# Frequently Asked Questions Sort & Filters close ## Filters Service expand\_more - Client Support Services (24) - Computer Labs (21) - Institute for Quantitative Social Science (131) - Political Economy Seminar (51) FAQ Categories expand\_more - Startup Foundry (14) Search Within Results Search Within Results search ## 53 results Show filters filter\_alt Sort by NewestOldestAlphabetical A-ZAlphabetical Z-A sort ## 53 results ### How does the program work? expand\_more - **Initial Consultation:** Share your research concept or innovation with our team; we’ll help you refine it. - **Business Driver Identification:** We help find you the right business or operating partner (if needed). Sometimes, we begin with an internal RA or staff member to do preliminary research or an IQSS EIR (Entrepreneur in Residence) before moving to a more full-time professional once the venture has spun out. - **Deep Dive:** You and your Business Driver explore the research's commercial potential. (This is how you might work with a grad student or postdoc: you provide wisdom, they do the homework, and you both learn from the experience.) - **Market Research:** Your Business Driver investigates industry applications and brings findings to you. - **Customer Discovery:** Together or led by your Business Driver, conversations with potential users refine the concept. - **Mentorship & Networking:** Access to our network of industry experts and entrepreneurs. - **Go-to-Market Strategy:** Development of a commercialization pathway, whether through venture funding, customer contracts, or direct market entry. ### Who runs the Foundry? How did it get started? expand\_more The director of the IQSS Startup Foundry is [Debi Kleiman](/people/debi-kleiman "Debi Kleiman"). The Foundry is part of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science directed by [Gary King](/people/gary-king "Gary King"). IQSS has considerable experience over many years incubating academic projects into commercial startups, nonprofits, open source efforts, and centers at IQSS, elsewhere at Harvard, and across the world. Recently, we moved a nascent startup foundry at the Harvard Business School (part of their D^3 initiative, which was itself originally incubated at IQSS) here and combined it with our ongoing efforts into what is now the IQSS Startup Foundry. ### Are there specific industries or technologies that you are focused on supporting? expand\_more We are specifically looking for innovative projects in the quantitative social sciences that solve important problems. Few areas of the economy do not involve people or groups, and so we do not limit industries that we attempt to influence. ### Does the IQSS Startup Foundry take equity from the new venture to participate? expand\_more No, we don’t charge for support and resources (we have amazing donors who fund this work) and do not take any equity. Any IP issues related to the company are subject to Harvard University's IP Policy. Consult with[ Harvard's Office of Technology Development](https://otd.harvard.edu/) if you have IP questions. We can help you navigate the sometimes complex Harvard ecosystem (and outside activities reporting) as you prepare to launch the new initiative. ### Do I have to give up my job or appointment at Harvard to do this? expand\_more You do not. While part of the IQSS Startup Foundry, you and the business driver will be doing a research project, using all of Harvard’s facilities. At some time after the business is launched (agreed upon between you and the University), the business will operate independently and off campus, but the faculty member will retain a role as advisor, board member, equity holder, or in another mutually agreeable and beneficial capacity. ### Who should I ask if I have other questions? expand\_more Please email [Debi Kleiman](mailto:dkleiman@iq.harvard.edu). ### What's the ideal stage of development for a project to begin the Startup Foundry program? expand\_more We focus on ventures at the earliest stages of development. The ideal project has validated academic research foundations but has not yet fully explored—or has only minimally investigated—the market viability and technical feasibility of commercialization. In the program, we concentrate on business model design and pilot programs, customer discovery and market validation, and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) development. ### Can you help create non-commercial ventures? expand\_more Of course, IQSS has [a long history of incubating](/incubation "Incubation") these and other organizations. ### Can you explain more about what the Business Driver or Entrepreneur-in-Residence does? expand\_more The Business Driver or EIR is someone who joins the project team in an operating capacity to transform the research into commercial ventures. This skilled professional—whether an external business expert or entrepreneurial postdoc/doctoral researcher—works directly with faculty to develop business models, refine research applications, conduct market validation, secure funding, and navigate IP considerations. The Business Driver may ultimately evolve into the operating leader of the venture as it progresses through development stages and transitions from Harvard's ecosystem into an independent company. ### Is there funding available for my company in this program? expand\_more We don’t offer direct funding, but we can help you find it. ### Can I also be working in another Harvard entrepreneurship or innovation program such as the GRID, OTD, the HBS Rock Center, or Harvard Innovation Labs? expand\_more Yes, we encourage you to use as many Harvard resources as you need or want. ### How long is the program? expand\_more The program is not time-bound; it is based on milestones. Some go through the milestones faster than others, because of what they are building, where they started, or the nature of their research or the market. We find it often takes 6-18 months for the project to find a business model and market. Exit events (when you will become an alumnus of the program and perhaps co-founder, advisor, or C-suite member of the new company) include milestones such as acceptance into a nationally known accelerator program, raising a pre-seed or seed round of funding, obtaining a contract that funds the company beyond the university, or receiving revenue. - Previous page chevron\_left - [1](?page=0 "Current page") - [2](?page=1 "Go to page 2") - [3](?page=2 "Go to page 3") - [ Last page 5 ](?page=4 "Go to last page") - [ Next page chevron\_right ](?page=1 "Go to next page")