Babson College Launches Summer Catalyst Virtual Program for Student Entrepreneurs and Announces Inaugural Cohort

WELLESLEY, Mass., May 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College will offer Summer Catalyst, a new, virtual program that will allow students to build entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, provide resources, tools, and expert connections, and help accelerate their businesses, and has announced the student venture teams that will participate in the program's inaugural cohort.

This year's 16 ventures span diverse industries, including health and wellness, education, consumer goods, and technology, and represent some of Babson's most promising graduate and undergraduate student startup teams. Notably, one-third of the ventures have dedicated social impact missions or goals.

Summer Catalyst shares similarities with the Blank Center's award-winning Summer Venture Program (SVP) and incorporates many of its best known elements like Hot Seat pitching sessions and dedicated advisors, but will be delivered online.

"Each summer, the Blank Center works with a talented, motivated cohort of Babson student entrepreneurs to help them move their businesses forward exponentially. This summer will be no exception, and we will think and act entrepreneurially to bring the best of Summer Venture Program alive in this new virtual format," said Blank Center Executive Director Debi Kleiman.

Throughout 10 weeks, students will work with their advisors, learn from expert speakers, engage with their cohort, and participate in Hot Seat sessions, skill-building workshops, office hours, and much more. For the first time, the Blank Center will offer students an option to participate in the program for academic credit. Summer Catalyst will be directed by startup and leadership expert and investor Bob Stringer. David Chang, serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Beth Goldstein, Babson adjunct lecturer and marketing consultant, and Eric Braun, Sr. Director of Innovation at Retail Business Services, a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, will comprise the team of advisors.

The programming will leverage all of the resources and expertise of the Blank Center, which has honed its summer experiential programming for more than a decade. SVP was previously recognized regionally as the category winner for education 50 on Fire by BostInno and has accelerated businesses such as  DARTdrones, DetraPel, Mighty Well, Think Board, and Virool.

Summer Catalyst will begin on June 1 and end on August 7. At the culmination of the program, the Blank Center will hold a virtual demo day open to all to watch on Thursday, August 6.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds^®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial 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 make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action^® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.

SOURCE Babson College

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