The Blank School engages Babson community members and leads research to create entrepreneurial leaders.

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- Babson Street
Welcome to Babson Street
Your one-stop shop for businesses founded or owned by Babson alumni.
This virtual main street is Babson's alumni “marketplace,” featuring everything from apparel and fashion to beverages, eCommerce sites, restaurants, luxury hotels, and more. Dine at Babson eateries, vacation at our featured hotels and resorts, shop our well-known brands, and even leave with a treat for your four-legged friend.

Unique handcrafted one-of-a-kind jewelry using shells and 23.75k gold leaf

Lauren Sposito Truono '98
Owner and Operator
I take shells that I have collected on my various adventures and make various jewelry designs using 23.75k gold leaf. The pieces are unique, beach, chic. I made them to be durable and water resistant for all active lifestyles. The versatile design allows for the piece to be worn as a wrap bracelet or necklace. I have a classic all gold design as well as other locations and symbols. I also use my creativity to do custom special-order designs.
I combined many of my loves: the beach, islands, travel, art and shells…and came up with a business that included all of those things.

A purpose-driven brand on a mission to make waves for marine life causes

Patrick Clarke '09
Founder
Founded in 2015 on the shores of Cape Cod, Cape Clasp began as a humble project after Babson. Initially, we were hiding bracelets shaped like Cape Cod in geocaches, sharing the locations on social media and encouraging people to explore our favorite places. We started receiving inquiries to buy the bracelets, which nudged us to create a website and build a non-profit partnership model with the CC National Seashore. Since then, we've evolved into a purpose-driven brand with the mission to #makewaves for marine life causes. Over the years, our offering has expanded to include three distinct lines: Cape Clasp, Tikós, and the Tides Program. Tikós, launched in 2016, features 100% recycled ocean plastic bracelets and sunglasses, offering a daily reminder to be mindful of your plastic use. This line has led to collaborations with organizations like the National Park Foundation and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In 2020, we introduced the Tides Program, offering limited edition apparel that captures the spirit of the ocean in everything from hand tie-dyed tees to pop-culture-inspired collections. 15% of our profits flow directly to our growing list of marine life non-profit partners, summing up to over $200,000 in donations. You've been instrumental in this success—your shared passion keeps us anchored to our mission and inspires every new collection, collaboration, and charitable contribution we make.
What inspired me to create Cape Clasp was a profound love for Cape Cod's unique natural beauty and a desire to see it preserved for future generations. After attending Babson, I returned to the Cape and began hiding bracelets shaped like Cape Cod in geocaches. The idea was simple: encourage people to explore, appreciate, and ultimately protect this special place. The overwhelming response to those bracelets showed me there was an opportunity to create a venture that combined entrepreneurship with purpose. We started Cape Clasp with a commitment to #makewaves for marine life causes, partnering with local nonprofits like the Cape Cod National Seashore. The venture has since evolved, but that initial inspiration—our love for the ocean and the life it supports—continues to guide everything we do.

A boutique residential real estate firm focusing on Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Rachel Foy MBA'01
Owner
Hillman Homes is a boutique real estate firm helping buyers, sellers, investors and renters with their residential real estate transactions. Licensed in MA and NH.
Your days starts and ends at home. I love working with people to find that special place! After buying my first home at 23, I have always had an interest in real estate both for everyday living and for investment/wealth purposes.

A digital marketing agency specializing in cutting-edge SEO, CRO and video strategies

Matt Evans '99
Co-Founder, Head of SEO and Content
Well Met Group is a digital marketing agency that helps our clients grow their business through search engine optimization (SEO), conversion rate optimization (CRO) and video production. We provide support to digital and marketing agencies and B2C clients by providing top of the industry data driven strategic planning, high end execution, and proven measured results that demonstrate meaningful growth for our customers' businesses.
We've all worked to deliver value for Fortune 100 companies as well as small startups and we were convinced we can apply that expertise across organizations to deliver high quality digital results for fast growing brands.

A platform that enables trade contractors to size, design, and quote complex high tech heat pump/mini-split residential systems in the home, on the first visit

Anthony Belden MBA'07
President and CTO
Marbl is a software company that focuses on enabling contractors to become high tech experts, providing energy-efficient solutions to homeowners. The company's motto: "Provide a profitable quote in the home on the first visit." We focus on electrification rather than fossil-fuel based solutions. We have relationships with manufacturers, distributors and installers all over the country and are looking to be involved in the upcoming national transformation of the country to electrification. We currently have a strong customer base in the northeast and are focused on a national rollout of our software.
It all started with a focus on selling complex mini-split (also called heat pump) systems in the home. The average HVAC contractor sells boilers, furnaces, or large whole-home condensers. Heat pumps are different: A system entails a custom solution for every room to provide efficient solutions while maintaining comfort where and when its needed. Our solution (patent pending) is used by tradespeople who wish to save themselves time by providing homeowners with properly designed systems, while providing them with a price in the home within an hour.

Provides financial advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs, and solutions

Robert O’Neill MBA'99
President
Wealth creation is not an event but a journey that requires a vision. Success provides lots of opportunities, but also results in unique challenges. Whether transferring wealth to the next generation or to your charitable pursuits, purposeful planning will help you achieve your goals. Business ownership and personal wealth are intertwined, and we can help formulate a plan that integrates your goals for your business, yourself and family. We use Trusts to make sure your hard-earned success is preserved, protected and transferred as you intend.
I wanted to bring institutional money management to Main Street for Christian clients. Using money not as a goal but as a tool to incorporate generosity and joy to the families we serve.

You deserve a job you love. We’ll help you find it.

Jeremy Hill '04, MBA'20
Founder and CEO
We are passionate about helping people develop skills for a sustainable career. By focusing on actionable steps that include networking, interview practice, and personal branding, you can work with us to grow your career into a job you love (or find a new one) and build a professional identity you can be proud of. Jeremy is a two-time Babson College alum and has nearly 20 years of coaching and training experience. He has helped hundreds of individuals with career management topics that include job searches, leadership skills, negotiation, executive presence, and how to grow and nurture a professional network.
A few years ago, I lost my job four times in five years – mostly being laid off after a shift in company ownership. Each time, the uncertainty of a job search left me stressing about finding a home for my career. It was humiliating, and I felt like a failure. That experience not only taught me how to get GOOD at finding a new job, but it also made me very PASSIONATE about helping others do the same. I started this company to help people take control of their professional identity.

Provider of tax and business services to the small business owners

Samuel Grozalsky MBA'74
President
Let us take care of the tax and other business requirements; You spend your time doing what you love.
After years in large corporate environment, it was time to establish a business that fit my outlook.

Business insurance and employee benefit broker/consultant
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William Bald C'97
President
Insurance broker/consultant practicing nationwide specializing in business insurance, employee benefits, and high net worth personal insurance.
I was inspired by the opportunity to grow a 160-year-old insurance brokerage with an established brand while expanding our geographical marketplace and product portfolio to meet the emerging needs of today’s businesses.

Integrating LLMs into anything, for both startups and small businesses

Andrew Piispanen '18
Founder and Lead Consultant
Our goal is to build out the best AI-driven software that you can get quickly and efficiently. Our works include OpenAI API implementation, advanced machine learning, webapp mockups, data design and wireframe development. Our specialty includes contextual AI – that is, giving interpretive large-language models (e.g. GPT & PaLM) a brain for your business by understanding intents, entities, and giving these models better access to database querying. If you have an AI chatbot that doesn’t know anything about your company, then we can help. We work with image, vocal and textual processing, and can work through a variety of different mediums.
There was demand for this help in the startup world, and I jumped on it. Now we work with many new and amazing clients from all over the country!

A multimedia company, consisting of production, publishing, and artist management

Aliya Bloom MBA'22
Co-founder
FLYNCH Entertainment currently runs a NYC based arts Magazine (FLYNCH Magazine), that broadcasts, fashion, music, writing, and visual arts of up-and-coming creatives from all over. We host adjacent events to each monthly release of the magazine which is a time to bring the magazine to life. The musicians featured in the magazine perform, we display the art of the featured artists throughout the venue, and it is also a time for artists to sell their work.
It started with my co-founder, Erynn, who is a published author... She wanted to find a production house that would be able to publish her book and streamline it to a movie, all under the same owner, as well as hold creative control through the whole process. This was inexistent, so we thought to make this ourselves. Also, there is so much creative talent that goes unseen, and we would like to be a platform that connects creatives and provides opportunity to uplift artists that may need help at the earlier stages of starting a career.

A family run business that specializes in custom tie dye, hats, water bottles, events, embroidery and screen printing

David Merowitz MBA'11
Managing Member
Lindsay Merowitz, Founder of Tyed With Love, LLC., has always been creative and fascinated with tie dye. The business started with making children's pajamas for her two kids - Ava and Zachary. After posting these creations on social platforms, people started asking for pajamas for their children and/or gifts. The product mix expanded, and eventually blossomed into other interesting creations. One thing that put TWL on the map was Lindsay being big into fitness and Peloton. She took her special Century shirt and posted how she altered it. (A shirt you are rewarded with by Peloton after 100 rides or runs). This put TWL on the map nationally, and today TWL has refreshed over 2500+ Century shirts! With this success, Lindsay's husband David Merowitz (Babson College MBA 2011) invested in the business in 2019. The company has scaled outside the Boston area leveraging its innovative website and social pages. The company has had several successful pop-up retail and events locations in Wellesley and Needham, local to the Babson campus. The business supports many non-profits and events. Next chapter, TWL has now moved into wholesale, B2B custom swag and live events for all types of occasions. TWL is a mobile business and can customize a DIY experience for any environment.
We (Lindsay and David) have always enjoyed tie dye since being campers! Lindsay made her first tie dye shirt at Camp Vega in Maine and David made his first tie dye creation at Sharon Country Day Camp in Massachusetts. Lindsay started making incredible items especially pajamas for our two children. These items were in demand once she posted them on social channels. Through Covid the business took off, as we created many custom remote employee events for companies such as: Kohl's, Old Spice, Sorel, Fulcrum Therapeutics and more! We would send out custom kits and jump on Zoom calls creating a fun team building event. Often times these would be during a remote Happy Hour adding to the experience of people connecting during difficult times. This took off, and we were booking 3-4 of these Zoom business events per week charging for goods, services and our time - offering instruction to groups of various sizes. The company began to grow through word of mouth and customers wearing the clothes (we made or they made). After seeing how many adults and children were enjoying the experience, and posting about it, we decided to build a website and launch our first pop-up location at Linden Square in Wellesley all on the same day. Our website launch and grand opening was a hit with other supporting vendors, a DJ and a children's book signing. Lindsay, David, and the Tyed With Love team are ready to customize any swag or event needs from Birthday Parties, Corporate Events and more!

Offers fully customized in-home cooking, private events, and cooking classes

Alicia Charolle '02
Executive Chef and Owner
At Copper and Thyme, we value traditions with food and family and cherish the priceless connections and memories that are created at the table. We know you do too. But we know finding the time and energy can be hard. That’s why we help curate your own epicurean lifestyle, without all the work.
I left the financial services world in 2019 and attended culinary school in 2020. I knew I didn't want to be in the restaurant world but still wanted a way to share my food with clients. I discovered the world of personal cheffing and have been able to provide my clients with the specific types of meals and experiences they enjoy the most.

Expert video producers, photographers, and storytellers

Michelangelo Corkrum '15
Co-Founder and Creative Director
We tell stories that leave an impact on your audience. Our team of expert video producers, photographers, and storytellers create content that speaks on a human level. We've completed productions across the United States and internationally. Our crew size can scale accordingly depending on the type of production and end product our clients seek.
The desire to create a something lasting for myself and future generations that we could be proud of. I have a passion for creating something out of nothing but ideas; seeing the final product after weeks or months of work with a client doesn't cease to fill me with pride and fulfillment.

Providing top talent in to help our clients grow their businesses

Sebastian Paredes '23
Co-founder and CEO

Thomas Borenholtz '23
Co-founder and CFO
At Interlix, we provide highly vetted and top tier virtual assistants and software developers. We are in charge of the staffing and recruitment process, and will provide top candidates for the position you are looking for. All of our personnel are located in Latin America and speak English and Spanish fluently.
Coming from an immigrant background, I saw the opportunity for talented individuals in Latin America. It started by connecting one of my cousins (a front-end developer) with a start-up in Cambridge. Now we have acquired a large pool of candidates excelling in skills and experience, who can help our clients grow their business. Being able to provide fathers, mothers, and professionals an opportunity according to skill rather than their location has been an inspiring journey.

A social enterprise with the mission to end period poverty sustainably

Ceylan Rowe MBA'22
Founder
Fihri is a social enterprise with the mission to end period poverty sustainably. We do this in 3 ways: Period Palooza is an engaging initiative that brings together student groups, businesses, and organizations to raise funds directly on our website, contributing $10 for each kit made. This exciting team bonding experience focuses on creating sustainable period kits comprising reusable pouches, eco-friendly pads, tampons, and panty liners. We have successfully assembled 800 kits, benefitting schools in Massachusetts as well as earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria, and communities in Kenya and Nigeria. Fihri's Student Sponsorship Program presents an opportunity for individuals to make a meaningful impact by personally supporting a student in need with a monthly $15 sponsorship. We recognize and respect that menstruation is a unique experience for each individual, which is why we offer a range of choices. Once a sponsor submits their $15, we collaborate with dedicated school nurses in areas with the greatest need to identify a deserving student. Based on the student's preferences, we carefully assemble and mail sustainable period products tailored to their specific needs. To uplift their spirits, we also include PMS candy and an inspiring note, reminding them that they are not alone. In Fihri's One for One Program, we believe in the power of giving back. For every product purchased by an individual, we commit to donating a pad and tampon to a menstruator in need.
When my daughter began her menstrual journey, I wanted her to have sustainable access to period products. However, I soon realized that there were girls her age right here in Massachusetts who were struggling to afford these necessities. Shockingly, I discovered that 8th graders were teaching 6th graders how to use toilet paper as makeshift period pads. Motivated by this injustice, I developed the concept during my International Business class and subsequently applied to the WinLab. After being accepted, I successfully launched Fihri to ensure that my daughter and her peers had sustainable access to period products.

An integrative medicine and sustainable wellness lifestyle brand

Belinda Ephraim M'11
Founder and CEO
KokoBerna is a portmanteau that implies "mother's daughter – brave one.” It is a journey of evidence-based health and well-being that transcends the sands of time. An integrative medicine and sustainable wellness lifestyle brand that combines ancient traditional botanical medicine with modern science to create by hand, the world's most exquisite, most therapeutic range of highly potent and sanctified spa treatments that channel the primordial power of Mother Earth. We offer a primary care club membership that integrates nutrition, wellness, and functional medicine, using a hospitality-forward approach, to improve quality of healing and holistically promote a deeper connection with body + mind + heart + spirit™. With each purchase, we pledge 5% of sales to select charity partners. Experience the soul, substance, and sacred wisdom passed down 14 generations.
A health crisis inspired me to create KokoBerna.

Personalized wellness services, classes, and retreats on Nantucket
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Brandon Jellison MBA'19
Owner
Lavender Farm Wellness makes the world a better place by supporting the Nantucket community and its outsized influence in the world to discover and maintain a healthy lifestyle through evidence-based therapeutic services and products to optimize their health. We inspire others to attend to their own health and wellness by attending to our own health, continuously learning about the field of wellness and by treating others as we would like to be treated. We support people optimizing their health through evidence-based therapeutic services such as: massage therapy, specialized bodywork modalities, functional medicine, along with premium supplements and wellness products.
I believe I can have the greatest impact on the global influencers who enjoy coming to Nantucket by helping them perform at their peak through evidence based recovery techniques.

A space-saving, portable, and adaptable cable training machines for rehab or the home gym

Isaac Lewis MS'19
Co-founder
Founded in 2019, ANCORE’s ascent in the fitness industry has been meteoric, garnering acclaim from industry leaders like New York Yankees Performance Director Eric Cressey and BioSteel co-founder Matt Nichol as well as winning Men’s Health “Best Portable Cable Machine” award as part of their 2022 Home Gym Awards. The company designs, engineers, and assembles its products in the USA at its headquarters in Salem, MA. ANCORE supports the training of teams and organizations across the four major professional North American sports leagues (NHL, MLB, NFL, and NBA), as well as the UFC and PGA champions.
The co-founders both experienced major athletic injuries and subsequent surgeries which allowed us to understand a problem with training equipment. Through our own personal experiences building back strength during physical rehab, we found cable machines to be incredibly valuable. However, we noticed a disconnect between one of the most valuable pieces of equipment – the cable machine – and its accessibility. Cable machines are large, cumbersome, and expensive pieces of equipment. We believed that by making the most valuable pieces of equipment more accessible in form factor and cost, we could enable more people to train without limits.

Craft brewery and taproom
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Ian Chester MBA'12
Owner
Portico Brewing Company was founded in 2012 by three Babson MBAs. The company acted as contract brewery for more than 10 years. In 2023, the company opened it's first brick and mortar brewery and taproom in Somerville, MA.
Love for all things beer and bringing joy to the masses.

A social enterprise providing overlooked Black youth access to career opportunities in financial services & advisory

Curtis Johnson '23
Co-founder and Treasurer
Wall Street Connection is dedicated to building generational community wealth through increasing overlooked Black youth’s access to financial services and advisory careers. We believe the generational community wealth gap continues to exist partly due to the severe underrepresentation of Black professionals in positions that directly facilitate the community's critical wealth building activities. As a 501(c)3 social enterprise, our mission is to equip overlooked Black youth with the knowledge and tools needed to understand the societal role of financial services & advisory institutions and to make informed decisions about pursuing such careers. By building a stronger pipeline of Black financial services & advisory professionals, we move closer to a world where the Black community has the opportunity to work with bankers, loan officers, investment professionals, and other financial services & advisory representatives who understand the nuances of their cultures and their unique needs.
Without equipping youth with the proper knowledge and resources, the industry will continue to maintain underweight representation of Black Americans and widen the already large wealth gap.

Your one-stop solution for all your luxury lighting needs

Manish Raichandani MBA'13
Director
Vantra is one of the India’s largest decorative lighting brands. Over the years, it has established itself as one of the finest manufacturers and retailers of decorative lights, designer ceiling fans, and home decor. Now they flaunt an effervescent and sublime range of architectural lights too. Vantra is here to bridge the gap between you and your dream home, and they will stay by your side at every stage of designing the lighting layout of your space.
We have been in the business of selling electrical goods for four decades. Mukesh Electric Center is the main business from where we started our journey. Then we started Green Surfer, which deals in commercial lighting such as panel lights, bulbs, street lighting, elevation lights, etc. It was only fitting to start Vantra Lighting, which specializes in decorative and architectural lighting.

Effective and safe solutions for skin and hair without synthetic chemicals or products

Jagriti Choudhary MBA'13
Founder
Skinyoga is a company that offers skin and hair programs, which solely use natural home ingredients, and promotes product-free skincare. Skinyoga's mission is to provide customers with effective and safe solutions for their skin and hair needs without relying on synthetic chemicals or products. Their programs include a range of natural remedies that aim to nourish, cleanse, and rejuvenate the skin and hair.
I grew and lived most of my childhood and teenage years on a farm. Later when I lived across other contintinents, I realized the world needs simpler and effective natural lifestyle. Skinyoga was founded in 2013 right after I got back after completing my MBA from Babson College. It was at Babson that I decided to turn my passion in natural skincare into a business.

Professional organizing services for homes for small businesses

Megan McGovern '05
Founder and Lead Organizer
SORT provides home organization services. We take a hands on approach to organizing problem areas with the goals of creating function, establishing order, and increasing productivity. The process includes sorting, decluttering, space planning, and labeling. Our projects include pantry's, mudrooms, kitchens, kids toy rooms/bedrooms, office space, attics, basements, garages, as well as moving, packing, and staging.
Covid! During the pandemic our homes became our everything. Clutter and disorganization cause major stress and lack of productivity. I wanted to help people achieve a sense of calm when they are in their homes.

Strategic marketing consulting services and business development

Natasha Koprivica G'97
Founder and CEO
Fibonacci Capital Advisors LLC provides strategic marketing consulting services and business development for alternative asset managers. Fundraising activities are conducted through affiliation with Prophor Securities LLC, broker-dealer based in New York.
I have been inspired by inferences in the asset management industry.

A behavioral health provider of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) to children and adults affected by autism

Dina Kassis Gray '98
Founder and CEO
A behavioral health provider of ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) to children and adults affected by autism
As a mother of three, I know the milestones and markers that children reach as they grow and develop. When my youngest child, daughter Emilia, did not seem to be successful at achieving those markers as an infant, I started a search for answers that led to a diagnosis of autism. The diagnosis would set me on a 10-year path of discovery, and in my drive to help Emilia and others with autism acquire more life skills, I launched my own company , with the mission to support families, hand in hand, as they navigate through their own autism journeys.

Small batch personal care products made from clean ingredients and sustainable packaging

Martha Abilene Rios Wells '14
Senior Solutions Engineer
Formerly known as Havenside Bath + Body, Abilene is a woman-owned business based out of Austin, Texas. What first started as a hobby making handmade soap in 2018 has now transitioned into other personal care products. Abilene is committed to providing products made in small batches with clean ingredients and sustainable packaging to ensure the highest quality.
Abilene started in 2018 when my family made a commitment to transition to a natural, sustainable lifestyle to reduce waste. Fun fact: did you now there is a drastic difference in the quality of the ingredients used in natural products versus the harsh chemicals and toxins typically found in commercial bath products??? Don't believe me, go check the labels in the products in your bathroom. I became passionate in learning about the industry and suddenly a new hobby was born! I read books, took classes with professionals + watched millions of hours of videos to understand the science and benefits behind each ingredients. This hobby eventually turned into a business as my drive to share my knowledge grew more and more.

Vintage clothing/object store, brand, and design/creative consultancy

Bijan Shahvali G'12
Vintage Dealer and Creative Consultant
Originally conceived as a online vintage concept, Intramural has evolved into a hybrid of vintage dealer, brand, and creative consultancy. Intramural has been a creative resource and partner to leading brands across fashion, film, music and beyond including A24 Films, Madewell, Harry's, and Drake's.
An interest in exploring the relationship between nostalgia and one's personal style and sourcing timeless relics of culture and inspiration for emerging trends.

Science-backed sports nutrition assessment & coaching for female athletes seeking to improve performance

Nancy Gomes '93
Certified Sports Nutritionist, Founder and Owner
Science-backed sports nutrition assessment & coaching for female athletes seeking to improve performance
As a female athlete, I was unaware that most nutrition and training protocols are based on research on men, yet women's physiology is different than men! The more I learned, the more I wish I knew when I was just starting out in sport and eventually training hard for Ironman races so I am inspired to share what I've learned (and continue to learn) with female athletes seeking to improve performance and overall wellness.

Empowering companies big and small to build sustainable growth programs

Karthik Raju MBA'17
Co-Founder, CEO

Raveen Anand MBA'17
Co-Founder, COO
Digital Advantage helps businesses with growth marketing and strategy. We follow an integrated approach that relies on precise analytical thinking and thoughtful design to create delightful experiences for customers across various channels.
To help every individual in the world realize the power of digital to grow businesses.

Growing the highest quality chia seeds, beans, sugar, and specialties while preserving farmland for future generations

Carlos Rodriguez Laconi MBA'17
Managing Partner
We are a farming and exporting company of natural products. Currently we grow more than 4,000 acres of specialties in Argentina. Our families have been in agriculture for four generations, operating Urundel farm since the 1930s. Urundel is the largest farm in Northwest Argentina with more than 100,000 acres of native rainforest in the Tucumano-Oranense Jungle. We want to preserve the jungle for future generations while employing the local community. We are suppliers of top ingredients companies in Europe and the US. All of our facilities are organic (UE and NOP), Kosher, Halal, HACCP certified.
Being an entrepreneur with a purpose of preserving the yungas (andean jungle)

Bed straps designed to prevent your mattress topper and fitted sheets from shifting

Cesar Lanuza '22
Co-Founder
Alejandro Cohen '22, Jonathan Bensadon '22 '22
Co-Founders
We are a Babson college alumni brand that wants to help other students sleep better. Our Bedly straps are designed to fit around all mattress toppers in a college dorm bed to prevent your fitted sheet and mattress topper from sliding off.
Our inspiration came during our time at Babson college, when one night our friend fell off his bed and bruised a rib due to his mattress topper sliding off. After the incident, we found that many college students have this problem of keeping their mattress topper and fitted sheets in place. To help our friend, and all other students out there, we decided to create Bedly Comfort Products, a unique strap design to secure your mattress topper and fitted sheets in place while you sleep comfortably.

Full spectrum of organic and sustainable landscape services

Donald Alexander Gourley MBA'14
President and Owner
Boston Tree Preservation employs professional arborists and soil technicians who have a dedication to the Green Industry and an appreciation for the environment. Based in Woburn, MA, Boston Tree Preservation services the greater Boston area. Cape Tree Preservation is a “branch” of our company, located in Sandwich, MA and serving all of Cape Cod. We use certified organic, OMRI certified (Organic Materials Research Institute) or NOFA-allowed (Northeast Organic Farming Association) products in all of our services. We also create many of our botanical, biological and nutrition-based products in house, ensuring our products meet our standards and produce the results we expect. We make every effort to perform all services in a timely manner.
Professor Mulvaney's Class on Buying a Small Business inspired me to search and acquire one great small business to grow for the long term.

Hemp cooperative

Matt Wendorf '04
Owner/Farmer
Windy Village Co-op is a wellness company focused on the cultivation of organic hemp for cannabinoid extraction. Our boutique hemp products are hand crafted in Massachusetts in small batches using a clean solventless extraction process. This proprietary approach results in a higher quality consumer cannabinoid product. We started our company as a cooperative in order to give back to our member community and leverage our cooperative farmers to achieve economies of scale that are generally not afforded to small hemp farms. Our democratic member control and open membership allows us to have a greater impact in supporting our local communities.
EIizabeth and I started WVC to build a cooperative, sustainable farming model and bring high quality hemp products to Eastern Massachusetts.

Delivering strategy, ecommerce, digital marketing, analytics, development, design, digital ops, SEO, and growing

Dayna Hess '00
COO
We believe in a data-driven, constantly iterative, going to fail often and fast, dirty-fingernails approach that has proven results. And our client success speaks for itself: We’re rated the #1 partner they’ve ever had by every partner we’ve ever had. But strap in, should we partner, we partner for life.
So we hate agencies. And guessing you do too. 15 second story: Our Founders came from companies who worked with an insane amount of agencies. Both hated every minute of it. The overpromising. The under delivering. The overcharging. 0 for 3. Queue CornerStory - Your digital growth partner.

A Black, Asian, Queer, Women, and Non-Binary owned Diversity, Equity and Inclusion advisory company

Milka Milliance MBA'09
Co-Founder, Partner
We believe in order for DEI work to be truly transformative, structural systemic work must be paired with a shift in mindsets and change in behaviors at all levels of an organization. Culture change moves at the pace of trust and building bridges for greater connection starts with an awareness and recognition of both our differences as well as what unites us. By taking a human-centric, holistic approach, we can pinpoint specific shifts needed across the self, each team, and the broader organization – all in favor of a more just and equitable workplace for all.
Different was co-founded by three DEI practitioners and experts in the industry after several years of working at a number of highly-recognized organizations delivering process-driven, rather than human-centered methods of diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Disenchanted with the serious limitations that we were facing time and time again with the dozens of companies and high-growth startups we worked with, we knew that trying to help teams heal broken relationships, create and implement strategic initiatives, and provide learning and development workshops to develop awareness of one’s biases and lived experiences was only getting so far in the organization’s journey to cultivate a safe, healthy, and innovative work environment. We were only scratching the surface of deep social issues that were left unchecked for years that manifested into toxic workplace cultures where people felt unseen and under-valued. We knew there had to be a different way for real change to happen for those who desired a better, bolder, more sustainable workplace culture.

Tailor-made software development company for all types of industries as well as many types of technology such as mobile, web app and Blockchain

Mario Lega Barco MBA'22
Owner
We are an innovative nearshore software development company Dedicated to be the best tech partners for our clients. We have been in the market for six years creating all types of technological tools in all types of industries. We have built solutions in markets such as transportation, sports, real estate, dating, tourism and construction. We are located in Bogotá, Colombia and Miami, Florida where we can provide a complete Nearshore experiences for our international clients' needs.
I have always been interested in creating and improving businesses with technology so it led me to create a tailor made software development company to become the perfect tech partner for all types of entrepreneur.

CFO and Controller services for small, privately held organizations

Dave Lawson MBA'00
Founder
Specializing in Finance, Accounting and Operations for small, privately held companies, Noon Hill CFO, LLC provides CFO and Controller services on a fractional, interim and outsourced basis. A fractional, or part-time, CFO or Controller is often a cost-effective solution for businesses that need financial leadership and expertise without the commitment of a full-time hire.
I really enjoy assisting CEOs and owners take their company to the next level of success.

Spice rub and seasonings company specializing in unique fusion blends

Matt Chatham MBA'11
Owner
Rub Smoke Love is a spice rub & seasonings company specializing in unique fusion blends, like Beef Cake and Gold Bark, to help home cooks achieve professional results. We currently sell through both e-commerce and wholesale channels.
I've been a smoked food enthusiast, food entrepreneur and home chef entertaining for friends and family for the better part of two decades. Rub Smoke Love is my new passion, to share these elite blends I've honed over the years to now help those who similarly crave consistently great–not good–results.

DTC pre-loved fashion start-up

Cecilia Hermawan MBA'22
Founder
Vico Style is a Boston-based DTC company focusing on versatility and size inclusivity. Our mission is to help Americans be sustainably bougie on a budget. We just opened up for first storefront in Kendall Square, Cambridge.
Vico Style came out of my own pain point when I was pursuing my MBA at Babson. As a single parent, I had to fund my education while meeting other financial obligations, I had to be mindful with my expenses. After having a long standing career in the apparel and footwear industry, I decided to launch my own venture while I was pursuing my MBA.

Venture and Growth fund portfolios

Ted Clark MBA'94
Co-Founder
Jon Terbell MBA '17
Co-Founder
Founded in 2019 by Ted Clark MBA '94 and Jon Terbell MBA '17, FourBridge creates portfolios of top U.S. venture capital and growth funds. Ted co-founded the Babson Private Equity Committee in 2010 and chaired the committee into 2020. John joined the committee as a student and then, upon graduation, became the full-time manager of the Babson College Endowment. The performance of the Babson portfolio has been exceptional and has driven outstanding performance for over 10 years. We are building a specialized firm to invest in only the funds where we have high conviction, so that our investors have exposure to some of the most exciting and impactful technology companies to be created over the next 10-20 years.
We realized that the impact on the Babson Community was and will continue to be tremendous as a result of the portfolio that was created. We are excited to impact families and other organizations like Babson so that they can grow the impact of their asset base.

Full-service staffing, recruiting and consulting company

Jillian Vaillancourt '10
Founder/Managing Partner
VCourt Recruitment Partners is a full-service staffing, recruiting and consulting company that can help your organization with a permanent search, contract and contract-to-hire staffing, recruiter training, talent acquisition consulting, and career coaching.
After a decade in staffing, I was inspired to open a woman owned and led recruitment company where we measure our success based on the relationships with our candidates and clients. Our company is built on partnership, talent, transparency and results.

AI-powered ecommerce growth platform

Akhil Suresh Nair MBA'18
CEO
Xena is an AI-powered ecommerce growth platform that uses data intelligence to both automate & optimize ecommerce growth on Amazon & Walmart. We are a MassChallenge alum building cutting edge ad-tech platform for ecommerce sellers. We work with multiple Babson brands and hope to support the community through our technology.
My time at Babson was dedicated to understand the real pain points of early brands and small businesses. Using my knowledge of ecommerce and real world issues of scaling early brands, I set out to build a truly unique and revolutionary platform that is easy to use and powerful in a bid to help support the fantastic entrepreneurial community at Babson.

Family-owned farm offering fresh produce and an elegant and luxurious farm-stay

Prasant Tangirala MBA'06
Owner
Ashram Farms is a family-owned farm that offers an elegant and luxurious farm-stay, provides fresh produce, flowers and decorative plants, and hosts events. We wish to create a healthy, productive and meaningful lifestyle for our family and for the communities in Central NJ through farming, providing healthy food, education and mindfulness. The farm is owned and run by the wife and husband team of Phani and Prasant, and ably supported by their children, Tanvi and Ishaan. Olive the family beagle, is the mascot and the resident guard-dog against deer and rabbit.
We launched Ashram Farms to: Promote a healthy lifestyle that encourages a diet of fresh produce Create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where all customers get a unique experience Build a creative lifestyle that blends nostalgia with a new-age style and presentation Educate and improving our community by introducing progressive cultural values Enable an organization based on honesty, trust and integrity towards its customers and employees.

Full service landscaping company

Geoff Guilfoyle '98
Owner
High end landscaping and property management, specializing in lawn care, landscape maintenance, landscape design and construction, irrigation, and tree care. We serve all of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The need of services for 2nd homeowners on Cape Cod so they could enjoy their vacation homes without working.

Digital Marketing Agency

Daniel Sarao MBA'15
Owner & Lead Consultant
Macaw Digital Marketing is a digital marketing agency. We specialize in expert SEO, content marketing and web design services, but we offer a full range of digital marketing services, including web design and development, search engine optimization (SEO), local SEO, content marketing, real estate marketing services, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and more. We custom tailor our marketing services to meet your specific needs and accomplish your specific goals. Contact us for a free 30-minute consultation and customized proposal.
I was driven by a passion for marketing, building meaningful relationships and helping businesses grow.

Business Operating System

Vince Bakshani '96
Professional EOS Implementer
EOS Worldwide is a global organization comprised of successful entrepreneurs from a variety of business backgrounds implementing a proven system and set of tools called EOS®, the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, to strengthen and develop leadership teams of small to medium size companies.
My passion for entrepreneurial pursuits began where most do: at home. From a young age, I felt the vulnerability and triumph of owning and running a company. As a student, my professional goal was to take on the family business. I immersed myself in this vocation, building the necessary muscles, experiences, and skills. But then my family business went out of business and I had to reevaluate my future. Today, implementing EOS is my way of doing for you what I wish someone would’ve done for my family business—providing the guidance, encouragement, and resources to optimize the business and enjoy life as an entrepreneur.

Tasty, simple, and soulful Indian vegetarian cuisines

Sumithra Sen MBA'10
CEO
Rusingo was born out of the journey of a mother-daughter duo from Chennai, bringing you tasty, simple and soulful Indian vegetarian cuisines. All our products are made from natural ingredients. There are no artificial preservatives or additives as we commit to bringing you food as good as homemade. Our products are prepared in our own kitchens from scratch to finish. We commit to choosing fresh ingredients, blending our own spices while obsessing over hygiene and quality all through the process. Our kitchens are quality certified to prepare food for global consumers all around the world. With Rusingo, you can savor the rich flavors Indian vegetarian cuisine has to offer without compromising on health, authenticity and taste.
My love for Indian vegetarian food and sharing family owned ethnic recipes. I also was inspired to help Improve the quality of lives for women and to remember my mom.

Stretch braided belts for the modern man

Tali Kadoch '19
Co-Founder
LAEZ belts are the most comfortable stretch braided belts for men. After launching a successful brand in Colombia and Mexico, LAEZ is has expanded into the United States. Our belts are handmade in Colombia. They come in over 30 different colors, allowing you to pick and choose your favorite designs to step up your outfit and add some color to your days.
After buying some braided belts and understanding their concept and design, we realized that the vast majority of these belts are made in China- with PU leather and poor-quality materials. We decided to manufacture our own braided belts in Colombia and it quickly became Colombia's men favorite accessory (you can see it in the streets!).We have become obsessed with these belts, to the point where we have redesigned every aspect of them. We wanted our clients to feel special and comfortable. We wanted to launch a product that was simple but complemented the style in an extraordinary way.

Cultural Picnic Experience

Arwa Jivanjee '14
Co-Founder
We’re two sisters from Pakistan who bond over our love for chai (tea); a sort-of daily ritual that we carried over when we moved to Boston. Chai to us is more than just a cup of tea—it’s a time to unwind with a loved one(s). "Chai in the Park" is a joyful, cultural experience in picnic form, located in Boston public parks!
Our Pakistani cultural heritage

"Better For You" Dark Chocolate Bites

Joanna Benadrete '17
CEO & Founder
Days Off Bites is a *better for you,* elevated dark chocolate that tastes naughty, but acts nice. Days Off Bites are made with superfood ingredients you know and trust. They are gluten free, vegan, dairy free, paleo, refined sugar free, and made with 100% organic ingredients. Days Off Bites chocolate allows you to indulge your sweet tooth without the stomach ache, sugar crash, or guilt that come with mainstream chocolate--because you deserve a day off from all that stress.
Joanna Benadrete founded Days Off Bites while on a quest to discover what makes people live happier, healthier lives. Before launching her company, she was in venture capital, investing in the health and food-tech industries. She saw a problem with the way the current food, healthcare, and agricultural systems work, and she wanted to contribute to change them for the better. As an integrative health coach with a strong conviction in functional medicine, the main question she asked was, “What allows you to wake up feeling energized & ready to seize the day?” She found that food plays a big role. It scientifically affects how we feel, but advising people to “eat better” is easier said than done. She realized that it’s all about small steps. It’s the daily actions that add up. Joanna’s mission is to make the “better” option the one consumers want to choose. To help consumers take daily steps toward feeling good, mentally & physically.

SaaS company providing technology and business intelligence solutions to financial institutions

Sebastian Romero Robertti '18
CEO and Founder
BucksApp is a B2B software as a service product. We connect to Financial Institutions all over Latin America through an API to offer the following two services: (1) Add a package of new features to their existing mobile or web application. These features include expense tracking, automatic budget based on historical transactions, personalized alerts covering low balance, un-usual spending and budget excess and weekly/monthly spending reports. This allows the Financial Institution’s client to have full control over their day-to-day financial life. (2) Provide transaction based data which gives Financial Institutions insights into their clients spending habits. With this data, they can offer more tailored merchant offers, debit/prepaid/credit cards and even loans for a better return on their investment.
I am a recent bachelor’s degree graduate from Babson College. During my four-year undergraduate program there, I faced financial stress numerous times. This ranged anywhere from not knowing exactly how much I was spending and saving every month, going over my allowance unexpectedly, not understanding the important financial concepts such as a credit score and thus getting rejected on loans. More importantly, I quickly realized I was not the only one facing these issues, it was the same for my friends and classmates. In addition, I learned the daily effects monetary stress caused: limiting social life, poor diet and reduced ability to perform well academically. That is when I got motivated to help resolve this problem for people around the world.

Skincare for mama and baby

Shubhangini Prakash '07, MBA'13
CEO & Founder
Feather & Bone sells safe skincare company for mama and baby. Our products only have 3 plant-based ingredients straight from Mother Earth, and are formulated with the skin in mind. We are the first company to launch a full waterless line and the first ever face wash tablet. Our face wash tablet won best cleanser in 2017, and our brand has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, LA Times and Well+Good. Our skincare and ingredients are purposeful, potent and effective.
After having a bad reaction to a store bought face wash at aged 12, I discovered not only are skincare products ingredient packed, but there is little conversation around caring for the skin as an organ. I ran into a similar problem when pregnant with my first child. Struggling to truly find clean, minimal ingredient based products, I launched Feather & Bone.

Artisanal coffee

Karan Verma MBA'15
Co-Founder
Artisanal coffee made by grinding Guatemalan coffee beans with clay pot roasted cardamom.
I am from India and my wife from Guatemala. We decided to bring the best of both worlds together (spice and coffee) and that's how Conecto Cardamom Coffee was born. This venture lets us leave a legacy for our children.

Building visibility for mission-driven, healthy lifestyle brands

Janet Morgenstern Passani MBA'95
Founder
Jute Marketing specializes in building visibility for mission-driven consumer lifestyle brands. With a lifelong passion for healthy living, our expertise is in wellness, food, travel, design-driven ideas, and healthy, natural living. We enjoy working with international brands and startups as a marketing partner, project leader, and part-time marketing role. Tap into our expertise in growing brands, managing multiple launches, and exploring new markets.
To use the power of marketing to grow mission-driven initiatives and healthy, natural brands.

Specialty Sourced Coffee

Kevin Lucas Webb '13
Co-Founder
We open the window into a new world of coffee flavors and experiences. A world that provides you direct access to specialty single-farm coffees that we have personally sourced, roasted and delivered to your home. Who Is Coffee is about putting names and faces to - and telling the stories of - the people that are passionate about coffee, from its production to its tasting.
After working in finance for nine years, I never thought that I would be traveling the beautiful Colombian countryside in search of amazing coffee and stories... Let me rewind a bit. Earlier this year, I discovered that coffee is a fruit. This simplistic revelation sparked an obsessive curiosity. How could I not know this about the second-most traded commodity (behind crude oil) and a drink that I consumed every single day! What else did I not know? As it turns out, there was a lot that I did not know! For starters, coffee should be thought of like wine instead of like a commodity. Also, there is a massive transparency problem within the coffee world. And thus, Who Is Coffee was born. Our goal is to change the traditional coffee narrative and open a window into the lives of those that share a passion for coffee. I wrote all about the inspiration in our first blog post: https://whoiscoffee.com/blogs/from-the-coffee-world/we-may-be-crazy-but-we-have-a-mission

Professional backyard grilling brought to downtown Boston

Bradley Fredericks '82
Owner
Back Deck offers professional backyard grilling in a laid-back city setting seven days a week. Friends and family meet for charcoal-grilled favorites inspired by the food served at casual cookouts along with porch-perfect cocktails, beer and wine.
Restaurant space opportunity presented itself, already having a restaurant across the street

A boutique chocolate company, providing handmade chocolates and cakes

Ebru Ipekci '93
Owner
Butterfly Chocolate is a world-class prestigious boutique chocolate brand featuring handmade chocolate collections and pastries. The sweet treats are sold online and at four trendy cafés in Istanbul, Turkey. Influenced by global trends and seasons, Butterfly features new chocolate creations throughout the year.
Right after graduation, I started working for Chase Manhattan Bank in Istanbul. After 2 years, I realized that I didn’t enjoy working in an established company repeating similar tasks all the time. I was urged to create something from zero and grow it without any boundaries. After searching for a gap in a niche market, I noticed that there were no cookbooks published in Turkey which had pictures for recipes. So I found myself a partner who graduated from Cordon Bleu and who wanted to write a cookbook as well. After our second cookbook, we decided to create a trademark which would help sell our cookbooks and vice versa. At that point, we noticed that there were no artisanal chocolate shops in Turkey. Butterfly Chocolate was born to fill this need.

A family-owned business specializing in the production of cognac

Cyril Camus '91
Chairman and CEO
The leading family-owned cognac house, the House of CAMUS has been operating independently since 1863, upholding the same uncompromising philosophy of a family five generations strong. CAMUS produces the most aromatic cognacs, sold in most countries in the world, in almost every international airport, and on board a large number of airlines. In addition to cognac, the House of CAMUS also produces LOUDENNE Medoc wine and LAMBAY Irish Whiskey.
In 1863, the founder Jean-Baptiste Camus understood that his quest for the utmost refinement in his Cognac required the creation of a dedicated, independent House.

Premium Coconut Rum

Danielle Zighelboim '13
Co-Founder
Coconut Cartel imports premium Latin American foods and beverages via the Port of Miami. In 2013, the first smuggle of products was coconuts from El Salvador, inventing the “branded coconut” sensation. Today, Coconut Cartel supplies South Florida with fresh, branded coconuts and produces a self-titled line of premium rum, Coconut Cartel Special, available nationwide.
A key and a coconut. When we popped open a coconut and stuck a straw in it to drink real fresh coconut water we realized what we were being sold in the U.S. was not the real deal. So we stuffed our luggage with a bunch of them, brought them back to Miami and the craze caught flame! We were inspired to expand our product line into premium rum because we believe rum is a spirit that many people haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the right way. Much like we have seen happen with tequila and whiskey, rum is the next category to “premiumize” and to offer new, exciting brands from all over the world.

Powerful, non-toxic coatings that prolong the life of your favorite belongings by protecting against the damages caused by spills and stains

David Zamarin '19
Founder & CEO
At DetraPel we know that life can get messy, and we want to help. That is why we manufacture and distribute powerful, planet-friendly, cancer-free protective coatings designed for use on all your favorite fabric and leather belongings. Using innovative nanotechnology, DetraPel liquid repellent sprays create completely harmless, invisible barriers that protect your items from damage caused by water, other liquids and even food! You could say we’re in the business of protection, which is why we stand by our slogan ""Protect What You Love"". This phrase to us means so much more than protecting the stuff you own. Unlike many of our competitors, we deliver climate conscious products, that contain no cancer-causing fluorochemicals (like PFAS) and deliver state-of-the-art packaging that contains zero harmful propellants. This way you can protect the things you love, while protecting the people, pets and planet you love too! The greatest part is that everyone can use DetraPel on just about anything. The benefits and surfaces are endless based on the technology. Whether you want to protect your white carpet from wine stains, your brand new shoes from getting dirty outside, or your car seats from accidental coffee spills, DetraPel has got you covered.
Growing up in Philadelphia with divorced immigrant parents taught me a lot of what I needed to know to get to where I am today. I grew up watching my mother hustling daily to provide me with the best possible life. I learned very early on that success meant hard work and sacrifice. So at an early age I started dabbling in different business ideas in an effort to contribute, which included selling popular headphones and watches. In high school I started a shoe cleaning business. This business ran for 4 months and we generated significant revenue. I was ecstatic. After just 4 months I was given an offer to sell. The decision was easy. I sold my first business and invested all of the money into starting DetraPel. The idea for DetraPel started from the conditioning service we were offering with my shoe cleaning business. I was using a competitor’s product, which I later found out was extremely carcinogenic, caused birth defects, dried white and ruined fabric. On top of that it was extremely expensive. By having used the toxic formulas, I exposed myself to harmful chemicals, but more importantly an industry-changing idea. I knew I wanted to create protective formulas that were safe enough to apply at home, without a mask, and in the presence of babies and puppies.

Texas-Mexican restaurant specializing in fajitas and margaritas

Bradley Fredericks '82
Owner
Established in 1989, Fajitas & 'Ritas is an award-winning, good-vibe, “unabashedly fun” restaurant and bar featuring fresh Texas cuisine.
Experiencing the food and drink of Texas while working for Exxon, just after graduating from Babson. Bring these tastes to Boston.

Dry, crisp, refreshing meads in fun flavors

Beth Borges MBA'10
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Bottle Washer
Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting the sugars in honey. House Bear Brewing uses raw, unfiltered honey to make dry, crisp meads, which are sold in ~130 stores across the state, as well as at their tasting room at their Newburyport meadery location.
I’ve been making mead since college. On my 30th birthday I decided to stop in to the Sunset Grill and treat myself to something different. They had mead there: $5 for 2oz and it was the worst mead I’d ever tried. I said that I could do better than that. The seed was probably planted then although I didn’t realize it. It wasn’t until I was at Babson that I started to think about this more seriously. I would brew mead when I needed to decompress. I started to think there could be a future here and started to research the market. When I tracked 5 meaderies over a 4 year data period and saw that mead was growing at 700% / year, I knew that it was on the cusp of a craft mead explosion like the craft beer explosion of the '90s. I wanted to be ready when that happened.

Outdoor furniture designed to harmoniously integrate with the environment

Philip Boulton '97
Co-Founder & CFO
An outdoor furniture company, Kannoa designs functional pieces that harmoniously integrate with the environment. Products are made from only the best raw materials to guarantee long-term durability weathering the elements.
In 2006, Venezuela was going through fundamental changes, and I knew that in order to succeed as an entrepreneur, I had to expand my horizons to the largest single market in the world: the USA. When I began looking for opportunities, I began a conversation with my best friend about what we could do together. Outdoor Furniture was beginning to be an exciting new area, poised for growth, and we set out to build an outdoor furniture company based on four pillars: Design, Functionality, Durability and Harmony. From the beginning, we had an innate sense that these concepts had to guide not only the furniture we manufactured, but the company itself. We decided to be bold about color and it has paid off tremendously.

A floral design company

Danielle Harris MBA'18
Founder
Little Blooms specializes in all things floral including vase arrangements, hand-tied bouquets, corsages/boutonnieres, floral crowns, sympathy pieces, corporate pieces, and bridal bouquets and other wedding arrangements.
I was never really big on flowers because no one really ever got any for me. One day I realized I could by myself flowers and they made me just as happy. I began messing around with arranging them but truly fell in love when I took a course for fun on flower arranging. I was inspired to start my venture because I love how flowers make me feel and I love being able to brighten up people's days with flowers.

An innovative ice cream shop utilizing locally-sourced ingredients and a modern liquid nitrogen technique

Karim El-Gamal MBA'11
Founder, Owner, Partner

Michael Kasseris MBA'11
Founder, Owner, Partner
New City Microcreamery combines classic New England farm-fresh dairy sourced from Massachusetts farms with a first-of-its-kind modern liquid nitrogen process. The end result is a cross between the creamiest classic New England ice cream and modern technique at its most indulgent.

Playfully-styled and functionally smart children's furniture

JB Schneider MBA'05
Co-Founder

Antonio Turco-Rivas MBA'05
Co-Founder
P'kolino (pee-ko-lee-no) creates an innovative line of furniture and décor for children of all ages. Products are “playful” –they have a fun and engaging style that appeals to children, and “smart” –providing superior functionality to safely support children’s developmental needs and extend the life of the product through multiple uses. Designs are modern and feature bright colors. In addition to its website, P’kolino is sold at many retail stores and on e-commerce sites.
We wanted to improve the play environment and home for toddlers, and we ended up creating an innovative line of furnishings, decor and more playfully smart solutions for the entire family.

Vacation villa rentals in Dorado, Puerto Rico

Alma Bair MBA'91
Founder & CEO
Paradise Villas & Vacations offers unparalleled, 5-Star concierge-style, 24/7 guest services for those seeking to visit one of the world’s most sought-after vacation destinations – Dorado, Puerto Rico. From luxury Beach Villa rentals, to help in planning unique excursions, special events, private dining and more, Paradise Villas & Vacations is a travel agency, trip advisor, and your expert, villa rental resource.
The inspiration to create my business sprouted from two different sources. On one hand, studying Entrepreneurship & Marketing at Babson enhanced the excitement within me to initiate and grow a business while, on the other, my passion for the island of Puerto Rico and my desire to share my love and knowledge of the island with others was, in itself, tremendous motivation. Babson prepared me for the challenges of managing a growing business – but it was the island itself which was the true inspiration! I came to Puerto Rico on vacation and fell in love with its landscapes, golden beaches, kaleidoscope of adventures and activities, warm, friendly people, and the vibrant Latino-Caribbean culture! It started with the purchase of a vacation villa for my family. Then people asked to rent the villa. Such requests increased as other villa owners asked me to handle short-term rentals for their villa ... and, without even a business plan, the enterprise grew organically because word-of-mouth spread and one villa turned into over 50! Aptly, I named the company “Paradise Villas & Vacations”. With the entrepreneurial grounding from Babson together with my newly discovered passion for hospitality and travel planning, I nurtured and developed a company culture dedicated to making sure all our guests have an amazing experience … tailor-made to how they like to enjoy their vacations. This includes “high touch”, 5-Star hospitality resulting in about 90% 5-Star reviews. Such achievements earned us “Superhost” status on Airbnb – the mark of a successful travel-related business.

A family-owned human-grade pet food company that makes “home cooked style” whole food recipes for dogs and cats

Braeden Ruud MS'16
Co-Founder & CEO
A family owned human-grade pet food company that works with world-renowned veterinarian, Dr. Karen Becker to formulate “home-cooked style” whole food recipes that are specific to each pets’ stage of life using limited ingredients. All recipes contain a single source of animal protein and there are no preservatives or fillers like grain, potato, rice, oats, barley, parsnips, corn, wheat, or soy. Every single batch we cook gets lab safety tested for pathogens to help ensure it’s safe for your pet to eat. We have a hold release program where we don’t ever ship our food unless it passes the lab safety test. For transparency, we post the results of these tests on our website for everyone to see, along with a map tracing all our ingredients to their source, and a video showing how our food gets made. Our food is shipped to your door with environmentally friendly materials –the refrigerated liners used to keep your pet’s food cold are biodegradable and our boxes are recyclable.
On March 16, 2007, there was a massive outbreak of pet food contamination and thousands of pets had gotten sick and died. As a result of this, my mom started cooking for our pets because she didn’t trust any of the pet food on the market. This inspired us to create a company that pet parents can trust through placing a strong emphasis on safety and transparency.

Home security products designed to reduce crime in neighborhoods

Jamie Siminoff '99
Chief Inventor & CEO
Ring is a home security powerhouse, manufacturing security products and services, including the popular Ring Video Doorbell. A mission driven company, Ring products –ranging from security systems, smart lighting, cameras and accessories, are designed and engineered to help reduce crime in communities.
I was tinkering in my garage and could not hear the doorbell—so I looked for a doorbell that would work to my phone. When I saw that none existed, I built my own.

Award-winning, Caribbean-distilled, barrel-aged rum

Steve Orne '88, MBA'90
Co-Founder & Vice President
A Massachusetts-based distillery, Rumson’s Rum hand-selects and marries the finest barrel-aged Caribbean rums. These rums are chosen for their distinctive and savory flavor profiles. The result …rum that's Smooth. Sweet. Memorable.® Rumson’s has broad distribution in Massachusetts and Rhode Island as well as in some international markets, including Canada, the Czech Republic, and soon Slovakia and Poland.
For the love of rum and some interesting family history.

A community restaurant serving signature wood-fired flatbreads and a unique spin on classic dishes

Karim El-Gamal MBA'11
Co-Owner

Michael Kasseris MBA'11
Co-Owner
The Rail Trail Flatbread Co. is a community restaurant in Hudson, MA with an "open book management" philosophy. All employees are empowered to understand how the business works and have a say in how the company is run.
Rail Trail Flatbread Co. was opened in 2012 and created as a place for the community of Hudson to gather around the table. Partners Kasseris and El-Gamal developed this family of businesses as a method of community-building. This social enterprise the team embarked on to revive downtown Hudson can best be exemplified by the "open book model" deployed to the entire team: to create good profits for all stakeholders involved in the business. From investors to employees, owners to environment, Rail Trail Flatbread believes all parties involved must share in the "value" created.

Dry erase films that turn any surface into a whiteboard

Hanson Grant '16
Founder & CEO
Think Board is a premium quality whiteboard film that parents, kids, college students, or office workers can use on a desk, wall, table, refrigerator, or any other smooth surface. Customers simply peel and stick the film and presto –a dry erase workspace! Place one on your desk, cover your office wall, or set one up at home. They are fully removable, so they won’t damage the surface you put them on. Think Board is shipped worldwide.
It started out of my dorm room at Babson. All I needed was a space to write down business ideas and stay organized from week to week; however, I couldn't drill holes into the wall to set up a massive whiteboard or paint my walls with whiteboard paint. So Think Board was born -a dry erase film that was easy to install, looked beautiful, and worked like a charm. I stuck the first version of our product to the wall purely so I could write down other business ideas. It wasn't until 50 ideas later that enough friends came into my room and said "Hanson, your ideas aren't that great... BUT this thing... this is cool. Where can I get one?"

A family-owned car dealership in Braintree and Plymouth MA, specializing in Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai

Gregory Tufankjian '88, P'21
Owner
With over 500 new Toyota and pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs on site, the Tufankjian Toyota of Braintree dealership offers one of the largest vehicle inventories available to the Braintree, MA area. The unique three-story layout at Toyota of Braintree provides shoppers with an air-conditioned space in which to browse through the available models and check out vehicle features. Customers can also enjoy an in-house deli serving breakfast and lunch, a business center with complimentary Wi-Fi and iPad use, and complimentary shuttle service. Recent additions to Tufanjkian's brand offerings include Honda of Plymouth and Hyundai of Plymouth. Over the years, the family-owned dealerships have developed unique relationships with the local community. From teen driving clinics to an annual customer appreciation BBQ, and hosting the local Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, Tufankjian dealerships give back to the community.
We are a family organization originating in the 1950's spanning four generations serving customers throughout New England.

Simplest way to book bus and train travel

Polina Raygorodskaya '08, H'19
Co-Founder & CEO
Wanderu is a ground travel search platform and fare aggregator that operates throughout North America and Europe. Wanderu partners with bus and train operators, to provide a one-stop search and booking platform for creating cost-effective travel itineraries through its website or free mobile app (iOS and Android).

Accountants for entrepreneurs

Sara Wu '09, MS'09
Founder
We are Accountrepreneur, or as we like to call ourselves “A4E,” and we are accountants specifically for entrepreneurs. Whether you're a solopreneur, a side hustler, a small business owner, or an Amazon reseller, we're here to handle your taxes and accounting so you can focus on growing your business. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities when it comes to tax planning, compliance and accounting for entrepreneurs. So we offer tax and accounting solutions to manage your needs so you can: stay organized and compliant, maximize tax deductions and take advantage of tax incentives for self employed and business owners, and understand your business performance to make better decisions.
After working over 10 years for public accounting firms, my desire of a flexible work life schedule grew and sparked my interest for founding Accountrepreneur (A4E). After coming home from a 3 month backpacking trip to South East Asia, I decided to take the risky path of becoming an entrepreneur and doing what I love most – helping small business thrive using my knowledge and expertise. That’s the reason I founded Accountrepreneur – a firm that dedicates itself to its clients by providing big firm expertise with a small firm touch.

An agri-tech platform connecting farm/food entrepreneurs directly to consumers.

Sandeep Muley MBA'09
Founder and CEO
Bharatrath brings quality, unadulterated, chemical free & fresh food products to consumers.
I saw extreme inefficiency in the Indian food supply chain, so I wanted to work on making the supply chain (farm to fork) more efficient.

Handcrafted organic Belgian chocolate milk and a variety of other chocolate experiences

Michael Dunford MBA'10
Co-Founder, Chief Chocolate Drinker
Cocoa Metro makes indulgent, satisfying chocolate-inspired items for chocolate addicts and those that aspire to be. Products, including Belgian chocolate milk, organic drinking chocolate, cocoa powder, organic chocolate + vanilla extract, and oatmilk, are sold online and in stores across the U.S.
Living in Europe among the chocolate greats created a desire to bring the high-end chocolate experience to chocolate milk.

Professional services to help scale food ventures

Mario Rodriguez '02
Business Owner
Bootleg Avocado provides support and guidance to navigate you through the crucial stages of growing your food business - Food Tech, QSR, CPG. Our team is equipped with 20+ years of experience in logistics, food sourcing, culinary execution, training, management consulting, and hands on experience in the startup world. Our knowledge in the industry originates from stints at Oceana, Gramercy Tavern, Falai, La Petite Grocery, Sony, Dig Inn, Pret A Manger, Dinner Lab, and several early stage food startups.
Given the various startups that I’ve helped to scale in the past, I wanted to guide other food brands and services to avoid the same mistakes and help grow their business. With our vast network in the food and beverage industry, we have helped our clients navigate through the early stages of their venture and provide them access to other business accelerators and mentors as well.

Real estate private equity investment firm

Javier Dborkin MBA'02
Partner
Boston Andes Capital, LLC (BAC) is a private equity real estate investment, asset management, development, and consulting firm with offices in Boston, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires and activities in select USA and Latin markets. Founded in 2002, BAC pursues opportunistic direct equity investments across multiple real property types. The firm invests both as a principal and on behalf of private investors. BAC executives have more than a century of combined cross-border real estate investment and development experience as well as local knowledge and operational expertise in the markets where they are active. Our acquired experience, network of relationships, diligence, and tenacity, enables us to achieve or exceed investment targets, protect against downside risks, and maintain transparency. In all transactions, we expect to align interests among the company, local partners, and investors. Our track record and direct approach has allowed us to become a trusted partner to local sponsors and investors.
In 2002, Javier was finishing his MBA at Babson and after a meeting with Jim Hughes they both saw the opportunity to invest in Argentinian real estate with private capital from the USA. At the time Argentina was very distressed economically and there was an opportunity to enter the market at very low values. Both decided to partner and started Boston Andes Capital. Since then BAC has executed projects in Argentina, Colombia and the USA and currently has investors from over five different countries mainly in Latin America and the USA. Most of the investors are high net worth individuals, family offices, and some institutional.

Premier restaurant and food service equipment supplies dealer

Matthew Starr MBA'17
Vice President, Business Development

Andy Starr MBA'14
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
Boston Showcase Company is the region's premier provider of commercial foodservice equipment and supplies. We do everything from designing new kitchens and installing heavy equipment to daily deliveries of tabletop items and other various kitchen smallwares. We work with a variety of foodservice clients throughout New England and beyond. Our customers include restaurants, hotels, schools, healthcare facilities, stadiums, businesses and more. Boston Showcase Company was founded by my great-grandfather Max Starr in 1913 and we have been servicing the Greater Boston region ever since.
I am fourth generation of my family to work at BSC, so while I am not the founder, it is my family business. I love the industry we serve – Boston is one of the greatest food cities in the USA and it is great to be one of the industry’s main suppliers.

Travel planning services for land and cruise vacations around the world

Steve Marchand MBA'01
Franchise Owner
As travel advisors with Cruise Planners, we are proud to be associated with the #1 Travel Franchise voted by Entrepreneur Magazine for 15 years running. The worldwide experience of our team of experts, preferred relationships with travel suppliers, and our exclusive land and cruise deals makes Cruise Planners your best choice no matter what the destination or mode of travel. Our mission is to provide the highest level of personalized service to our clients, and secure for them the best VALUE for their travel dollars. In today’s world there is an ever increasing number of choices when it comes to travel. Yes, you can surf the internet on your own for travel ‘deals,’ but can you be sure you are getting the best value for your money? Let us save you all that time and trouble and do the research for you, as you plan your next vacation or travel adventure. Contact us at 386-317-0370 and we’ll do our best to turn your travel dreams into reality.
Having recently moved from New England to beautiful Ormond Beach, FL, my wife Cathy and I have decided to extend our passion for travel by pursuing careers in the travel industry. We have traveled extensively through Europe, the Mediterranean, Canada, Mexico, and so many other wonderful places. Yet, there is still a lot left out there for us to see and do. As we reflect on having been immersed into different cultures from around the world, it has inspired us to create a special travel blog site fulfilling our desires to share, together with yours, all our amazing travel experiences. We’d love to have you join us. Please visit our ‘Dream Now Travel’ site @ https://www.dreamnowtravel.com/ and see for yourself.

Therapeutic massage franchise

Ron Levin '00
Franchise Owner
At Elements Massage™, we do one thing: massage, and we are proud of our high client satisfaction scores. Experience the difference with our month-to-month membership program, the Elements Wellness Program™, and our guarantee, The Elements Promise™ — all built around our therapeutic, handcrafted, and personalized approach to massage that we call The Elements Way®.
I am a big believer in the power of massage for both physical and mental well-being.

Customized service robots that engage with customers in the retail, hospitality, and finance industries

Balaji Viswanathan MBA'14
Owner and CEO
Customers want experience and personalization. Our human-sized robots move around autonomously, engage with visitors walking in, identify them through face recognition, and converse through cutting-edge AI technologies.
I have been passionate about robotics since childhood and did my Bachelor's and Master's research related to this.

Luxury designer goods, with no logos and no markups

Jeremy Cai '17
Founder and CEO

Derek Tu '18
Founding Team
Italic is a retailer pioneering a way to shop quality goods straight from the source. We're on a mission to build a fairer, simpler supply chain that serves consumers, manufacturers, and the environment—not middlemen. Our products come straight from the same manufacturers as Celine, Cartier, and more.

Marketing consulting firm focused on growing personal and corporate brands

Jodi-Tatiana Charles MBA'09
Owner
We are a unique marketing consulting firm dedicated to educating and empowering entrepreneurs, small and medium businesses (SMBs), global organizations, startups, and non-profits on the importance of growing personal and corporate brands.
I created my consulting firm when I was able to articulate my personal mission, which is to help people and organizations achieve their goals. I believe consulting is a natural extension of my desire to help others to be successful at an endeavor of their choosing.

Delicious snacks made from ingredients that normally get thrown away

Chloë Stewart '13
Founder and CEO
nibs etc.’s mission is to redefine the concept of waste. And is doing so through the development of delicious and nourishing snacks that are made from industry by-products. nibs etc. works to a circular economy model where things are refused, reduced and reused from the beginning of our supply chain, to post-consumer use, and back again. Our first product is an oat, almond and honey granola made with fruit and vegetable juice pulp which normally gets thrown away after juicing. Pulp is high in fibre and adds interesting textures and flavours to bakes, and therefore should not be ‘waste’. Pulp is also in abundance because of the world’s juice cravings. nibs etc. was founded by Chloë Stewart out of a passion for minimising kitchen waste as much as possible, by upcycling kitchen leftovers and creating no waste recipes. A passion that has evolved into creative collaborations and bespoke events, onto developing a line of juice pulp products; granola being the first, high fibre, refined sugar free, nutritious snack. Since exploring this concept, nibs etc. has won several awards, launched at the legendary Borough Market, and is now working on scaling its manufacturing in order to meet the demand which has far outstripped supply. All with the mission to encourage people to think differently about their food 'waste', and make it easy for customers to reduce their carbon footprint, in so doing.
I have baked since I could reach the counter, and have always loved food. Looking back, I can see that ‘sustainable seeds’ have been planted throughout my upbringing; from ‘don’t buy what you don’t need’ to finish what’s on your plate. Living in China where abundance is wealth, to the States where portions are oversized, and in San Francisco we shop from farmers’ markets and put our compost in the freezer. To farming in Italy where nothing is wasted, everything is appreciated, and some of the country’s most renowned dishes, are made from leftovers. What started as a habit, grew into an obsession, and evolved into the determination to change the public’s view on what ‘waste’ actually is. If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after only China and the US. One third of all food produced, is wasted; it doesn’t meet supermarket specifications, it spoils, or is seen as waste. All reasons we are capable of overcoming, in our fight to eliminate food waste, and redefine the concept of waste.

Specialized store that sells cigar humidors and cigar-smoking accessories

Kevin Kauzlaric MBA'12
Owner
We're a small business that sells cigar humidors and cigar-smoking accessories both online and in-store. Customers give us excellent reviews for our quick communication, great pricing, high-quality products, and fast shipping.
I started Northwoods Humidors as a side-business while working a full-time corporate job. Having previously worked in sales and website analytics, building an eCommerce business was a logical fit for my strengths. The business has grown tremendously over the past 5 years and we are now the #1 reseller of multiple cigar-smoking accessories in the United States. In 2019 we started selling our products in cigar shops and expanded globally by offering products to consumers in 60 countries.

Food and chocolate tours across Massachusetts

Lizzie Bell MBA'11
Founder
Our mission is to share delicious food and stories in Boston and beyond. We run food tours and chocolate tours in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Lowell, Northampton, and other cities in Massachusetts.
My background in the food industry and desire to support the local economy and independent businesses led me to create this food and chocolate tour company which I’m really proud to own. Please support us in this venture by taking a tour, buying a gift card, reading and sharing our content, and telling your friends.

Not-for-profit organization for the prevention of child sexual abuse

Adrianne Simeone '03
Executive Director
The Mama Bear Effect raises awareness for child sexual abuse and produces educational materials to educate families and communities.
When I learned that is was estimated that 1:4 girls and 1:6 boys are at risk to be sexually abused before turning 18, I felt I could use my marketing knowledge to break down the stigma that holds many adults back from learning and taking effective steps to better protect children.

Premium soccer cleats handmade in Italy

Sam Garzon MBA'13
Founder and Director
A premium soccer brand inspired by the number worn by the all-time greats. Our cleats are produced in small batches by shoemakers who for decades have worked with some of Europe’s best players. We cater to those players that seek quality over flashiness. Our cleats sport an all kangaroo leather upper, providing a superior fit.
A personal need. Not being able to find a quality performance soccer cleat with a serious design/colorway. I wanted to shy away from neon synthetics, but couldn’t find a good alternative, so I created it.

One-stop solar solutions company

Viraj Gadhoke '10
CEO and Director
Vibgyor Energy is a one-stop solar solutions company. We provide made-to-order solar systems with customized financing options for homes, institutions, industries and businesses. Our mission is to mitigate rising electricity and diesel expenses through smart, reliable, cost-effective solar power solutions.

Plant-based supplements with a focus on recovery

Alfred Schofield MS'16
Co-Founder
We create products that we want to use—restorative plant-based supplements for health-conscious, fitness forward people like us. People who aren't looking for magical elixirs or tingly pre-workouts, but innovative, earth-sourced products to help make the most of what their body has to give.
We started VitalFit as part of our LEAP class in our graduate program. We were looking for problems to solve and the wellness/supplement industry caught our eye. My co-founder Cam had had a negative experience with unsafe supplements while in college and we learned that this was a common problem. We set out to make clinically studied products that were safe, trustworthy, and in line with current consumer demands for natural, plant-based ingredients.

Bath and body products for tweens

Sara Ferrer '08
CEO and Co-Founder

Dahlia Sattar '06
CLO and Co-Founder
Zoey Koko offers a full line of trendy bath and body products with one mission in mind: to make every girl feel smiley in her skin. Our products are mommy approved, as they contain all natural ingredients, and our marketing message promotes self-confidence and girl power. Our mobile spa party service is another revenue stream within the business where we create a unique at home birthday party experience.
We identified a lack of trendy and safe bath & body products for the 6-13 year old girl (“tween”). We were inspired to create a line of products that included unicorn lotions and mermaid bath bombs that were sourced from within the USA and contained safe ingredients that were not going to harm sensitive, fragile skin. Through creating this line, we were also inspired to promote a message of girl power and self-care through our marketing. It is important that young girls are using all natural ingredients on their skin, while also hearing body positive, self-esteem boosting messages that empower them. After the success of our product launch, we added a mobile spa party service to our offerings where we capitalize on the need for a unique birthday party experience.

Your one-stop shop for experiencing the world

Paul Sarfati '05
Founder and CEO
Bamba offers amazing travel experience around the globe, allowing you to customize and create the exact itinerary that you are looking for in your dream holiday!
After high school, I decided to take a year off to travel and experience the world. Then, I went to Babson and caught the entrepreneurial spirit. Babson provided me with a solid business foundation and helped me develop my business plan, which gave me the tools to get money and open the new venture.

One-for-one blanket company that donates a blanket for every blanket purchased

Maxwell Perry '19
Founder and Chief Giving Officer
Beantown Blankets is a one-for-one blanket company. For every blanket purchased we donate a duplicate blanket to someone in need. We are currently working with companies and corporations, offering customized promotional products with a social mission. A gift that gives back. Our blankets are fleece on one side and waterproof on the other, designed to offer protection from the elements for those without a place to call home. Beantown Blankets can donate to shelters/non-profits within the contiguous United States. We can also help organize volunteer opportunities for employees. We have worked with many corporate clients including Adobe, CarGurus, Delta Airlines, Google, Reebok, Yahoo, and others, who have already participated in purchasing our blankets as gifts that give back to the community.
Beantown Blankets started off as a class project, but Maxwell Perry was in it for more than a grade. In January 2016, the Babson College student hit the ground running during his freshman year Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship course. The class of 40 students broke into three groups to launch their own businesses with the school providing seed money. Perry was his group’s CEO. Before stepping foot on the Wellesley campus, Perry sat down at the dinner table with his mom and brainstormed business ideas that he could use. He remembers: "She had always shown compassion for those in need growing up, and said that more than anything, she wanted to give out blankets with a waterproof side.” Inspired, Perry came up with Beantown Blankets, an organization that donates one blanket to a homeless individual or shelter for every blanket sold. The uniquely designed blankets have soft fleece on one side and waterproof material on the other, making them both comfortable and functional for outdoor use. “For homeless individuals, it’s protection from rain and snow, keeping them warm and dry during New England winters,” says Perry. “For the customer, it’s the perfect blanket for picnics, sporting events, concerts, pets, or to keep in the car.”

Premium European coffee capsules and coffee machines

Rahul Aggarwal MBA'11
Founder and CEO
Coffeeza is a premium brand of coffee capsules, coffee machines, and accessories for the discerning coffee drinker. Our products allow coffee lovers to enjoy barista-style coffee in their homes or offices at the touch of a button.
I’ve always admired entrepreneurs and always had an urge to be one myself. My life’s turning point came when I turned 30 and re-evaluated my life’s options – either continue “wishing” or finally “take the plunge”. Luckily, I chose the latter. Being an avid coffee drinker all my life, the decision to launch a coffee startup happened quite naturally.

Consultant for global sales and sourcing

Mark Nathan MBA'88
CEO and President
Performance-driven executive offering 25 years with expertise in marketing, business leadership, negotiations, sales, licensing and product development. Recognized for ability to transform and grow existing businesses and create successful start-ups. Proven track record using methodical proficiencies and keen operations skills to achieve comprehensive results in amplified sales, streamlined costs and improved profitability resulting in a stronger bottom line.
Sold my last Toy company in 2018, and didn't want to sit around! Actually, competitors called and asked me to help them grow their companies as fast as I grew my last two.

The sleepwear of your dreams

Patricia Siman '14
Founder
Half Asleep is a direct-to-consumer women’s sleepwear brand that creates comfortable and versatile sleepwear using sustainably sourced materials and plant-based natural dyes. In addition to creating eco-friendly products, our mission is to give back to the community by planting a tree for every item sold and donating a percentage of sales to local homeless shelters. At Half Asleep, we are building a community that inspires and motivates women to follow their dreams, and we believe this starts with a good night’s sleep.
This idea was born when I woke up one morning, half asleep, frustrated with my pajama. The button was coming loose, the collar would not stay in place, and I was uncomfortable - it was time for a new one. At this point in my life, I was more conscious of how my consumer decisions affected the environment, and I was looking for a pajama that was comfortable, stylish, but most importantly, made sustainably. I could not seem to find sleepwear that fit my needs, nor could I find a brand that resonated with me, so I decided to create Half Asleep.

Membership club for RVers offering free camping at over 1,000 wineries, breweries, distilleries, farms, golf courses, and other unique attractions

Joel Holland '08
CEO
Harvest Hosts is a membership program that provides access to a network of wineries, farms, breweries, museums, golf courses and other unique attractions that invite self-contained RVers to visit and stay overnight. For a small yearly membership fee, Harvest Hosts’ members can visit and stay at any of our 1000+ stunning locations completely free! We connect RVers with the hidden gems of Real America, where they can trade the boring parking lot for a unique experience to make lasting memories with family and friends.
Our mission with Harvest Hosts is simple: We feel that RVing provides a sense of ultimate freedom, which most people seek and not enough find. As cheesy as it sounds, we think we can help a lot of people live happier lives if we can get them off of the couch and onto the open road.

Helping companies commercialize, expand internationally, and market and sell breakthrough innovations

Enio Fonseca Pinto MBA'07
Founder and Managing Director
In 2011 a small group of entrepreneurs and educators put their heads together and decided there needed to be a better way to foster innovation and growth. Sure, the US was full of venture backed companies, incubators and accelerators. But few offered an ecosystem approach designed to put large enterprises and early stage companies together to share information, create ideas and drive new innovations. With that in mind, the International Entrepreneurship Center – today IEC Partner.
We were inspired by the Babson environment. Three of the founders had connections with Babson. One was a Professor, the other was staff and an alumnus, and the third was an alumnus.

Tech company providing world class travel products for a worry-free experience

Preethi Natarajan MBA'13
Founder and CEO
InEye Technologies is a new startup committed to bringing sleek and stylish travel related consumer products using SMART technology. Our mission is to create products that are not only super easy to use, but also provide means for our customers to obtain insightful data of their usage pattern.
I love travel and technology. I wanted to create awesome products that are the cusp of both things I love and InEye Technologies was born!

Separate mobile line for your business on your existing personal phone

Pankaj Gupta MBA'00
Founder and CEO
iPlum is the mobile app that gives you a separate phone number for business on your existing personal phone. It provides distinct calling, texting, voicemail and auto-attendant. Same high reliability as your primary line. iPlum is also HIPAA compliant. It is available in 22 global languages in over 200 countries with over a million happy customers.
Everyone has a smartphone, so I started thinking...how can we leverage the personal mobile phone and allow professionals to create a true separate business line without having to carry separate devices? This business number would offer virtual greetings, calling, texting, recording, and extensions like an established business. All for less than cost of a lunch.

Real Estate Brokerage in Manhattan and Miami

Anthony Guerriero '88
Broker and Owner
Manhattan Miami Real Estate specializes in prime residential properties in New York City and South Florida, where we serve as Buyer Agents and Exclusive Seller Agents. We also serve landlords and renters of luxury properties. We strive to be trusted advisors to our clients when buying or selling an investment property or primary home. We are a boutique firm that offers highly personalized First-Class service, stressing quality over quantity. Our specialty is advising foreign investors of New York and South Florida properties.
While helping my partner, a Brazilian, build a real estate business while I was consulting for Deloitte, I found there was a huge need for an elevated real estate brokerage that specialized in helping foreign buyers and investors, an under-served segment who make up a significant percentage of purchases in Manhattan and Miami. Having traveled the globe while a consultant at Deloitte and as an auditor, I had a lot of experience working with foreigners. Combining this with my tax and finance knowledge (from Babson and UNC-Chapel Hill), we advise our buyers on how to structure the purchase to minimize taxes and maximize appreciation. Fortunately, we are one of the only brokerages in Manhattan or Miami that can advise in this area.

Design-led Hotels in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore

Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala '09
CEO
Part of the Hind Group of Companies, Naumi Hotels is founded and established by Surya Jhunjhnuwala and, to date, still remains a family business and a brand synonymous with modern luxury and prime locality. The group visions to consistently engage today’s discerning traveler in a warm sanctuary of comfort, with a stylish design concept, whilst showcasing architectural and design philosophies reflective of city hotels.
We noticed a gap in the market and knew there was space for a new breed of hotels, along with carefully-selected real estate plays.

Private equity investments and advisory services

Gregory Odum MBA'09
Managing Partner
As an independent sponsor, we partner with strategic and financial acquirers to invest in companies operating in the lower middle-market landscape within the telecommunications, media, technology energy, logistics, and diversified industrial sectors. Our target transaction size is between $10 million and $100 million in enterprise value. Current and previous investments include Serious Wireless GSM (now M2M Mobile), MBA Project Search, and Lyft. We also provide financial and corporate strategy services to investment firms, family-owned businesses and municipalities. Previous and current clients include Del Monte, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stow, City of Austin, Andela, GE, and others.
I leveraged my entrepreneurial and financial background to service a niche and under-served market.

Empowering children ages 6+ to learn critical STEM and coding skills through active, recess-style play

Bryanna Leeming MBA'16
Founder and CEO
In the growing category of STEM products and services for grades 1 to 7, Unruly Studios creates the only experience to integrate physically active play, face-to-face interaction, and coding. Splats are durable, programmable floor buttons that light up, make sounds, and sense stepping. Kids develop code in the custom app to program their Splats and play active games on them like relay races, whack-a-mole, and dance routines. Using Splats, they are making connections between games they already know and concepts of coding. Kids are empowered to change the rules and take the reins! They already know what a button should do in a particular game they’re thinking of, so they jump into the world of Splats and start programming. Kids can code epic obstacle courses, re-create an arcade favorite, review for an upcoming quiz, or maybe hurdle some sheep. Different types of learners are drawn to it, as noted by educators using the product in over 100 public schools across 42 states. Splats brings movement and collaboration into gyms, libraries, classrooms, afterschool spaces, and homes—all while introducing fundamental STEM skills. The Unruly team is made up of experts in cognitive science, toy manufacturing, education, and technology with experience on teams at Scratch, the MIT Media Lab, Hasbro, Mattel, Nickelodeon, iRobot, and Disney. We love hearing from Babson community members who know of a school where Splats would be a welcome addition!
The inspiration for Unruly was built through several “a-ha moments”. I grew up practically inside the restaurant my parents owned and operated in a college town, with an incredibly social culture that knew I wanted to replicate when beginning a business. Later, in college, while staying up late for my computer science class, I realized I had learned the Lisp coding language as an elementary student through the game of MicroWorlds, which uses a turtle object that can be moved around, given commands, and animated, all by young game players. That early exposure paved the way for me to be successful in learning computer languages later, so shouldn’t all kids be exposed to games like this? Then while living and working in New York City after college, I was inspired by some press about a STEM toy for girls, where clearly the early market was forming—I loved how they had re-branded engineering/coding into something acceptable and aspirational for girls (though Unruly Splats are for all kids, not just girls). Finally, at business school, I had an idea of building an electronic playground for learning and stayed up all night researching it to see if anyone had done it before. No one had—at least not in an accessible way that maintained educational integrity. That’s what started me down that path and we started prototyping Splats. It wasn’t long before the company was born.

Investment management firm specializing in convertible bonds

Darlene Murphy MBA'94
Co-Founder and President
We serve individuals, families, and also other advisers and specialize in growing and protecting wealth using convertible bonds.
We were moved to find a way to help our clients build and preserve wealth, while limiting risk.

Sales learning platform, delivered in an engaging, convenient way through the use of mobile and video

Mark Magnacca '91
Co-Founder and President
Allegos modern sales learning platform produces better revenue performance by combining training, practice, coaching, and content sharing into a single app designed for sales teams. Allego supports all types of learning in an engaging, convenient, and effective way through the use of mobile and video. Tens of thousands of sales professionals learn to sell more effectively using Allego. With Allego, sales organizations accelerate time to competency, accurately deliver on message, confidently handle objections, and effectively articulate value. Allego is available as a native app for the iPad, iPhone, and Android devices, and can be accessed via laptop or desktop on modern web browsers.
Frustration with the way things were and the belief it could be better.

Furniture wholesaler with pieces made from farmed or reclaimed woods, resulting in zero deforestation

Azem Dervisevic '01
Founder and President
From the tree that gives us wood, to the artisans who make furniture from it, to our customers who bring our pieces home, everyone is treated with respect and fairness. Our furniture is made from farmed or reclaimed woods so there is zero deforestation. Our founders visit our suppliers and know them personally. We visit their factories and meet the artisans who produce our pieces. The furniture is shipped directly from our supplier’s factories to our warehouse in Cambridge where it is sold directly to our customers. We don’t have fancy showroom on main street and we don’t spend a lot of money on advertising. At Artisans Trading we believe the furniture speaks for itself. A fair price for quality, fair trade furniture, that is what we believe makes a fair business for everyone.
A love for travel and a desire to bring high quality goods from around the world to the Boston market.

Residential and commercial construction in the Metro Boston area

Azem Dervisevic '01
Founder and President
Sincere Construction is a group of experienced construction professionals specializing in residential and commercial construction for over fifteen years. We are proud to offer a broad range of general and specialized services to our clients in the Metro Boston area. Sincere Construction approaches every project with great care and attention to detail. We understand that remodeling can be one of the biggest investments a client will make. Our personalized services ensure you feel comfortable with the process and investment from design to finish. The company name is who we are. Our slogan sets the expectation. We are Sincere Construction: Precision– Strength – Beauty
I enjoy seeing the projects we do come to life for our clients. I use the management skills I acquired from Babson to execute projects that are beautiful, on time and budget.

Cape Cod waterfront hotel

Eric D. Shapiro MBA'99
President
Renovated in 2019, Breakwater Hotel offers Cape Coastal Chic style, pure Provincetown. Located in the East End of Provincetown and on Cape Cod Bay, whether you’re are here for the adventure, the activities, the nightlife, or for an escape from it all, our property offers you a great place to relax.
As a value-added real estate development company, The Lexvest Group seeks investment opportunities that typically requires new capital, new management, or a new business model, and very often all three. Breakwater Hotel was a distressed hospitality property in need of all three resources, and met the investment criteria of the company.

Cape Cod Hotel

Eric D. Shapiro MBA'99
President
A newly renovated hotel located steps from all the great things to do in Provincetown.
As a value-added real estate development company, The Lexvest Group seeks investment opportunities that typically requires new capital, new management, or a new business model, and very often all three. The Cape Colony Inn was a distressed hospitality property in need of all three resources, and met the investment criteria of the company.

Dry nail polish: salon quality manicure without any mess or wait time

Elizabeth Erin Gesmundo MBA'97
Independent Color Street Stylist
Graceful Glitz is my entrepreneurial venture where I can create my own schedule that works with my family, use my creative marketing skills, share a product I love, build a team and mentor other women who want to have their own businesses, and develop connections and relationships with women who enrich my life. Color Street Nail Strips give women back time and money they may have spent in a salon while delivering the latest in colors, designs and fashion trends that are easy to use, fun, and affordable. They are also easy to remove with any nail polish remover. They make an amazing gift to yourself or to someone you love.
In April of 2019, I started Graceful Glitz as an Independent Stylist for Color Street. I discovered Color Street while supporting my mom on hospice, where my 10 minute manicures meant a little self-care and a boost to my spirits. I love sharing Color Street because I enjoy the chance to make connections and to affirm other women while bringing a little fun to people’s lives. I love the category innovation of this product and starting this little business just for me! Who knew dry nail polish could be so life changing?

Leading Balloon Manufacturer since 1973 supplying Fortune 500 Chains and Brands.

Reagan Pollack '07
Marketing Director
Award-winning Balloon Manufacturer, Wholesaler and Distributor supplying major Retail Brands, Supermarkets, Chains, and more with Custom Printed Balloons, Custom Shaped Foil Balloon, Promotional Balloons, Balloon Accessories and Helium Tanks globally.
My family founded this company to provide a turn-key solution for promotional balloons.

Wellness services for individuals and employers including intelligent massage chairs and body composition analysis

Christine Bailey Laidman '87
Owner
Are you an HR professional charged with attracting and retaining the best possible employees? Are you in charge of wellness programs for your company, school or community? Is stress reduction something for which your employees or students would benefit? Do you have a big event or trade show coming up and you need something to really differentiate yourself? Consider offering massage chairs from Engage Wellness Solutions. Are you a homeowner looking for a way to relax, rejuvenate and recover, come to our showroom to try out our intelligent massage chairs to see which one is right for you.
My husband Dave and I have a passion for being active and taking care of our bodies. We discovered the intelligent massage chairs from Infinity Massage Chairs and we knew that others would find them equally amazing. We began our business by bringing massage chairs employers to help them with employee appreciation and wellness initiatives. We continue to do that today. In addition we added a body composition service to help people understand the physical makeup of their bodies - information that will help them make better decisions about what to eat, the value of staying in shape and how sleep can throw everything off. We now have a showroom where people can come try our chairs and get a body composition analysis.

Variety of insurance offerings for small businesses and individuals

Brian Lynch '00
Owner
I am a licensed insurance agent specializing in creating optimum value in life and health insurance packages for the group as well as the individual markets. I work with virtually every major provider available in a given state to provide the best solutions possible for my clients in the employee benefits and personal insurance planning arenas. Whether your insurance goals center around wealth accumulation, estate preservation, family protection or simply affordability please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of any assistance to you, your business or someone you know in finding a suitable coverage solution.
My roommate at Babson was actually working in this field and I saw the success he was having and I knew our education had prepared us well to start this type of business. I also saw how rewarding it is to work in an industry that allows me to provide the choice, convenience and counsel needed to help other people make educated decisions and effectively acquire the protection they need in their business or personal lives on a daily basis.

Small batch brewery offering dozens of craft beer styles

P. Scott Vallely '79, MBA'80
President & Brewmaster
Charter Oak Brewing Company (COBC) is a small batch brewery located in Historic Danbury, CT that prides itself on using only the finest, freshest ingredients. We brew only 250-280 cases at a time to ensure you enjoy only the freshest beer. Our styles range from our flagship 1687 Brown Ale, Wadsworth India Pale Ale, Stubborn Yankee Lager, and Royal Charter Pale Ale to a wide variety of rotating special releases. Visit us at our taproom where we are pouring our beers on 10 rotating draft beer lines, or pick up a six-pack of newly released cans at your local store today!
I've been brewing beer in the ‘basement’ for 38 years and always enjoyed the space. When we sold Paper.com there was no way I was hanging in our kitchen…. retirement wasn’t an option. Conducted diligence for a year on the craft beer market and decided to jump in. We operate a unique, state of the art 10,000 square foot brewery, with two brew houses under one roof and a high speed canning line.

Counseling and work-life programs for organizations

Kathleen Greer '73
Founder and Chairman
KGA is a Human Resources services firm that helps organizations create and sustain a healthy, engaged and productive workforce. Our services are tailored to each client’s distinct needs and include a robust Employee Assistance and Work-Life Program (EAP), professional development, crisis management, stress management and other essential HR solutions. With an emphasis on integrity, responsiveness and respect, we proudly serve over 200 organizations in a wide range of industries, supporting hundreds of thousands of employees and family members nationwide.
When I first heard about Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), I immediately recognized my calling. I had always had a passion for helping people and in 1982, that desire drove me to create KGA. Today, KGA is a leading New-England based Human Resources services firm best known for its high-touch EAP services. I know how important – and hard – it is for someone to make that first call for help. This understanding led me to create an environment where respect and compassion are a top priority when helping employees. We start with a warm welcome on the first call, listen and empathize at all times, and end with diligent follow-up. Each year, we assist thousands of employees and business leaders with personal and professional issues, serving over 100 of the region’s most prominent organizations. I am grateful to the many loyal clients who have trusted KGA and take pride in knowing that they treat their employees with dignity and respect.

Residential Property Management Firm

Vikkilyn Gallagher '92
Principal
At Gold Property Management, we understand and value our clients’ differences and tailor our services to match them. Every prospective tenant or owner receives our full one-on-one attention. We want to learn about your short term and long-term goals, budget needs, and other factors. We’ll then create a custom solution from scratch and communicate with you every step of the way to ensure your success and satisfaction. Our job is to eliminate your headaches, so that you can enjoy your investment, while simultaneously helping to maximize the value of your investment. That personalized attention is the “Gold Touch” that sets us apart from our competition. We are a full-service property management company located in Andover, MA, providing rental and HOA property supervision and management, from rent and dues collection, tenant and homeowner relations, evictions, bill payment and property maintenance in the Merrimack Valley. Our use of technology allows us to do things faster, better and more efficiently than others. Whether you are already a property owner or an investor looking to get involved in passive real estate investing, we are here to work with you!
We saw an opportunity that was being missed in the Merrimack Valley and jumped at the chance to fill that void. We can have all the benefits of a big city firm with the convenience of working close to home. GPM stresses work -life balance for all our employees.

Middle Eastern-inspired street food served from a fleet of food trucks, brick and mortar restaurants, and catering services

Ian So '08
Co-Founder & CEO
When we opened our first food truck back in 2012, we had one goal: introduce you "nomivores" to the ridiculously delicious world of chicken and rice. With high quality ingredients, alluring aromas, and the seduction of selfsaucing, we knew our halal grub would be a hit. So far, we’ve launched a fleet of trucks, multiple restaurants, and a thriving catering business. Our next step? World domination! Just kidding. But we are working hard to find the next eating experience that will take over your world. Burger-Pizza-Burrito, we’re coming for you, buddy… And thanks to you, we’re growing—so it’s only fair that we return the favor. We focus on hiring locally, nurturing our employees, and giving back to our community through local organizations.
Chicken & Rice Guys grew out of my passion for entrepreneurship and many, many conversations with my circle of close friends about how happy we all were with our jobs in the corporate rat race. Together, three of these friends and I looked around at what we loved (eating out) and what was missing in Boston (Halal-style chicken and rice) and decided to start a company.

Afro-Caribbean BBQ cuisine

Senteza Kironde '10, MBA'12
Founder
Sentie’s Kitchen is a catering company that serves the Boston and Metro West area of Boston. It provides creative and tasteful options for Afro-Caribbean Barbecue food while using only locally sourced ingredients. The cuisine is inspired by the roadside BBQ meats that you’ll find while driving cross country in Africa, being smoked with charcoal and wood.
My father is a renown Kampala based chef and food critic and he exposed me to gastronomy at an early age and I was fascinated by the creativity and art form of how food is prepared. Sentie’s Kitchen was started inadvertently after a family bereavement where his younger brother PG was asked to bring a dish to a wake. Not knowing how to cook, he turned to me for help and to my surprise the guests were impressed with the food. Someone made a joke saying that I should turn this into a business venture and we all laughed it off. I later decided to go back to Babson and pursue my MBA, and the experience and networking from the program helped me launch this business.

Digital Media Company

Ali Gul '12
CEO
We are the largest digital media company of Pakistan usually considered as the BuzzFeed of the country.
My family has been in media for more than 75 years. I wanted to build my family legacy into a new frontier with technology.

Craft brewery focused on sourcing local and organic ingredients located in Portland, Maine

Craig Theisen MBA'10
Co-Owner
We are a small brewing company dedicated to making delicious, creative, hand-crafted beer. When possible, we prefer to source from artisan and local farmers who grow organically. These farmers tend to grow exceptional ingredients, making our beer tasty. We started off as home brewers in the nineties, experimenting incessantly with new recipes and styles. Most often, our concoctions were enjoyed after "peak" experiences in life, such as a spectacular day in the outdoors or quality time spent with friends, family and tasty cuisine. Over time, our mission became clear—to make the world's most delicious and creative beers, and to make them in a way that we can feel good about. We hope you enjoy our beers and find time to celebrate the peak moments in your life.
Create the best craft beer on the market using local and organic ingredients. At the same time working to support local family farms and protect the environment from chemicals and pesticides.

Electricity and Natural Gas Consultant and Broker

Sean Wirth MBA'19
President
Pursuit Energy Solutions is a full-service Electricity and Natural Gas consulting firm that assists Commercial, Industrial, and Municipal customers navigate the complex deregulated energy markets in New England. We work with customers to develop customized, long term purchasing solutions that help customers better understand and manage their electricity and Natural Gas supply costs.
I started Pursuit Energy Solutions after 7 years working for a larger Energy Consulting firm. After Babson's 2 Year MBA program I started my own firm.

Pointknown captures existing buildings digitally

Jim Foster MBA'97
Founder/Owner
Pointknown, originally founded as Interioreview in 2003, has surveyed millions and millions of square feet of commercial / industrial and residential space. We provide design professionals and building owners with CAD plans, Revit models, and space reporting of their existing buildings or market intelligence during due diligence. With over 50+ buildings in the Seaport District (Fort Point) and Newbury Street alone Pointknown is called in time and time again to develop models of challenging buildings and work with owners, developers and architects to provide accurate and professional results. Interioreview / Pointknown was part of the successful team, chosen as the BIM Surveyor/Modeler of choice, to win a GSA National BIM Award with HNTB Federal as the prime. Additionally, Pointknown developed laser to Revit surveying software allowing users to document and model existing buildings in real time. Pointknown has provided services to Major Hospitality and Academic Institutions to homeowners planning an addition and practically everyone and company in between. Your project is the best thing that happens to us every day. Let us know how we can help.
I find anyone going off the high dive of entrepreneurship inspiring and this happened to be a ladder I found.

Customized bicycle sharing system for properties, campuses, and communities

Patrick Perugini '88
President
On Bike Share helps property developers, universities, corporations, hotels, and communities launch and operate their own bike sharing system. Our bike share system includes custom-branded bikes with electronic locking system, racks, as well as an integrated App and Admin software system. Our bike share system provides automated, self-service access to bikes for recreation and transportation. The bikes help our customers promote health and wellness, as well as sustainability. The bikes also come branded with our customer's logo and branding so the bikes highlight their name everywhere they go.
Our mission is to help our customers offer a healthy, sustainable transportation and recreation option to their tenants, employees, guests or students. Bike share has seen tremendous growth in big cities around the world. With our system, we wanted to create a bike sharing solution that brings this same access to healthy, alternative transportation to properties, campuses and communities.

Lifestyle improvement program that focuses on weight loss without the use of supplements

Michael Proffitt MBA'03
Owner
The LightenUp Lifestyle Improvement Program utilizes the best practices in emotional, nutritional, and physical support to help you achieve sustainable weight loss. Emotional Support - Our lifestyle coaches use behavioral therapy techniques that will help you rethink old behavior patterns and create new ones. We, also, teach you how you can use these techniques on your own. Nutritional Guidance - Our lifestyle coaches teach you how to not only consume a more balanced diet, but how to shop and prepare foods found at your local grocery store for you and, if applicable, your family. Though prepackaged meals and shakes may have a place in your life, lasting change occurs when you understand how our body uses nutrients to fuel your day. All of our guidance is based on the 2015-2020 Guidelines for Healthy Americans published by the USDA and our advisory board which contains clinicians from various backgrounds including dietetics. Physical Advice - Our lifestyle coaches will develop a cardio and strength training program that is right for you. We do not believe in a one size fits all approach to exercise. We also do not believe in extreme exercise programs that often result in injury rather than long-term success. We do believe in creating a program that starts with foundation exercises that progress as your physical capabilities progress. The "No pain, no gain" is not a sustainable long term strategy.
As a person who has struggled with weight all my life and was tired of hearing the empty promises for a “guaranteed” solution from trusted clinicians, I wanted to develop a realistic approach to sustainable weight loss. I was the first customer that started my journey 10 years ago. Since 2015, we have helped hundreds create a sustainable healthier lifestyle while becoming the highest-rated weight loss program in Denver.

Functional Medicine Health Coaching

Dawn Parker '92
Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach
Health Coaching to help people improve their health - nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, toxins. Full service including lab testing and analysis as well as supplementation as appropriate. Certified in both health coaching as well as functional medicine. Working with clients throughout the US and Canada.
After spending two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, I was inspired to help people with more natural options. Having overcome my own health issues with nutrition and functional medicine I now help people uncover the root causes for their symptoms and guide them on a path to better health.

We help companies use hiring as a strategic tool for positive change

John Bishop MBA'70
President
Hiring is the front door to your future success. Want to hire and keep more top performers? Your hiring managers are the key. Are you fundamentally hiring like everyone else? (Updating job descriptions, purchasing new software, doing multiple interviews, etc.) A few easy-to-implement changes will turn your hiring into a significant competitive advantage.
Bad news: I was a good person, but a bad fit for one company. Essentially, a "turkey"." I’ve owned two successful companies and lead a sales force of over 300 people. Yet, with this one company, I did not fit their culture or my manager. In short, it was a bad fit. Good news: I learned first-hand how much stress my co-workers, my family and I experienced during a difficult sixteen months period. Twenty-five years ago, I left that company and started a management consulting company. Goal: To reduce turnover and improve employee engagement by helping managers hire individuals that fit the job, the manager’s style and the company’s culture.

Chocolate from the bean to the bar using two main ingredients: cacao and brown cane sugar both grown in El Salvador

Emily Rodriguez de Urias MBA'02
Founder/CEO
We're a family-owned chocolate company located in El Salvador, who took an ancestral Mesoamerican crop, cacao, and transformed it into a delicious experience that takes you back to the basic and true flavor of singe origin cacao. At Belú we believe in in craftsmanship and healthy living, keeping in mind our social impact in every bar we make.
I wanted to give my friends abroad a gift made with something from my country, something everyone in the world could understand and appreciate. So, why not chocolate? By bringing back an ancestral crop from our land, people could discover the true and essential flavor of cacao, and it would also help present to the world a "sweeter side of El Salvador" that is rarely seen.

Global supplier of clinically supported medical foods to nursing homes and hospitals

David Marks '75
CEO and Founder
Medtrition is a leading global supplier of clinically supported medical foods for protein malnutrition, dysphagia, clear liquid diets, pressure ulcers and wound care, bowel management, and urinary tract infections with distribution throughout the US and over 30 countries around the world. Medical Foods are "foods for special medical purposes" and are defined by the FDA as specially formulated and intended for the dietary management of patients who have specific medically determined nutrient requirements that cannot be met through normal diet alone.
In the late 1980’s when all the major enteral nutrition companies were focused on fat free and sugar free special diets for the long-term care market, I discovered, quite by accident, that 20% of nursing home residents had a swallowing problem called dysphagia, typically caused by stroke or cancer; a market virtually ignored by the major enteral companies. Liquids and pureed foods needed to be thickened to help promote a swallow and to reduce the risk of aspiration, but were being thickened with instant mashed potato flakes, gelatin or instant rice because starches lumped and over-thickened. Imagine getting a cup of apple juice thickened with instant mashed potato flakes! I worked with a major starch company to develop an agglomerated starch based instant food thickener that could easily be mixed into liquids and pureed foods, without lumping, to develop a consistency that was easier to swallow. The food thickener and the programs we created, called “Creating Eye Appealing Pureed Foods,” revolutionized the dysphagia market converting mystery bowls of pureed foods into dense and cohesive purees that were both easier to swallow and appealing to consume. Ultimately, the thickener and the products I later developed literally changed the way every nursing home and hospital the US feed their dysphagia patients.

Franchise Business Education & Matching Services

Steve Rosenkrantz '81
Career Transition & Franchise Coach
The Entrepreneur's Source provides Franchise Education & Matching services to individuals all over the United States, who are at a career crossroads, or simply curious about diversification and adding revenue opportunities. We work with hundreds of Franchises in every industry, investment range, and geography for our clients, all at no Cost & no Obligation. We are 100% subsidized by the Franchisors, so we are able to create that "safe place" for our clients to explore franchise opportunities that best line up with their goals, needs, and expectations...their unique criteria. Options include Hands On Franchises as well as Semi Absentee, where one can keep their job while owning their franchise. There are franchise Business Models for every situation and need. All Franchise Coaching is virtual, offering a fun and easy way to identify ones best Franchise Options.
I am actually a Franchisee of The Entrepreneur's Source...so we are a franchise that helps people find the right Franchise! When we downsized our family business years back, I became a client of the Entrepreneur's Source. My Esource Coach was able to identify my best options, and I ended up investing in The Entrepreneur's Source itself! It has been a wonderful and gratifying 18 years, assisting hundreds of my clients with our Career Transition Program and Resources.

Customer Marketing Software Platform for B2B Companies

Jeffrey Ernst '86, MBA'89
Co-Founder & CEO
SlapFive offers a Customer Marketing platform that helps B2B companies capture their customers' voice, and inject it into every sales, marketing, and service initiative to improve new customer acquisition, retention, and expansion.
I have always been a customer-led entrepreneur and business executive. As an industry analyst at Forrester, my research findings confirmed what I've always known: that B2B buyers put way more trust in what your customers have to say about their experiences working with your company, than they place in your marketing and sales messages. I put my research findings in action at Forrester by creating Forrester Frontlines, their first ever global Customer Voice & Engagement program, which was the most successful marketing initiative the company had ever pursued. But there was no technology platform that made the planning and execution of the program scalable, thus the idea for SlapFive was born.

A bespoke jewelry experience. Create your legacy with an original design. Reimagine an heirloom piece to fit your style.

Jason Reuben '07
Founder & CEO
Baguette Atelier provides custom jewelry creation services directly from manufacturer to client while offering an unparalleled level of customer service. We are passionate about bringing our clients’ visions to life through handcrafted and exquisite creations of the utmost quality. At Baguette Atelier, we partner closely with our clients, guiding you through the design journey and ensuring every expectation is met. Our dedicated and knowledgeable team is available to help you choose the perfect stone for a completely personalized engagement ring, or create a stunning one-of-a-kind necklace. Each piece of jewelry we produce is created to your specifications- we build every design individually, from scratch. We start with an idea and end with your masterpiece. Beyond new and original creations, we love to work with clients to reimagine their jewelry pieces that, for whatever reason, are no longer being worn. Older and inherited pieces carry a wealth of history and memories. We can reinterpret these designs and create new pieces from the original materials, and you can happily bring them into your daily life and keep your memories close.
Founded in Los Angeles in 1979, our family business has been designing and creating bespoke jewelry for over 30 years. Throughout this time, our team has been the secret behind the custom creations of thousands of America’s most respected jewelry retailers. Our jewelry is 100 percent crafted in the United States. Baguette Atelier’s production is headquartered in our family operated downtown Los Angeles location. We were inspired to create Baguette Atelier because we wanted to extend our knowledge and expertise directly to you, our clients.

Super Portable Readers

Jim Foster MBA'97
Owner
Optigrab provides super portable, everywhere you need, reading glasses. Inexpensive and convenient, each set comes with a case that can be attached to your phone, inside your glove compartment, on your cooler, (maybe even your dog's collar) or anywhere you look for glasses.
While I was out with my mom to dinner, she was using a flashlight to the read menu...little did I know I would be that guy a few years later and vowed to find something I could have with me at all times. I use them everyday.

Medical Device Manufacturer, Service Provider & Refurbishing

Steven Kovacs '95
Managing Director
Diamond Diagnostics was founded in 1996 as a privately held Corporation supplying a limited range of re-manufactured clinical laboratory instrumentation. Over the next several years, Diamond expanded its instrumentation line, registered with the US Food and Drug Administration, and ventured into the development, manufacture and marketing of alternative consumables. As of 2014, Diamond has placed nearly 20,000 instruments and supplied consumable products to over 10,000 medical facilities worldwide. Our success allows us to continuously improve our quality and manufacturing systems, increase our capacity and ensure complete satisfaction for our customers. In addition to our respective U.S. and European headquarters and logistic centers, we have established offices and distribution partnerships in over 100 countries around the globe.
Babson Entrepreneurial programs and growing up in family business.

Thoughtful Gifts and Personalized Event Design

Stephanie Smith MBA'14
Founder
At Sukeban Creative, you can find beautifully curated gifts for any occasion. On the website, you can find pre-curated gifts that are ready-to-ship, or work with us to create something custom. Sukeban creative focuses on customer experience, allowing you to strengthen relationships and deliver joy through thoughtful elevated gifts.
Ever since I was a young girl, I have loved giving gifts. I love taking the time to select something truly meaningful and special for the recipient. We all want to feel like we are understood, we are appreciated, and that we matter. A well thought out gift is a tangible way to share these sentiments. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the joyful reaction to a thoughtful gesture or gift. I was creating gifts on the side, and finally decided to leave my 9-5 and start working Sukeban Creative full time.

Brand strategy and graphic/digital design agency

Levon Kurkjian '97
Brand Strategy Director & Owner
We are a brand strategy and creative services agency partnering with inspiring clients all over the world. While we spend a lot of our time in the Education, Non-Profit, and Food and Beverage sectors, we serve well-intentioned organizations of all different sizes across many industries. As a team of designers, developers, and strategists we believe that our unique, purposeful design approach is responsible for setting apart the results of our work. Purposeful design embraces your goals as our guide and ensures that everything we create for you is both aesthetically exceptional and strategically effective.
To promote good through purposeful design.

Financial Planning & Investment Management for Individuals and Families

Daniel F. Hawthorne MBA'96
Financial Planner & Investment Manager
With a commitment to transparency and integrity, I provide financial planning and wealth management to individuals. I bring years of experience as a financial advisor, both corporate and personal, as well strong customer relations capabilities. For a single and transparent fee, I provide financial planning, cash flow forecasting and scenario analysis, clear minimal-jargon explanations, wealth management, tax-aware investment strategy, and investment research and selection.
After the major market crash in 2008 and 2009, I was deeply disappointed in our financial advisor and went looking for something better. Unable to find what I was looking for I did some soul searching about what I thought was missing from the offerings of the established wealth management firms. Based on that experience, I built a business that: Puts your interests ahead of my own (aka “fiduciary duty”). Provides clarity, transparency, and fairness regarding how I get paid. Is consistently and proactively curious about your situation, goals and concerns. Focuses on managing taxes and fees so you can keep more of your assets working for you. Creates a customized, forward-looking investment strategy based on my relative risk-reward profile of the markets. Stretches beyond canned investment advice to provide suggestions regarding your alternatives in today’s ultra-low yielding fixed income environment. Invests in technology to give you a high-quality experience. Makes financial planning an integral – and free – part of my offering.

Class management software for yoga & fitness studios

Chris Patton MBA'02
CEO/Founder
Punchpass helps small independent yoga & fitness studios manage their businesses. Sell passes online, accept online reservations, publish your schedule online, and take class attendance - everything needed to run your pass-based business in a simple package.
I was interviewing a local business about a separate piece of software I was trying to launch. They pointed out another issue they had taking attendance and keeping track of their inventory. One thing led to another, I taught myself how to code, and launched Punchpass.

E-commerce marketing agency for Amazon Success

Jevon Howell MS'19
CEO
ShopHowell takes the guesswork out of being successful on Amazon, making e-commerce easy for small businesses. Our company offers a suite of essential services designed so that small businesses lacking time, manpower, and/or experience, can work with us to launch and expand their brands on Amazon.
I was inspired by the many brands I found on Amazon.com effectively leaving money on the table. They were selling their products on Amazon with poor quality photos, little to no effort on their SEO, and virtually no marketing. As I dug deeper, I uncovered that while many brands found it easy to get their products on Amazon, many more are unable to compete as they lacked the time, experience in e-commerce, and a team to help them. Understanding that my Amazon and business management experience could prove more valuable to brands than simply purchasing their products, I created ShopHowell. Our team of e-commerce experts actively works to make e-commerce easy for small businesses by helping them save time and grow their income; no experience necessary.

Stylish, mindful fashion in collaboration with influencers in the heart of London

Julia Brucher '02
Co-Founder and CEO
The fashion industry is broken, and we aim to transform it for the future by democratising the way fashion is produced. We enable individuals to design, manufacture, and sell their own sustainable fashion lines. We’re hard at work building a platform that will provide influencers (or any individual with an audience) access to all of the resources available to big brands, including access to suppliers, a community, and expert insight. Together with @thesmartfashionistas and @katetik we have launched our first capsule collection this autumn. Ruley rescues unused fabric and turns it into gorgeous pieces you can wear across years, not seasons. Everything you order from us is made to order, which means we produce it just for you. This helps us to drastically reduce waste, which we feel good about and we hope you will too.
Ruley is an incubation venture that was created in collaboration with London based incubator and accelerator Founders Factory. As co-founders, sustainability is a key concern for us and we believe there is lots of scope for improvement when it comes to fashion and sustainability. We believe that fast fashion is damaging to both the environment and to the people who work in the supply chain. We believe that buying fewer, higher quality items is a more sustainable consumer philosophy. And we believe that by working together with end consumer through product development we can create products that people want to buy - and will value for the long term. Together with @thesmartfashionistas and @katetik we have launched our first collection this autumn.

Software development for Big Data Analytics, Machine Learning, User Experience and Design

Rajeev Dixit MBA'10
Co-Founder and CTO
We are a product engineering services company that specializes in end-to-end product development, big data analytics, and user experience. We have a experts who understand your business domain, they will define your product requirements, visualize the product from all the touch-points of your end customers, design an intuitive user interfaces, develop a solid and scalable architecture, suggest an appropriate infrastructure stack, and develop a high quality, scalable product that is ready to go live with large number of your customers.
My years at Babson and my passion for innovation.

Specialty cakes, cookies, and cupcakes

Nicole Marshall '16
Founder and Baker
CakedUp Cole specializes in the production and selling of specialty cakes, cookies, and cupcakes for any event.
My love for baking and making people happy with cake, cookies, or cupcakes is what inspired me to start CakedUp Cole. I always enjoyed baking with my mom in the kitchen, and I wanted to continue improving my skills in the kitchen as well as showcase my creations to the public.

B2B marketing, sales, and demand generation agency

Heather Margolis MBA'06
Founder and CEO
Channel Maven helps large IT and Telecom companies like Google, Microsoft, and IBM enable their channel partners. Our team helps these companies better communicate to Partners by staying top-of-mind and driving demand with Partners leveraging proven demand generation strategies.
Having worked in the IT channel on both the partner and vendor side I saw a huge disconnect between what Partners need to build their business and what Vendors provided as resources.

Full-service digital agency

Keith Vera '04
Founding Partner
DeltaV Digital is a full-service digital strategy and marketing execution firm with services designed to enhance your digital organization. DeltaV’s team of digital experts work closely with your in-house marketers and technology experts to design, develop, and execute digital marketing and platform strategies that deliver results. Our goal is to help clients navigate the digital landscape and provide inbound and outbound marketing strategies aligned with brand goals to provide optimal web visibility and drive online success. DeltaV’s key capabilities include Search Engine Advertising (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Online Media Buying, Analytics & Reporting, Content Marketing, Online Research, and Design & Website Development.
I was a part of a small marketing agency that got acquired in 2012. When it was time to move on from the acquiring company, starting a new digital agency was an easy choice and a natural fit.

Web and mobile development agency

Ronik Patel MS'12
Founder
We are a team of 24 developers, project managers, and testers. We love building web-powered platforms small for businesses and startups.
I started this venture so that I can create our web software as products. Finally, after 4 years, we have launched our internal products.