HBS Ups Size of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence Program

In the midst of successful careers, four Harvard Business School alumni are preparing to return to campus as entrepreneurs-in-residence.

The school announced the appointment of the entrepreneurs, including former Yahoo! Inc. President Susan L. Decker, in a statement last week. The appointments represent a significant increase in the size of the six-year-old residency program, which has had only one annual participant in past years.

Venture capitalist Jeffrey J. Bussgang ’91, former industrial executive James M. Sharpe, and nonprofit and private equity specialist Jeffrey C. Walker will join Decker at HBS for the duration of the school year.

Michael J. Roberts, executive director of the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at HBS, which organized the residencies, said the growth has increased the program’s breadth in response to varied student interests.

Roberts said that the increased number of residents has decreased the time demand for each resident, allowing more candidates to consider the positions.

“It was hard for anyone to play this role while they were working,” he said. “By expanding, each person will be around less, but our entrepreneurs will touch a series of different bases.”

While in residence at the Business School, the entrepreneurs are expected to speak in classes and at various events. They will also work with professors and students, offering both intellectual discourse and career advice, according to Roberts.

Each of the entrepreneurs has a strong connection to the Business School. Several ran companies that were the subject of HBS case studies. In addition, Bussgang had been a HBS Business Plan Contest judge and Decker had served on an advisory board for HBS’s Silicon Valley research center. Roberts said that the Rock Center chose alumni who have demonstrated an interest in both entrepreneurship and HBS.

In 2003, the Rock Center was established to support research and entrepreneurship among the student body. In recent years, entrepreneurship has been a growing focus at HBS, and all students are required to take a class on the subject. According to Roberts, by their 25-year reunion, more than half of HBS graduates have started their own businesses.

While none of the entrepreneurs-in-residence comes directly from a startup, Roberts says the experiences and expertise they bring will be valuable.

—Staff writer William N. White can be reached at wwhite@fas.harvard.edu.