Babson College To Launch Signature Summer Venture Program At San Francisco Campus

WELLESLEY, Mass., March 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Babson College will launch a pilot Summer Venture Program (SVP) at its San Francisco campus this summer, following seven years of continued success at the main campus in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Applications are open now through April 1, and students from either location, as well as alumni in San Francisco, are eligible to apply.

The Summer Venture Program, a 10-week intensive experience designed to accelerate the development of the most promising Babson entrepreneurs, is a signature initiative of the institution's Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. The San Francisco pilot is open to Babson College students and alumni, and will run simultaneously and collaboratively with the annual main campus program. Up to 10 teams will be selected to participate in the first San Francisco Summer Venture Program, and up to 15 teams will be chosen in Wellesley.

"The expansion of Babson's Summer Venture Program will allow students to take advantage of, and connect to, the Silicon Valley and Bay Area startup scene," said Babson San Francisco Director Lynn Santopietro. "We're excited to pilot the program at our west coast campus, and to help that many more Babson entrepreneurs accelerate their ventures."

"Students that have participated in the Summer Venture Program have shared that it's one of the most valuable things they've done for their startups," added Babson's Executive Director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, Debi Kleiman. "The community that is created amongst participants is a big part of what makes it unique and special, and adding this San Francisco cohort will only build upon the program's ever-growing network."

Throughout the program, participants will receive work space, advisors, expert sessions, and other resources designed to help their businesses develop from a minimum viable product or service to a launched business. The unique experience will culminate at a capstone event called the Summer Venture Showcase, during which participants will be able to pitch their businesses to an audience of students, faculty, alumni, and the investment community. To apply, visit www.bit.ly/1U6Kxf2

About The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College
Dedicated in 1998, The Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship is the nerve center for entrepreneurial activity at Babson. The 6,000-square-foot center was named in honor of Arthur M. Blank '63 H'98, co-founder of The Home Depot, and provides a home for members of the Entrepreneurship faculty, the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC), Diana Project, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), Successful Transgenerational Entrepreneurship Practices (STEP) Project, and the John E. and Alice L. Butler Venture Accelerator Program. The center focuses on expanding the practice of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(r) through innovative co-curricular programs and global collaborative research initiatives that inspire and inform Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r). Outside the classroom, students live entrepreneurship through more than a dozen student-run entrepreneurship organizations and forums, and the Boston-area entrepreneurial ecosystem.

About Babson San Francisco
Babson San Francisco expands Entrepreneurial Thought and Action(r) to the West Coast through an innovative MBA program, an undergraduate semester experience, and custom executive education, while connecting Babson students, faculty, and alumni to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem of the Bay Area.

About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds(r). 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 and Action(r) as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. Visit www.babson.edu.

Contact: Michael Chmura, 781-239-4549, [email protected]

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SOURCE Babson College

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