Jan 14, 2022 - Economy

Former Harvard Business School dean joins Thrive Capital

Dan Primack

Nitin Nohria, who spent 10 years as dean of Harvard Business School before stepping down in 2020, is joining Thrive Capital as a partner and executive chairman.

The big picture: Nohria first met Thrive founder Joshua Kushner in 2010, while Kushner was enrolled at HBS. "He was literally the first student I met when I became dean that summer," Nohria tells Axios.

At the time, Kushner was launching both Thrive and health insurance startup Oscar, and didn't think he could also continue at HBS. Nohria told him that if he was really a great entrepreneur, he'd figure out how to do all three.
Nohria and Kushner remained close, serving as an informal advisor, and began virtually sitting in on Thrive meetings upon stepping down from HBS, while also being recruited for various university president, CEO and public company board roles.
"My whole life has been a series of happy accidents, and maybe I wouldn't have gotten so involved if not for the pandemic," says Nohria. "I’ve never been a VC investor and am excited about it."

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Former Harvard Business School dean joins Thrive Capital

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