Actual classroom appearances are still a rarity. While Anita Elberse, Lincoln Filene professor of business administration, has invited big-name guests including Ryan Reynolds, David Beckham, and LL Cool J (alongside his COO) to speak in her class, she says she has not invited any speakers whose careers are centered around content creation. To date, Earle is the only creator Satchu has invited, joining the ranks of previous guests including Hollywood heavyweight Reese Witherspoon.
That more and more influencers are being invited to speak at Harvard is a signal of how large the creator economy — which is expected to be worth $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs — has become. Despite the big money involved, the work of content creation, especially in the fashion and beauty space, is often looked down upon by those in more traditional roles. The bristling reactions to these appearances are an indicator of this, says Eve Lee, founder of “creator-powered” consultancy Source Material Service. “The influencer industry is still seen as fluffy, and the dismissal has been gendered, classed, and generational,” she says.
But for the next generation of business leaders, these creators have much to teach them that they won’t typically learn in the classroom.
The bar
What actually happens when you get a creator in a room with business students? It depends on who extended the invite in the first place: there’s a high bar to receive an invite to a classroom. “I would not let [just] anyone in my class, I view it as hallowed ground,” Satchu says. The professor has so far had 30 to 40 influencers request to speak. Earle is the only invite he’s extended. “She represented a risk, but a well-calibrated risk. Now, I’m writing a case about her.”
It’s a sign of the seriousness with which Harvard professors take their invites. Satchu decided to write a HBS case study about Earle — a highly sought after get, he says — after the success of her first visit. The case focuses on the process of monetizing authenticity, and unpicks what Earle should do going forward to further profit from her brand. “You’ve got 180 super-smart Harvard students debating: what should Alix Earle do next with her brand?”
Student-run clubs and conferences are less institutionalized, more open, and typically center around fireside chats followed by Q&As, without needing to fit into a curriculum or classroom structure. Djerf was invited to campus by the Harvard Fashion Law Association, and spent time at both Harvard Law School and HBS, she says. At Harvard Law, the conversation focused on intellectual property, how Djerf Avenue protects its designs, how it structures manufacturing and partnerships, and how the brand is thinking about AI, Djerf says. “I prepared by speaking closely with our legal team to make sure I was accurately representing their work and the legal structures behind the brand,” she says.
A non-lawyer speaking to Harvard Law students will inevitably raise eyebrows. (And it’s worth noting that Djerf Avenue was hit with allegations of a toxic work culture in 2024, for which Djerf apologized.) But Djerf’s presence at a Harvard event illustrates the desire from those on campus to tap into influencers’ cultural clout. When the invite comes from a student-run club, Harvard students get access to creators they follow and admire, and creators get access to the university name.
