BOSTON—Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Social Enterprise Initiative today announced Rohan P. Bajaj, MD (MBA 2026) and Biruh Demilew (MBA 2026) as recipients of the 2026 Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship, granted to two graduating students who are launching social enterprises that will create significant social or environmental value in a sustainable manner.
Now in its second year, the fellowship was created in response to a sustained increase in HBS students launching social impact ventures, and offers financial support to supplement the recipients’ salaries, as well as resources designed to support the significant work of launching and scaling organizations.
“Meaningful progress on complex social issues depends in part on the entrepreneurial ideas and energy of the next generation. More and more of our students are launching new ventures to address these challenges,” said Shawn Cole, Faculty Chair of the Social Enterprise Initiative. “Today’s social entrepreneurs are building innovative, financially sustainable organizations designed for impact at scale. This fellowship gives our graduates the opportunity to pursue mission-driven work early in their careers, and we are excited to see the impact these ventures will create and expand over time.”
“We are proud to support graduating students who are committed to creating meaningful social impact through entrepreneurship,” added Amelia Angella, Director of the Social Enterprise Initiative. “Our Fellows are applying their talent, leadership, and creativity to some of the most pressing issues facing communities around the world. Interest in social entrepreneurship continues to grow at HBS, and this Fellowship reflects our commitment to helping develop and support the next generation of social impact innovators.”
The 2026-27 recipients are:
Rohan P. Bajaj, M.D. (MBA 2026) is the founder of smartSTAT, the world’s first tech-enabled code cart with real-time inventory tracking. Code carts are critical hospital infrastructure holding life-saving medications and supplies that have seen no meaningful technological innovation in over a century. Hospitals still rely on manual, paper-based processes, resulting in missing or expired drugs during emergencies, preventable safety events, clinician burnout, and more than $3 billion in annual labor costs and $160 million in supply waste. smartSTAT automates inventory monitoring through RFID-enabled hardware and AI-driven software, strengthening emergency readiness, cutting waste, and returning clinical time to care — especially in rural and resource-constrained hospitals.
Bajaj draws on his background as a practicing physician and hundreds of hours shadowing clinicians across 20+ hospital systems. He has established health system partnerships, is scaling contract manufacturing, and is conducting a crossover study at MIT with exceptional early results in labor savings.
“I am grateful to the Social Enterprise Initiative team for championing our mission to reduce healthcare operational costs and improve patient safety,” said Bajaj. “This fellowship lets us preserve capital for engineering talent and product development, and the thought partnership has been invaluable in helping us make sharper, more confident strategic decisions as we scale.”
Biruh Demilew (MBA 2026) is the co-founder of Revolv, a venture that transforms abundant organic waste into affordable animal feed and organic fertilizer through a nature-based insect bioconversion process. By lowering feed costs, which account for up to 70% of livestock production expenses, Revolv helps make smallholder poultry farming more economically viable, enabling farmers to scale production, increase incomes, and improve supply reliability. At the same time, Revolv’s by-products enhance soil health and agricultural productivity. Together, these outcomes contribute to a more efficient circular food system that reduces waste, strengthens local food production, and increases the affordability and availability of nutritious foods such as eggs and poultry in Ethiopia.
Demilew brings experience from Boston Consulting Group, PwC, and EY where he advised development partners and private sector stakeholders on investments across East Africa. His work focused on food systems, financial inclusion, job creation, climate resilience, and strategies to mobilize capital for high-impact growth.
“I am deeply grateful for this fellowship because it provides the time, support, and confidence to fully dedicate myself to the entrepreneurial journey ahead,” said Demilew. “Building something meaningful requires focus, persistence, and the willingness to embrace uncertainty, and this fellowship creates the space to do exactly that. It is a strong vote of confidence that motivates me to aim higher, learn faster, and make the most of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead over the coming year.
