Events

The Butler Institute for Free Enterprise Through Entrepreneurship offers numerous opportunities and events for the Babson community to explore the relationship between entrepreneurship and free enterprise. For details on upcoming events, please see our listing below.  To learn more, please email us at butlerinstitute@babson.edu or sign up for our newsletter here

Upcoming Events

Open Forum: Cannabis Industry & Regulation

Cannabis is a multi-billion-dollar industry booming under an inconsistent regulatory landscape at federal and state levels and creating a stark divide among Americans. As we explore the cracks in the cannabis regulation system, we hope to discuss important questions and understand who is benefiting from the regulatory status quo, upcoming legislation, and how entrepreneurs can thrive in this fragmented industry. 

Tuesday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. ET - Register here

Past Events

2022

Signature Event: Finding Success, Happiness, and Purpose with bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic’s happiness columnist Dr. Arthur C. Brooks

The Babson College community had the pleasure of hearing from success, happiness, and purpose expert, Dr. Arthur Brooks, when he visited campus for a conversation on Tuesday, April 19.

Click here to read more about Brooks’ visit, and about the intersection of happiness and entrepreneurship.
Tuesday, April 19 at 6:15 p.m ET

Open Forum: Millennial & Gen Z Socialism

The Student Scholars of the Butler Institute for Free Enterprise through Entrepreneurship led a conversation about the roaring rejection of capitalism and growing support for socialism among the younger population. Whether it’s through political campaigns, legacy media, or social media platforms, socialism is rising in popularity across the United States. In wake of this sweeping economic ideology, people have started to turn their backs on capitalism and question its relevance. Students and faculty discussed how capitalism can survive rising millennial socialism while pursuing and igniting entrepreneurial ventures.
Wednesday, April 13 at 6:15 p.m. ET

Open Forum: Small Town America vs. The EPA - A perspective

An interactive conversation led by Butler Institute Scholar, Dominic Sapone, about the growing interference of the EPA in various industries. Dominic highlighted examples of recent EPA crackdowns on small manufacturers in the automotive industry, hurting the livelihoods of entrepreneurs and their families. 
Tuesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. ET

Spotlight Series Event: What the Superbowl Teaches us about Market Regulation, Innovation, and Capitalism.

Professor Andrew Corbett, faculty, and guests discussed what the Super Bowl teaches us about markets, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Looking back at years of Super Bowl ads, the conversation examined what happened to the many market-dominant firms of prior decades as a way to think about policy for today and tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 2 at 5:00 p.m. ET

2021

Spotlight Series Event: David and Goliath: How a small business mindset can help firms of all sizes fight for market share while doing good for the community 

An interactive discussion about what it means for businesses to “act small” and do good featuring Professor Andrew Corbett from Babson College's Entrepreneurship Division and Joshua White from the University of Alabama, Culverhouse College of Business.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Open Forum: Space Race 2021 - Pushing Boundaries into Outer Space

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Data Hackathon on Entrepreneurship in the United States

The Hackathon was created to challenge both undergraduate and graduate students to crunch and analyze using real GEM data from the 2020/2021 GEM Report (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) and uncover some new, unique insights about regional differences in entrepreneurship across the United States.
Thursday, November 18, 2021

Open Forum: Facebook outages and monopolies

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Open Forum: Uncovering the Diversity of Economic Models

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Spotlight Series Event: Government Support Programs for Innovative Ventures

An interactive simulation featuring Babson College Entrepreneurship Professor Phil Kim
Monday, April 12, 2021

Capitalism and the Role of Government in a Time of Economic Relief

A symposium on free enterprise organized and run by the Butler Board of Student Scholars
Friday, March 26, 2021

Distance Is Not Dead: Why A Few Cities Dominate the Global Startup Scene and What the Rest Should Do About It

Presented by Peter Cohan, Babson College Lecturer
Thursday, March 11, 2021

2020

"The Pursuit" Film Screening

Followed by Live Panel Discussion
Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Fireside Chat with Brad Feld

Co-founder of Techstars and Foundry Group
Thursday, February 6, 2020