# John Harthorne

> John Harthorne is the co-founder and former founding CEO of MassChallenge, the nonprofit accelerator founded in 2009 that supports startups without taking equity. He left the CEO role in 2019 and launched Two Lanterns in 2020, where he is founder and managing director. His work connects startup founders, investors, mentors, and institutional supporters, with his current firm focused on early-stage AI and software ventures in the United States and Israel.

- **Role:** Founder & Managing Director at Two Lanterns Venture Capital
- **Organizations:** Two Lanterns Venture Capital, MassChallenge, Bain & Company
- **Education:** BA, Bowdoin College, MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management, Honorary Doctor of Commerce, Suffolk University
- **Known for:** Co-founded and led MassChallenge, an accelerator operating without taking startup equity., Won the 2007 MIT $100K grand prize., Received MIT’s 2007 Patrick J. McGovern Award.

## Career timeline

- **1995** — Graduated from Bowdoin College.
- **2007** — Received his MIT Sloan MBA, won the MIT $100K grand prize, and received the Patrick J. McGovern Award.
- **2007-2009** — Worked as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company before building MassChallenge.
- **2009** — Co-founded MassChallenge in Boston.
- **2010** — MassChallenge launched its inaugural startup competition with a $1 million prize pool.
- **2014** — Received an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Suffolk University.
- **2019** — Left MassChallenge’s chief executive role.
- **2020** — Launched Two Lanterns, investing in early-stage ventures.

## Achievements

- Co-founded and led MassChallenge, an accelerator operating without taking startup equity.
- Won the 2007 MIT $100K grand prize.
- Received MIT’s 2007 Patrick J. McGovern Award.
- Selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2013.
- Received an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Suffolk University in 2014.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — As checked in October 2026, the Two Lanterns website identifies Harthorne as founder and managing director, emphasizes AI and software investments at pre-seed and seed in the US and Israel, and lists both Fund I and Fund II portfolio companies. This is an observation date, not a dated launch announcement.
- **2025-07** — Appeared on the July 14 episode of Stand Up to Stand Out to discuss MassChallenge and his transition into venture investing.
- **2024-06** — Massachusetts Founders Network published his account of the MIT mixer that helped shape his interest in entrepreneurship.

## Links

- Website: https://2l.vc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jharthorne/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jharthorne

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-harthorne
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26