{"slug": "harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors", "title": "Harvard’s $699 startup bootcamp offers AI avatars of its instructors", "summary": "Harvard Business School's $699, eight-week HBS Foundry bootcamp for entrepreneurs now uses AI avatars created by startup HeyGen to provide individual feedback during practice pitches and board meetings, supplementing weekly live instructor sessions. New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the system by pitching an AI-generated copy of Flybridge Capital co-founder Jeff Bussgang, who said his digital copy is a little 'creepy' but added, 'My students love it.' Project director Katharina Rings said the AI component evolved from a chatbot to a more guided experience after student feedback.", "body_md": "As Harvard Business School seeks to expand its reach, it’s leaning on AI avatars to provide individual feedback.\n\nThese avatars were created by a startup called HeyGen and are included in the eight-week, $699 HBS Foundry bootcamp for entrepreneurs. The program offers live sessions with instructors every week, but the AI avatars are the ones providing feedback during practice pitches and board meetings.\n\nNew York Times reporter Sarah Kessler [actually tried this out herself](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/business/dealbook/harvard-ai-faculty.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share) by pitching an AI-generated copy of Flybridge Capital co-founder Jeff Bussgang. Apparently, both the real Bussgang and his simulacra were unimpressed by her plan to build “Uber for bananas,” but Kessler said the virtual version offered a noticeably frozen smile during her pitch.\n\nProject director Katharina Rings said she initially envisioned the AI component as something closer to a chatbot. However, after HBS released a trial version, students said they wanted a more guided experience.\n\nAnd while some college students [haven’t been shy about expressing their negative feelings towards AI](https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/17/if-youre-giving-a-commencement-speech-in-2026-maybe-dont-mention-ai/), Foundry participants told Kessler they like the avatars. As for Bussgang, he acknowledged his digital copy is a little “creepy,” but he said, “My students love it.”", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors", "canonical_source": "https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/22/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors/", "published_at": "2026-08-22 21:46:56+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-22 22:12:52.292216+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Harvard Business School", "HeyGen", "HBS Foundry", "Sarah Kessler", "Jeff Bussgang", "Flybridge Capital", "Katharina Rings", "New York Times"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/harvards-699-startup-bootcamp-offers-ai-avatars-of-its-instructors.jsonld"}}