Harvard Business School's eight‑week, $699 Foundry bootcamp for entrepreneurs uses AI avatars created by HeyGen to provide feedback during practice pitches and board‑room simulations, supplementing weekly live sessions with instructors. The program, intended to broaden the school's outreach, previously offered only instructor‑led sessions; a trial release showed student demand for more guided interaction, leading to the shift from a basic chatbot to avatar‑driven feedback. New York Times reporter Sarah Kessler tested the avatars by pitching an AI‑generated version of Flybridge Capital co‑founder Jeff Bussgang; both the real Bussgang and his digital replica expressed skepticism about her proposal to create an "Uber for bananas" service, while Kessler noted that the avatar displayed a fixed smile. Project director Katharina Rings said the AI component was initially envisioned as a simple chatbot, but after the trial students requested a more guided experience. Some participants reported enjoying the avatars, and Bussgang described his digital copy as "a little creepy" but added that his students liked it. The bootcamp will continue to integrate the AI avatars as part of its curriculum, with Harvard Business School indicating that the technology will remain a component of future iterations.