- Matt Segneri is going to become the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab)
Matt Segneri is going to become the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab), which is a university-wide entity that helps drive team-based and entrepreneurial activities and provides a forum for interactions among students, staff, alumni, and the surrounding community.
Segneri — who is a first-generation college student and graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Business School (HBS) — has been the director of the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative for the past five years.
Over that time, Segneri served as co-lead of the HBS New Venture Competition as an MBA Ombudsperson and as a judge for and advisor to the President’s Innovation Challenge, MassChallenge, and the MIT $100K Competition.
Segneri is also known for developing the proposal that established the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is a collaborative effort across the Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. Plus Segneri held previous leadership roles in several renowned organizations, including the City of Boston Mayor’s Office, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Monitor Group.
“The i-lab has been an extraordinary success, and as we gain new neighbors in Allston—beginning with the Science and Engineering Complex next fall—it’s thrilling to imagine an even greater future,” said Nitin Nohria, Dean of Harvard Business School and director of the i-lab Advisory Board. “Matt’s passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, his strong ties to the student and alumni communities, and his proven record of excellence make him an outstanding choice for this role.”
Ever since i-lab launched in 2011, over 38,000 students from all 12 Harvard University schools have experienced the program. And 1,600 ventures have been incubated and $2.7 million has been distributed in non-dilutive funding.
“Matt’s deep understanding of undergraduate and graduate education, along with his demonstrated commitment to mentoring and helping educate the next generation of student entrepreneurs, makes him the right person to guide the i-lab in this next chapter,” explained Harvard University Provost Alan M. Garber.
Segneri pointed out that he is looking forward to building on the success of his predecessors Gordon Jones and Jodi Goldstein while exploring new opportunities.
“I believe that problems are solved at the intersection of ideas and disciplines. It is pure magic when you bring together people from across the University to think differently and build new things. The i-lab truly is One Harvard at its best,” stated Segneri. “This is a very exciting moment in time and a way to be in service to these student entrepreneurs, the University, and the city that I love.”
