Harvard Business School: “Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Arthur Rock Center For Entrepreneurship today announced the 2026 cohort of the Rock Venture Catalyst, the School’s flagship summer program supporting MBA student founders as they build and scale new ventures.

Formerly known as the Rock Summer Fellows program, the Rock Venture Catalyst has been redesigned to meet the evolving needs of early-stage founders. The program provides a select group of HBS MBA students with funding, mentorship, and a structured, immersive environment to pursue their ventures full time over the summer.

This year, 61 students were selected through a highly competitive application process to participate in the program. The cohort represents a diverse range of industries, including artificial intelligence, healthcare, climate technology, fintech, and consumer products.

“The Rock Venture Catalyst is a powerful bridge between classroom learning and real-world execution,” said Thara Pillai, Director of the Rock Center. “Each year, we see founders transform early ideas into tangible ventures with real customers, products, and funding momentum.”

To read about the 61 participants and their ventures, click here.

DON’T MISS: INSIDE HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S STARTUP MACHINE

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Stanford GSB Names MBA Recipients of Stanford Impact Founder Awards

Stanford GBS: “Stanford Graduate School of Business has named the 2026 recipients of its Stanford Impact Founder (SIF) Fellowships and Prizes, which support graduating advanced degree students with exceptional potential who are dedicated to launching new ventures that create social or environmental impact.

Founded in 2009 at Stanford GSB’s Center for Social Innovation, the SIF program has two tracks: Social Entrepreneurship (SIF-Social), offered through the Center for Social Innovation, and Ecopreneurship (EcoSIF), offered through Stanford Ecopreneurship, a partnership between Stanford GSB and the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. SIF-Social requires applicants to be receiving a degree from Stanford GSB, and EcoSIF is open to applicants from any Stanford advanced degree program.

The 2026 SIF cohort includes graduating students from six of Stanford’s seven schools: Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, the Graduate School of Education, the School of Medicine, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the School of Engineering.

Upon graduation, these students will launch ventures across industries and geographies — from career coaching in rural Montana to producing bio-based carbon fiber in Maine to manufacturing low-carbon steel in India. Each student shares the qualities central to SIF selection: a clear commitment to impact, a well-developed venture model, and demonstrated leadership potential.”

To read more, click here.

DON’T MISS: Stanford GSB Dean Sarah Soule On AI, Leadership & Why Human Skills Matter More Than Ever

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Polsky Center Announces Winners in Global New Venture Challenge

University of Chicago: “The Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation today announced the winners of the 19th Annual Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC), where a record $435,000 was awarded to ventures led by Chicago Booth Executive MBA students. All participants received some investment.

This year’s first-place winners are Phinorm, which provides on-device drone classification and location software for defense sensors, and Morton Labs, a computational science venture building digital infrastructure for fusion energy research.

Phinorm and Morton Labs were awarded $185,000 and $150,000, respectively, as part of this year’s record investment pool. After voting concluded, additional investments were made, so dollar amounts are not indicative of placing.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received from the faculty, our advisors, the Polsky Center, and the other students and teams who participated in this challenge,” said Zachary Hinek, cofounder and CEO of Morton Labs. “It’s clear that the University of Chicago has one of the best accelerators for startups and entrepreneurs to build their businesses.”

“This is especially close to my heart, having family in Ukraine,” said Philipp Gschoepf, CEO of Phinorm, which develops on-device drone classification and location software for defense sensors. “Every bit of support for our enterprise helps address a situation that none of us want to see and none of us want to experience in reality. We are deeply grateful for this overwhelming support.”

To read more, click here.

DON’T MISS: MEET CHICAGO BOOTH’S MBA CLASS OF 2027

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