Overview and FAQ
Developed by Robert Lue and funded by Brazilian investor Jorge Paulo Lemann '61, the Creativity and Entrepreneurship Program, based in Harvard's Office of Undergraduate Education, prepares Harvard students to take the lead in solving global challenges by fostering entrepreneurial thinking within liberal arts education.
Inspired by ideas emerging from the arts and sciences, the LPCE students address current problems, such as global health, climate change, or social injustice. Through studio labs and mentoring, students develop the entrepreneurial skills and industry connections to move from ideation to solid concept to actionable proposal. Creativity is at the core of our mission at LPCE. Each student has different perspectives and ideas to bring to the table, and our goal is to create a setting in which these ideas can be expressed freely and used to effect real-world change.
Our program can be centered around three words: community, coaching, and curriculum. At the end of the day, LPCE is all about sharing ideas and having fun. We also offer many opportunities for funding, such as our Launch Fund each year. In addition, we hope to teach the fundamentals of creating social change through entrepreneurship.
One key aspect of the program involves learning from and networking with members of the LPCE mentor council, which includes alumni, faculty, and leaders in private business, nonprofits, and the public sector. Another vital component is the Festival of Ideas, an end-of-semester showcase and entrepreneurship hackathon that casts disciplinary silos aside, draws potential investors to mingle with the wider Harvard community, and allows the LPCE students to take the stage as change agents.
Right now, one of our main focuses as an organization is to continue to grow throughout Harvard and beyond. The HealthLab is one such way in which we are doing so. A joint initiative from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Lemann Program on Creativity and Entrepreneurship, The HealthLab will serve as an accelerator for student solutions in public and planetary health. We are so excited to bring The HealthLab to life, and to get as many students involved as possible. This is just one example of the partnerships and connections that we are making throughout the university that will help us grow in the coming years.