Advancing Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HarvardAE) is a community dedicated to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship by alumni from all thirteen Harvard schools. Through our Chapters and global initiatives, alumni are offered support, resources and connection to peers, mentors and experts to help grow their ideas and succeed.

The Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HarvardAE) is a community dedicated to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship by alumni from all thirteen Harvard schools. Through our Chapters and global initiatives, alumni are offered support, resources and connection to peers, mentors and experts to help grow their ideas and succeed.

 

The History of HAE

It's been more than 20 years since a group of Harvard alumni entrepreneurs came together to support each other. Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs has always been a place for entrepreneurs and friends to have community. Follow the chronology of HarvardAE's evolution and discover how we grew into one of the most influential communities of Harvard entrepreneurs.

1990s: Early Beginnings

  • Harvard Startups Yahoo Group: A group of alumni comes together and forms the Harvard Startups Yahoo Group, a peer-to-peer community to support entrepreneurs in both personal and business growth

2005 – 2008: A New Beginning

  • 2005: Harvard Alumni Association approves HarvardAE as an official Shared Interest Group of Harvard University

  • 2005: HarvardAE incorporates

  • ~2,000-member community

2010 – 2014: Global Growth

  • 1st member survey informs long-term strategy

  • HarvardAE launches first chapters in Boston, New York

  • 3,754-member community

2015 – 2016

  • HarvardAE Chicago launches

  • 4,897-member community

2017

  • HarvardAE Denver, Buenos Aires launch

  • 7,407-member community

2018

  • HarvardAE India, DACH, London, and Paris launch

  • 9,102-member community

2019

  • HarvardAE Washington DC, Australia, Seattle, and Southern California launch

  • Mentoring platform HAE Connect launches with 20 Entrepreneurs-in-Residence

  • 11,300-member community

2020

  • HarvardAE MENA/GCC launches

  • 122 events

  • HarvardAE launches HAE Invites podcast, Innovation Fellowship

  • Advancing Diversity and FinTech Series

  • HarvardAE virtual HQ

  • 15,373-member community

2021

  • HarvardAE Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Florida launch

  • 119 events

  • Impact Investing Series, Pitch Feedback

  • Inaugural HarvardAE Accelerator powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures announced

  • 16,060-member community

2022

  • HarvardAE Accelerator powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures Accelerator launches with 10 companies

  • Created Global Advisory Council

  • Created Crimson Founders Circle with 58 founding donors and sponsors

  • Thought Leadership Incubator Launched

  • Consolidated European chapters into HarvardAE Europe

  • HarvardAE Bay Area becomes HarvardAE Northern California

  • HarvardAE develops program with BAU Istanbul Turkey

  • Partnership with Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  • Regina Ryan, President of HarvardAE, appointed Fellow, Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard

  • 2023 HarvardAE Accelerator powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures announced

  • 18,329-member community