Centers and Institutes

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:

• Signature Programs: Rocket Pitch, B.E.T.A. Challenge, and Summer Venture Program
• The John E. and Alice L. Butler Launch Pad
• Members of the Entrepreneurship Division faculty
• Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference (BCERC)
• The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM)

The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) is one of the most important and visible ways that Babson empowers women leaders. Launched in 2000, CWEL is the first center ever focused on women entrepreneurial leaders at a business school. Through a number of award-winning programs, the Center educates and empowers entrepreneurial leaders to create social and economic impact as they reach their full potential.

The Center’s award-winning programs include:

• The CWEL Mentor Network for graduate and undergraduate students
• The Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab®  venture accelerator program for women entrepreneurs
• The Babson Association of Women MBAs (BAWMBA)
• The Diana International Research Institute (DIRI), the premier global research institute dedicated to women’s entrepreneurship
• Executive Education: Women’s Leadership Program: From Opportunity to Action

To make an impact on the ground in developing countries, the Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Global Healthcare Entrepreneurship focuses on research and much more. Among other initiatives, the center works with local entrepreneurs who are addressing health concerns though their ventures, and it collaborates with eminent physicians and institutions on seeking answers to issues of medical access.

The goal is to bring the power of entrepreneurial thinking and business know-how to global medicine.

The Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance is dedicated to advancing finance education and improving the marketability of Babson students. The Center provides programs and cutting-edge resources that enrich the student learning experience, support faculty research, and engage our alumni community. We’re committed to furthering Babson’s innovative and practical approach to finance education and enabling industry practitioners, faculty, and students to collaborate and learn from one another.

The Cutler Center supports:

• State of the Art Finance Lab
• Thought Leadership Events
• The Babson College Fund
• Faculty Research
• Seminar Speaker Series

The Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (IFE) is a hub for research, resources, and innovative programming dedicated to entrepreneurial students and their families. Consistent with Babson’s leadership in entrepreneurship education, and unlike any other school, Babson’s commitment to family entrepreneurs recognizes that families, not just family businesses, drive entrepreneurial behavior. This includes the support of multigenerational family businesses, family foundations, startups and acquisitions supported by families, spousal startups, entrepreneurial family members embarking on separate ventures, and many other value-creating family activities.

Our programs include:

• Family Entrepreneurship Amplifier Course
• Live Case Study Series
• Family Entrepreneurship Mentorship Program
• Family Entrepreneurship Internship Program
• Networking by Industry

The Lewis Institute for Social Innovation inspires action around the biggest challenges of our time: the UN Global Goals. We help the Babson community and cross-sector stakeholders tap into important networks, frameworks, resources, and conversations that promote taking productive action in creating economic and social value simultaneously, including:

• Uncommon Tables—open conversations, often featuring external experts
• Action Tanks—deep dives into topics like food, mobility, and youth
• Experiential Learning—courses, real-world learning opportunities, and an intensity track
• Open Office Hours—real-time ideas, feedback, and connections

Retail and Supply Chain Management is a multidisciplinary undergraduate concentration at Babson College and its goals are to prepare students for retailing and supply chain management; retail intelligence; and management consulting to retailers and their suppliers, service industries, sales and product management for consumer products, and family-owned retail enterprises.

The new Tariq Farid Franchise Institute will create cross-disciplinary programming that draws on Babson’s business and entrepreneurial expertise, combined with the experience and knowledge of franchising experts, to provide cocurricular education and expertise to rising entrepreneurs to accelerate their success in the world of franchising.

The Weissman Foundry at Babson College is a cutting-edge studio dedicated to fostering creative and collaborative projects led by a community of Babson, Olin, and Wellesley college students. The Foundry’s intentional mashup of student disciplines and interests ignites forward-thinking idea exploration, iteration, and design and facilitates meaningful knowledge transfer between its community members.