Harvard Business School Deploys $699 AI Avatars for Startup Feedback as Foundry Seeks Wider Reach
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 22
Harvard Business School Deploys $699 AI Avatars for Startup Feedback as Foundry Seeks Wider Reach
2 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Aug 22
Summary
Harvard Business School is using HeyGen-built AI avatars to deliver one-on-one feedback in its eight-week, $699 HBS Foundry bootcamp, especially during practice pitches and mock board meetings.
HBS turned to avatars after an earlier trial showed students wanted more guided help than a chatbot-style tool could provide, according to project director Katharina Rings.
Jeff Bussgang’s digital clone was among the avatars tested by a New York Times reporter, who said both the real investor and his AI copy rejected her “Uber for bananas” pitch, though the avatar showed a frozen smile.
Participant response appears more positive than broader campus skepticism toward AI: Bussgang called his clone a little “creepy,” but said students love it.
The program, launched earlier Saturday, is part of HBS’s push to scale entrepreneurship teaching beyond live weekly sessions with instructors.