Harvard's $699 startup bootcamp uses AI avatars of its instructors for pitch feedback

Harvard Business School is leaning on AI avatars to expand its reach, using digital doubles of its instructors to deliver individual feedback in a new startup bootcamp.

The avatars, created by the AI video startup HeyGen, are part of the eight-week, $699 HBS Foundry program for entrepreneurs. While the program offers live sessions with instructors every week, the AI avatars are the ones providing feedback during practice pitches and board meetings.

New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tried the experience herself, pitching an AI-generated copy of Flybridge Capital co-founder Jeff Bussgang. Both the real Bussgang and his simulacra were unimpressed by her plan to build "Uber for bananas," and Kessler said the virtual version offered a noticeably frozen smile during her pitch.

Project director Katharina Rings said she initially envisioned the AI component as something closer to a chatbot. But after HBS released a trial version, students said they wanted a more guided experience, pushing the team toward the avatar format.

While some college students have been vocal about their dislike of AI, Foundry participants told Kessler they like the avatars. Bussgang acknowledged his digital copy is a little "creepy," but said, "My students love it."

The signal here is that generative AI avatars are moving from marketing demos into the core of educational delivery. By using instructor avatars to give personalized practice feedback, HBS is turning AI from a supplementary helper into part of the teaching workflow itself.

The next question is whether this model expands beyond the $699 bootcamp into formal degree programs, and whether avatar platforms like HeyGen can use the education use case to break into corporate training and universities.