Student Opportunities

One of the most exciting initiatives at the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (IFE) is the Family Entrepreneurship Amplifier program, which is dedicated to both students and their families. This unique program is informed by family theory research that demonstrates successful and highly functioning business families are grounded in a unique set of knowledge and skills that are not part of the general curriculum at Babson or any other institution of higher learning. To develop this capacity, the Amplifier engages families during the student’s entire Babson experience. A key outcome of this immersive experience is that students and their families foster the growth of their entrepreneurial legacy by co-creating a shared vision.

This program is open to students whose families are engaged in an entrepreneurial platform such as a business, a family office, a family foundation, or an investment arm. 

Application for the Graduate level Amplifier Course is now open. This program runs in the spring of 2021 for 3 credits. Spaces are limited.

*Note: Students who apply for the Amplifier also quality for the Intensity Track (see here for more information).

Application for the UG level Amplifier Course Fall 2020 is now closed. Please email us at ife@babson.edu if you have any questions.

Find out more about the Amplififer Course here.

Peer Forum — one of our most impactful programs — is a student's lifetime confidential personal board of advisors. Students join a group of 8 peers and a Babson mentor once a month to share and learn from one another on challenges and opportunities related to family entrepreneurship.

Our Mentorship Program connects students with mentors from family business backgrounds in industries or geographic regions of interest to students. It creates an opportunity for students to explore family entrepreneurship challenges with experienced alumni.

Students are invited to meet one-on-one with the IFE executive director and associate director to share where they are in terms of school, entrepreneurship opportunities, family, personal, and use this opportunity to get feedback and connection to resources in the Babson community. This is a great way for students to learn how the IFE and the broader Babson community can help on their journey.

The FELC is a unique opportunity for undergraduate first-year students from entrepreneurial families to connect and build relationships with other students from family entrepreneurship backgrounds, and to learn how to leverage their family entrepreneurship legacy to chart their own path. The FELC is filled with enriching activities for students and opportunities to develop meaningful connections with our staff and faculty at the IFE.

SAF engages students from every class year and program to be ambassadors for the IFE and co-create programming. Two students from SAF serve as student representatives on the IFE’s Global Advisory Board.

Our Virtual Forums are interactive discussion sessions led by IFE staff and Babson faculty on topics related to family entrepreneurship. Our fall virtual forums will include the Live Case Study series, Networking by Industry, and Master Classes led by Babson Faculty. Students, parents, and alumni come to learn, share, and connect with other entrepreneurial families around the world. (Schedule of our Fall programs will be announced shortly.)