RADical Innovation

Students enrolled in the Fall 2022 semester of "ES95R: Startup R&D" recently took part in their end-of-semester Demo Day at the Science and Engineering Complex, showcasing the products and companies developed throughout the semester. The course is taught by Paul Bottino, Executive Director of Innovation Education at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and takes students through the full entrepreneurship timeline of design, development and marketing for their ideas.

“Demo Day is a great capstone,” said Bottino, who began offering ES95R in 2010 and started Demo Days in 2015. “Students finally have a chance to show themselves, put themselves on the line and get a lot of feedback. Once you come into the RAD and you’re sharing ideas, everyone quickly knows you and what you’re working on. Demo Day is the first time in the semester when you get fresh eyes on your ideas.”

Students wanting to devote more than one semester to their startups can re-enroll in the class. They share their ideas and progress throughout the semester in peer-to-peer forums, then finish with Demo Day.

Check out the gallery below to see some of their projects.