About the Institute

Message from the Nulsen Family Executive Director 

The Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (BIFE) takes a unique approach to the opportunities and challenges of business families. “ Rather than focusing on family business, we study how families can more effectively function together to create growth. The topic of “family business” is a topic about a business – specifically how a family impacts a business they control. Family Entrepreneurship, on the other hand, is about how the family as a system engages in entrepreneurial activity across generations and time. Babson is taking a global leadership role in shaping this new academic and practitioner field. You might think of our work as a merger between family dynamics and Babson’s legendary entrepreneurship practices.

To represent our work, we have created our very own three-circle model, which shows our focus on the nexus of entrepreneurial opportunity, family functioning and self-reflection. Our courses and programs are all designed to explore this nexus and thereby amplify the capacity of families to create value together.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of what we do here at BIFE. And while you're here, I encourage you to browse around our website and explore opportunities to connect with us. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on our offerings and happenings. I look forward to seeing you and your entrepreneurial family in our programs and events!

What We Do

The Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship (BIFE) extends Babson’s founding mission, amplifying the capacity of enterprising families around the world to create economic value and social impact, built on a foundation of stronger family relationships.

How We Are Different

We focus on the relationship approach of family entrepreneurship, rather than the more typical procedural family business approach (i.e., structure, governance, strategy), because research shows that the power and performance of entrepreneurial families comes from the relationships.

Our Unique Approach

BIFE works at the intersection of self–family–entrepreneurship.

Self: We help students and individual family members explore their own personal growth through peer learning and mentorships.

Family: Our groundbreaking Amplifier course engages the next gen with their families, improving how they function as a family and empowering them to act entrepreneurially together.

Entrepreneurship: As the world’s #1 school for entrepreneurship, Babson equips students and families with cutting-edge knowledge as well as connections to a powerful global community, so families can create economic and social value across generations.

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