Episode 23
The i-lab is the central component of the Harvard Innovation Labs, a cross-disciplinary ecosystem for the Harvard community to explore innovation and entrepreneurship. The i-lab provides advising and subject-matter experts to help eligible Harvard students move their startup ideas forward.
We had the opportunity to speak to two remarkable people about their experiences at the i-lab. Andy Chen is a 2020 graduate of the ALM in Bioinformatics program (a retired field). His company, Matice Biosciences, is a biotech venture led initially through the Alumni Launch Lab. This spring, Andy and Matice won the $75,000 Alumni Track grand prize award in the annual Harvard Innovation Labs President’s Innovation Challenge.
We also spoke with Joanna (Smith) Griffin, a 2016 Harvard Extension School ALB alumna who is currently an admitted ALM Management student. Joanna created AllHere, an EdTech startup, at the i-lab when she was in the ALB program. AllHere combats absenteeism in K-12 schools throughout the country using a specialized tech platform. Since its launch, AllHere has grown considerably. Since the beginning of the pandemic, AllHere expanded from being in 1,100 schools when the pandemic started to over 8,000 schools nationwide, while receiving $8 million in additional VC funding. She was also selected as one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 for Education in 2021. A phenomenal record!