Key Dates:
Applications for the 2025 Rock Summer Fellows Program will open on January 21.
Deadline for Rock Founders to apply is March 6.
Decisions will be made by April 7.
The Rock Summer Fellows program, funded by gifts from Arthur Rock and the John F. Lebor Family, provides an opportunity for students exploring an entrepreneurial path to focus on founding a new venture.
The Rock Summer Fellows track is a competitive program in which students will be part of a select community of founders with the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Founder applications will be evaluated based on the clarity and strength of the problem hypothesis, current status and milestones, strength of customer discovery findings, clarity and strength of key assumptions, and evidence of commitment.
Students interested in Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) are encouraged to find internships with search funds and apply to the General Summer Fellows Joiner track. Rock Summer Fellows does not support an ETA pathway through the Founder track.
Start-up joiners, please contact summerfellow@hbs.edu for application information and details. We encourage you to apply to the General Summer Fellows Joiner track.
Student founders have the opportunity to select from two tracks:
1) Rock Summer Fellows – Independent track
Engage in a peer exchange network of students committed to entrepreneurship.
Receive the additional benefits of access to the resources and expertise of the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, including topical sessions and expert office hours
Attend an in-person kick-off session in the spring followed by a wrap-up session in the fall
2) Rock Summer Fellows – Rock Accelerator track.
Rigorous selection criteria applies to both tracks. Students who desire greater structure and accountability should apply to Rock Accelerator. Rock Accelerator students will be held to additional mandatory weekly meetings and deliverables throughout the summer. Students committed to learning and opportunity but who are either not ready for accelerator or prefer to work independently should apply to the RSF – Independent track.
All Rock Summer Fellows, regardless of track, are required to attend the RSF Kickoff in person on April 23rd.
To learn more, join us at the Rock Center Info Session on December 3rd.
The Rock Accelerator track within the Rock Summer Fellows program is offered to students in the summer between their RC and EC year, supporting student founders in the development of their startup. The program is for students who are serious about pursuing their idea and are committed to a structured program with mandatory weekly meetings (2 times per week) and deliverables. Students will join a community of founders and commit to attending Advisory Board meetings and weekly meetings in addition to bi-weekly 1:1 coaching meetings during the summer.
The decision-making criteria for admission into this program include the quality of the plan and application (clarity of problem hypothesis and strength of customer discovery findings), demonstrated commitment to a high-level of focus and a shared learning orientation within the exploration and pursuit of the venture during the summer, and considerations relating to the makeup of the overall cohort. Following the final RSF founder application deadline, we will review all applications for the Rock Accelerator. Rock Accelerator will be competitive and space will be limited – not all students that would like to be considered will be admitted. Students that apply to the Rock Accelerator may be asked to pitch or interview to the Rock Accelerator Admissions team. Decisions will be communicated in early April.
As a peer-to-peer learning community, participation in the Rock Accelerator requires a commitment to full attendance within structured programming sessions including Advisory Board meetings and weekly content and community meetings. Students that do not meet attendance requirements may be asked to leave the program and return additional funding to HBS. The following sessions will be required for all those selected to the Rock Accelerator: Kickoff, Wrap Up, Weekly Workshops, Weekly Community Meetings, Bi-Weekly Coach Meeting, and Monthly Advisory Board Meetings.