Mental health’s technological imperative — through the pandemic and beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused increased rates of depression and anxiety in the US. However, recent innovations with Artificial Intelligence have the opportunity to change the way mental health care is managed, even beyond this time.
Interplanetary economics: it’s time to run the numbers

How economically viable is it to mine a commodity from outer space? In this case, the sky may be the limit.
Aging in America and what it means for technology

Since aging is a predictable reality, tech designers should think broadly about creating solutions for different generations.
Leading through disruption

Sad but true: most companies’ digital transformation efforts fail due to “internal resistance to change.”
Connected tech gathers real-time behavioral and physiological data beyond a controlled setting

Connected technology has recently become ubiquitous in consumer health markets. And now many of these products are formally part of the healthcare system. Harvard Business School Professor Ariel Dora Stern and researcher Caroline Mara chart the upward trend and the potential this holds for biomedical research.
Immersive sports analytics overlays the virtual world onto real life

Immersive sports analytics overlays the virtual world onto real life with the promise of game-changing results. The SportsXR research team at Harvard’s Visual Computing Group visualizes this new data-rich experience for athletes, coaches, and fans.
The vegans are coming, and we might join them

With their recent inclusion on the menus of national fast-food chains, meat substitutes have gone officially mainstream. The Harvard Gazette covers the two approaches — plant-based and cell-based — and how the shift could translate to a healthier population and environment.
A model of efficiency

Once a pre-1940s building, now an energy-positive prototype for ultra-efficiency, HouseZero is a response to concerns around inefficient buildings. The Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities is using millions of data points to monitor the house's performance throughout the seasons.
Sustainability is an innovation problem

Effectively acting on climate change requires the reinvention of almost everything — from our energy systems to the way we transport people and things. This won’t be easy or cheap, but as Professor Rebecca Henderson explains, there is still a strong business case to be made.
A call for moonshots, silver buckshots, and all of the above

Our changing climate creates a range of opportunities for technological innovation. The HBS Business and Environment Initiative believes business has a vital role to play in delivering on those innovations.

Influencers

Karim Lakhani

Karim is the Charles E. Wilson Professor of Business Administration and faculty co-founder of the Digital Initiative at Harvard Business School, as well as the founder and co-director of the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard.
Marco Iansiti

Marco is the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration and co-chair of the Digital Initiative at Harvard Business School.
Amitabh Chandra

Amitabh is the Henry and Allison McCance Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the Ethel Zimmerman Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Beth Comstock

Beth is an author and senior executive.
Sinéad O’Sullivan

Sinéad (MBA 2017) is a space economist whose research lies at the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and economics of interplanetary space missions.
Scott Kirsner

Scott is the CEO and Co-Founder of Innovation Leader and a Columnist at The Boston Globe.
George Corbin

George (MBA ’93) has been helping large companies tackle digital strategy and transformation for twenty years in both executive and board roles.
Jeffrey Furman

Jeff is a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and Associate Professor of Strategy & Innovation at Boston University.
Miguel Diaz Moreno

Miguel (MBA ’19) was a member of the Digital Initiative Student Advisory Board.
Frederick Daso

Frederick is a masters student in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering at MIT.
Matthew Weinzierl

Matt is the Joseph and Jacqueline Elbling Professor of Business Administration in the business, government, and international economy unit at Harvard Business School.
Ramana Nanda

Ramana is the Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he teaches Entrepreneurial Finance in the MBA program and in executive education offerings.
Jodi Goldstein

Jodi (MBA ’96) is the Executive Director of the Harvard Innovation Labs.
Rebecca Karp

Rebecca is lecturer in the strategy and innovation group at Questrom School of Business, Boston University.
Siobhán O’Mahony

Siobhán is the Feld Family Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Questrom School of Business, Boston University.