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Harthorne is the founder and CEO of MassChallenge, a startup accelerator and competition designed to foster a startup renaissance by connecting high-impact startups from around the world with the resources they need to launch and succeed.
Harthorne received his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007. While at school, John received grand prize in the 2007 MIT $100K Business Plan Competition and received the 2007 Patrick J. McGovern Award for impact on quality and visibility of entrepreneurship at MIT. He also led the 10th annual MIT Global Startup Workshop (GSW) in Trondheim, Norway.
In September 2011, the Boston Business Journal identified Harthorne as one of Boston's "50 Most Influential Business Leaders," alongside the CEOs of Akamai Technologies, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Boston Celtics.
Harthorne is a life-long Massachusetts resident and an avid Red Sox fan. He currently lives in Somerville with his wife Natalia, their six-year-old son Max and their baby girl Yulia.