noon to 1:30 pm ET Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday
- Willing to do a bit of reading (usually a pitch deck) before your session
- Excited to collaborate with and learn from up to 5 other HBS Alumni and members of a startup
To sign-up to be an Advisor and be notified of upcoming Startup Partners sessions
just click the “Become an Advisor” button below.
Entrepreneurs / Startups
Startup Partners is a high-touch, low commitment program embraced by entrepreneurs from various industries who want to tap into the expertise and wisdom of a highly experienced but temporary Board of Directors.
Startup Partners is open to all startups, not just those with a Harvard connection!
SUP advises startups from various industries, including Healthcare, Finance, Real Estate and related services, Consumer Products, GreenTech, and more. If you are in the early development stage (i.e., you have or can pull together a pitch deck) and seeking to build a scalable business, Startup Partners wants to help you!
As an entrepreneur, you can get help to:
- Strengthen their business plans
- Consider strategies for raising capital*
- Focus their startup’s strategy & clarify customer pain points
- Gain insights on product-market fit and scaling business
- Refine their go to market plans
As an entrepreneur, when you sign-up for a SUP session, you commit to:
- Submit a pitch deck, or similar document, with your application
- Make yourself available via Zoom from Noon – 1:30 pm ET on a date that is mutually agreed upon by you and SUP
- Meet with your session Facilitator at least once before your session to share the 1-2 challenges you would like to discuss during the session, review the session agenda, and align on expectations for the 90 minute session
- Send pre-read materials (e.g., updated pitch deck, other background info) to Jason Schrank at least 7 days before your session.
- Show up and stay engaged and curious throughout the 90 minute session.
To sign-up for a Startup Partners session, just click the “Apply for a SUP Session” button below.
*Please note that SUP sessions are not for fundraising. We are happy to advise you on a fundraising strategy, but these sessions are not for pitches and direct fundraising.
Entrepreneur Testimonials
The meeting with Start Up Partners provided me with invaluable insights into our company. They not only provided detailed suggestions on how we could better access new clients and markets, especially given the incorporation of Generative AI in our product offerings, they also highlighted potential pitfalls to avoid along the way. Their help was particularly valuable because although I’m an HBS grad, I’m a first-time entrepreneur. Hearing from experts with years of experience in starting and growing successful businesses was enlightening, encouraging and incredibly impactful for our team and for me.
The HBSAB Startup Partners team was perhaps the most extra-ordinary group of people when considering their business acumen, intellectual thoroughness, as well as the grandness of the vision they held. I consider myself fortunate to have encountered their insightful questions, broad strategic review, and feedback.
It has resulted in me further broadening the mix of factors and technologies being optimized in order to achieve the next quantum leap in green Hydrogen deployment, which we believe will dominate the markets in the future.
The HBSAB program was very valuable in helping Scrapp refine its messaging and understand the nuance of how to communicate our value proposition more effectively. It was a fantastic experience to tap into the knowledge of industry experts, who helped distill what could have been weeks of work into an afternoon of targeted support. Thank you HBSAB team!
Startup Partners Alum Success
Former Startup Partner client, Joro, receives $2.5 million in seed financing
Congratulations to Joro, a March 2019 Startup Partner Alum, on their recent success! Joro is an app and community that helps people automatically track and improve their carbon footprints. We apply predictive analytics and AI to deliver tailored recommendations to reduce emissions, create a community to compare and share progress with others, and make it easy for people to buy carbon offsets and participate in the carbon economy. Read the full article here!