About the Summer Venture Program

The Summer Venture Program is a 10-week intensive experience. The program focuses on three core areas: accelerating business ventures, building entrepreneurial skills, and providing resources & tools.

Program Details

What are the dates for Summer Venture Program?
Summer Venture Program will begin on Monday, May 15 and end on Friday, July 28.

What is the application deadline?
The application will open on Monday, February 27 and close on Friday, March 17 at 11 a.m. ET.

How can I learn more about Summer Venture Program and ask questions before the deadline?
We encourage you to join an info session on Wednesday, February 22 at 12 p.m. ET or Monday, February 27 at 5 p.m. ET.

When I will be notified if I am invited to interview?
You will be notified on Friday, March 24.

When will interviews be held, and how?
Interviews, by invitation only, will be held TBD on Friday, March 31 and Monday, April 3.

When will I be notified of my acceptance status?
You will be notified on Friday, April 7.

How many teams will be accepted?
Historically, we have accepted 15 to 16 teams. We remain flexible, but we keep the total number of teams in mind as we prioritize a strong 1:1 relationship between each team and its advisor and a strong sense of community amongst the cohort.

To Apply

Preview application here.

Teams are hand-chosen based on a written application, interview, and potential references from faculty or fellow students. The selection criteria consist of four key aspects:

• Team—entrepreneurial potential, complementary skills, and commitment to the venture
• Business—big market/opportunity, broad impact, differentiated product/service
• Stage—product/service near launch or already in market, ability to make significant traction and hit key milestones during the summer
• Fit—ability to learn, eager to make the best use of SVP resources and contribute to the community

In order to apply, student applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Currently enrolled at Babson, Olin Engineering, or Wellesley College.
• In good disciplinary standing with Babson College and the community. The Blank Center staff reserves the right to request information from the Office of Community Standards to confirm that this is the case and may disqualify any applicant who does not meet this requirement.
• Have a viable business concept that has potential to make significant progress during a 10 week summer intensive.
• Able to commit full time effort to their venture and the SVP Community during the 10 weeks. Participants must be present for all core work hours: Monday-Thursday, 12:00-4:00 p.m. at the SVP Wellesley and Boston locations.
• Able to attend all weekly meetings (team updates, lunch and learn, Hot Seat, advisor meetings, and other sessions).
• Prepare for, and participate in, Summer Venture Showcase at the end of the program.
• Upon acceptance, teams must sign and abide by a binding participant agreement that confirms that the resources being provided are contingent upon the team's commitment to the SVP community and active, full-length participation in the program by the lead entrepreneur(s). The SVP Director has the right to dismiss a team from the program at any time if the team is not meeting the requirements in the signed commitment of participation.

International Students

Do you want to apply to the Summer Venture Program? Engaging in employment (including self-employment and some entrepreneurial activities) without specific authorization is a serious violation of F-1 student/J-1 exchange visitor immigration status. While many entrepreneurial activities (such as research, feasibility studies, and business planning) are permissible, activities that directly result in income generation are not allowed without the proper authorization. Babson strongly advises all international students to seek independent professional legal advice from an attorney who practices immigration law exclusively (in addition to any other legal counsel) to avoid accidentally engaging in unlawful activities. Contact the Glavin Office of International Education for information about immigration attorneys and for work authorization guidelines.