Providing a path for PhD students and postdocs to become entrepreneurs can leverage their deep knowledge of scientific discoveries for company success.

As PhD students near the end of their programs, they often consider whether to pursue a postdoc or explore entrepreneurship opportunities based on their research advancements.

Many students express a desire to become entrepreneurs, but they often lack the real-world experience necessary to identify and solve significant problems.

As a professor at Harvard Business School, I find it concerning that many students applying to Y Combinator lack basic knowledge of core startup principles.

Young founders often lack historical knowledge about previous companies in their field, leading them to mistakenly believe that if they haven't heard of a similar company, it hasn't existed.

Students should be aware that not all entrepreneurship programs are designed to support their success, as some may accept teams that don't meet foundational requirements.

Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe that they need to raise funds and outsource their MVP, but this often leads to expensive iterations and a lack of progress.

A common misconception among founders is that raising money will magically solve all their problems. They may believe that their investors will save them from failure, which leads to a lack of critical thinking and preparation for ongoing challenges.

Many founders mistakenly believe that fundraising is about more than just raising money to build a successful company, which can lead to misalignment with investor expectations.