Babson College Applauds World Class Entrepreneurs: Intuit's Cook, Sycamore's Deshpande, and Harvard's Stevenson to Join The Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs™

Mayor Menino, Craig Benson, Former New Hampshire Governor, and Babson College President Leonard Schlesinger Lead The Celebration ​

WELLESLEY, Mass., April 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College will honor three outstanding entrepreneurial leaders - Scott  D. Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit, Inc.; Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, Chairman, Sparta Group LLC; and Howard H. Stevenson, Sarofim-Rock  Professor of Business Administration (Emeritus), Harvard Business School - during its World Stage event recognizing the major impact of business leaders who advance Entrepreneurship of All Kinds™.

At the event, Cook, Deshpande, and Stevenson will be formally received into the College's Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs™ (ADE), the first entrepreneurship "hall of fame".  Since its inception in 1978, the Academy has recognized and honored entrepreneurs who have contributed significantly to the development of free enterprise everywhere.

Babson College, the recognized number one institution in the world for entrepreneurship education, is hosting World Stage to celebrate and advance the world's most powerful force for creating economic and social value: entrepreneurship.  World Stage will be held on Wed., April 18, 2012 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the heart of Boston's Innovation District, a neighborhood where the economic and social impacts of entrepreneurship are rapidly taking hold.  The Innovation District is home to Babson's Boston campus located at 253 Summer Street, where the College offers a wide range of graduate school courses, lectures, and events.

Says Babson President Leonard A. Schlesinger: "We are privileged to honor the entrepreneurial contributions of Scott Cook, Desh Deshpande, and Howard Stevenson.  These entrepreneurial leaders embody the enormous power of entrepreneurial thought and action and have used it to help shape and improve our world."

"Collectively, the 96 members of the academy have created millions of jobs and improved societies around the globe. Many of the most successful and visible entrepreneurs in the world are members. They represent some of the most highly regarded companies in their industry and all are household icons in their culture," said Schlesinger.

For more on World Stage, The Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, and to register, visit/contact:

• babson.edu/worldstage
• eventsmanagement @ babson.edu
• Events Management Office at 781-239-5265

2012 Inductees—Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs™

Scott D. Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit, Inc.

Scott Cook co-founded Intuit Inc. in 1983, and now serves as the chairman of the Executive Committee. The idea for Intuit came to him one day when his wife was looking for a simpler way to pay the bills, which lead to the creation of Quicken. Today, Quicken, QuickBooks, and TurboTax stand as testament to the company's commitment to revolutionize the way people manage their small businesses and personal finances. View full profile:  http://www.babson.edu/worldstage/Pages/cook-scott.aspx

Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, Chairman, Sparta Group LLC

Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande is the chairman of Sparta Group LLC, A123 Systems, Sycamore Networks, Tejas Networks, Sandstone Capital, and HiveFire. He is an influential technology entrepreneur and visionary whose companies and ideas often reshape entire industries.

Deshpande co-founded Sycamore Networks in 1998, with the vision of creating next-generation optical networking technology. View full profile:  http://www.babson.edu/worldstage/Pages/deshpande-gururaj.aspx

Howard H. Stevenson, Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration (Emeritus), Harvard Business School

Howard H. Stevenson is Sarofim-Rock Baker Foundation Professor (Emeritus), senior associate dean, director of publishing, and board chair of the Harvard Business Publishing Company. The Sarofim-Rock Chair was established in 1982 to provide a continuing base for research and teaching in the field of entrepreneurship. Professor Stevenson is its first incumbent and has held numerous distinguished academic positions at Harvard.  He was a founder and first president of the Baupost Group. When he resigned from active management, Baupost assets had grown to more than $400 million. Now, he co-chairs the advisory board of Baupost LLC, a $22 billion registered investment company. Additionally, Stevenson was vice president of finance and administration and a director of Preco Corporation, a large, privately held manufacturing company. He also served as vice president of Simmons Associates, a small investment banking firm specializing in venture financing. View full profile:  http://www.babson.edu/worldstage/Pages/stevenson-howard.aspx

World Stage Leadership and Evening Hosts

• Denise and The Honorable Craig R. Benson '77, H'03, 1995 Distinguished Entrepreneur
• The Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston
• Phyllis and Babson College President Leonard A. Schlesinger

Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs

Established in 1978, the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs is the world's first entrepreneurship hall of fame.  Babson College created the academy to recognize and celebrate the leaders who shape our entrepreneurial planet.  The nearly 100 members are pioneers and household icons.  For the complete list visit:  http://www.babson.edu/Academics/centers/blank-center/academy-of-distinguished-entrepreneurs/Pages/academy-inductees.aspx

Key World Stage Supporters

• Denise and The Honorable Craig R. Benson
• CA Technologies
• The Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation
• First Republic Bank
• CDM Smith
• Paul and Margaret Chisholm
• Connelly Partners
• Fidelity Investments
• General Catalyst Partners
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses 
• Matrix Partners

About Babson

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The College is a dynamic living and learning laboratory, where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society—while at the same time evolving our methods and advancing our programs. We shape the leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to create economic and social value. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought and Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. Visit www.babson.edu.

SOURCE Babson College