Discover Student Engagement Opportunities

The Cutler Center supports the Finance Division’s offering of rigorous, state-of-the-art programs of study in finance at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The faculty’s practical approach to education is enhanced by authentic experiences, hands-on learning, and practical application. The Cutler Center provides Babson students with unique opportunities to learn, build valuable skills, and lead outside of the classroom through the following experiential learning programs:

Experiential Learning Finance Courses

Babson College Fund

The Babson College Fund (BCF) is an accredited course in which specially selected students from both the undergraduate and graduate schools manage $5 million of the Babson College endowment. The program is for highly self-motivated individuals with a strong interest in finance and investments. Participation requires a two-semester commitment.

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FIN4504: Private Equity

This undergraduate course will provide students with the opportunity to develop a practical understanding of the private equity industry and related topics generally in the venture capital industry. The course will focus on various phases of activity including fund organization, prospecting, valuation, LBO modeling, negotiating skills, and exits. The course will also provide students with an understanding of careers in private equity and related industries. It is designed to enable students to practically apply financial theory in a way that is consistent with industry practices, techniques, and professional expectations. The class will utilize case studies involving real companies and will have a heavy emphasis on the practical financial research skills relevant to private equity, and how industry-specific issues are addressed by private equity professionals.

Our Executives in Residence are industry professionals who generously volunteer their time and energy to enrich the educational experience for the students through mentorship.

Steve Achatz ‘07

Vice President, OpenView

Steve joined OpenView in 2022 and is responsible for identifying, evaluating and executing on investment opportunities. Prior to joining OpenView, he was a Vice President at Great Hill Partners where he focused on investments in the digital commerce and software sectors, including Bombas, Storyblocks, Second Nature, and Momondo. Steve began his career in consulting where he advised corporate and private equity clients on growth strategy, M&A, and capital markets. Steve received an MBA from Duke University and graduated from Babson College with a BS in Finance.

Mark Jrolf ‘86

Managing Senior Partner, New Heritage Capital

Mark co-founded New Heritage Capital in 2006 and has been investing private equity in founder-owned, lower-middle-market businesses for 26 years. With experience in healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, consumer, and business services deals, Mark leads the firm’s investment teams. Prior to New Heritage Capital, Mark was a consultant with McKinsey & Co, and an investment professional with BancBoston Capital. Mark received a Masters of Science in Finance from MIT and a Bachelors of Science from Babson College.

Eric Lee ’16

Vice President, Abry Partners

Eric Lee joined Abry in 2018. He is responsible for analyzing new investments, working with portfolio companies and supporting sale transactions. Prior to joining Abry, Eric was a member of the Technology, Media & Telecom group at Harris Williams. Eric graduated summa cum laude from Babson College.

Rob Nicewicz ‘07

Partner, Abry Partners

Rob Nicewicz joined Abry in 2009. He has evaluated, overseen, financed, and sold numerous companies in Abry’s targeted sectors. Rob’s area of focus have included communications, machine-to-machine, healthcare IT, and data centers. Prior to joining Abry, Rob was a member of the Technology, Telecom & Digital Media group of Harris Williams & Co. Rob graduated magna cum laude from Babson College.

Jessica Reed ‘03

Partner, Alta Equity Partners

Jessica Reed has been with the Alta team since 2006. During this time, she has been involved with a diverse group of companies and enjoys working closely with management teams. Prior to Alta, Jessica worked for three years in investment banking at Harris Williams & Co. completing sell-side advisory engagements for a number of small, privately-held middle market companies in the industrial, consumer products, telecommunications, and business services sectors. Jessica graduated summa cum laude from Babson College. Jessica is also an active member of the Boston steering committee for the Women's Association of Venture & Equity (WAVE), a national networking organization for women in venture capital and private equity.

FIN3502: FinTech

The financial services industry is changing rapidly with the emergence of financial technology (FinTech). This course is designed to introduce key financial technology and its applications in financial services. Students will develop a broad and solid understanding of the recent innovations in FinTech, and their benefits and limitations. Students will also have hands-on problem-solving experiences useful in the FinTech venture. The class will also partake in a group project where students must come up with their own fintech idea to pitch in class. Select groups will then be invited to pitch at the Babson FinTech Start Up Pitch Competition at the end of the semester.

Read about the 2022 pitch competition

Co-curricular Opportunities

Mentor Program

The Cutler Center mentor program matches undergraduate and graduate students with industry professionals from across the world of finance. Mentors are paired with a student majoring in finance to enhance the student’s network, helping to develop their career path, and providing advice, guidance, and feedback. To apply, please complete the mentor or mentee online application form. Applications for the 2023-24 academic year are now open and will close at midnight on Friday, 9/15.

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Essentials of Value Investing Seminar

In this two-semester seminar series, Gary Mishuris, CFA will use a number of readings from Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, and other authors to discuss the investing philosophies and processes of successful value investors. With Gary’s help, you’ll be able to use the insights from the readings to build your own value-investing framework that is internally consistent and suited to your strengths. Space is limited and undergraduate and graduate students must apply for this seminar. Applications for this seminar are due by midnight on Friday, 9/15.

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Student Competitions

Babson Trading Competition

The 12th annual Babson Trading Competition, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, welcomed Babson undergraduate and graduate students to compete against one another using the Rotman Interactive Trader software, which simulates an order-driven market. Cash prizes were awarded to the top five finishers!

Prior to the start of the competition, students got to hear from Babson alumni Ken Martin, Janis Voldins, and Marco Gargurevich, along with trader Jackie Ham, discuss their roles and responsibilities at Fidelity Investments, while also answering questions from students.

2022 Results:

1st place - Gabriel Papa '22

2nd place - Angel Hill ’23

3rd place - Sarah Glinski ’24

4th place - Alex Bowers ’24

5th place - William Li ’25

2021 Results:

1st place - Tyson Corner '22

2nd place - Alexander Bowers '25

3rd place - Gabriel Papa '22

2019 Results:

Sales & Trading Competition:

1st place - Benjamin Norris '21

2nd place - Elham Chowdhury '20 & Alex Spinell '20

3rd place - Ian Jurkiewicz '21 & James Cheng '20

Algorithmic Competition:

1st place - Ian Jurkiewicz '21

2nd place - Zhou (Claude) Zou '23

3rd place - Duska Glidden '20

Rotman International Trading Competition

The Cutler Center sponsors students who participate in the Rotman International Trading Competition. Babson has an impressive track record including winning the competition in 2009 and placing second in 2007 and 2010.

RITC is an annual event that brings teams of students and their faculty advisors from universities worldwide to participate in a unique 3-day simulated market challenge. Teams are invited to participate in various activities including electronic and outcry trading cases, seminars with industry practitioners, and social events with their fellow competitors from around the world.

2023:
Babson College placed 12th out of 43 teams
Team Members: Corey Cutrone ‘23, Joanne Hao '23, Angel Hill '23, and Gabriel Papa '23

2022:
Babson College placed 16th out of 53 teams
Team Members: Tyson Corner ‘22, Aditya Agarwal ‘22, Gabriel Papa ‘23, Xuwei Hua MS’22

2021:
Babson College placed 22nd out of 45 teams
Team Members: Benjamin Norris, Alexandra Tutecky, Tyson Corner, and Abitamim Bharmal

2020:
Babson College placed 4th out of 47 teams. Babson also placed first in the Liquidity Risk case, which included a $1,000 prize!
Team Members: Sarah (Xinran) Wang, Alexander Spinnell, Harry (Chen Lin) Liu, Ian Jurkiewicz, and Benjamin Norris

2019:
Babson College placed 9th out of 52 teams.
Team Members: Elena Yang, Duska Glidden, Srivatsa Rajan Swaminathan, Alexander Spinnell, and John Regan

2018:
Babson College placed 13th out of 52 teams.
Team Members: Elena Yang, Meiwei Luo, James Jackson, Mohnish Mehta, and Victor Cesar Mantovani Dias Gomes

2017:
Team Members: Christopher Bruno, Thomas Lin, Connor Chin, Yineng Fan, David St. Peter, Yanchuan Cai

2016:
Team Members: Aditya Sastry, Inder Majumdar, Romil Motwani, Philip Dunay, Christopher Bruno, Jon Kohlmeier

2015:
Team Members: Romil Motwani, Christopher Bruno, Ajay Palekar, Jon Kohlmeier, Yerim Kim

2014:
Babson College placed 20th out of 52 teams.
Team Members: Dineth Siriwardane, Robert Sternberg, Michael Winter, Walker Smith, Maria Pereda Ehrlich, Eric Echelmeyer

2013:
Team Members: Michael Winter, Kush Patel, Robert Sternberg, Dineth Siriwardane

2011:
Babson College placed 20th overall out of 50 teams.
Team Members: Khanh Ngo, Sam Wear, Karan Vazirani, Joel Bonina

2010:
Babson College finished 2nd out of 44 teams.
Team Members: Eric Drozdov, Tom Klein, Estelle Vaysburd, Khanh Ngo

2009:
Babson College WINS!
Team Members: Howard Soyfer, Gilbert Li, Serge Suchkov, Eric Drozdov

2008:
Babson College placed 7th out of 34 teams.
Team Members: Howard Soyfer, Noj Zachariah, Jeff Liguori, David Peltier

2007:
Babson College placed 2nd out of 33 teams.
Team Members: Brian Dixon, Nick Kyprianou, Eric Mara, YooBee Yun

CFA Institute Research Challenge

The Cutler Center sponsors students who participate in the CFA Institute Research Challenge. Babson has an impressive track record including winning the local competition five out of the last seven years while winning the global competition in 2007.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides graduate and undergraduate students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. Working in teams along with a Faculty Advisor and Industry Mentor, students gain real-world experience as they assume the role of research analysts and are judged by a group of industry experts on their ability to value a stock, write a research report, and present their recommendations.

CFA Institute Research Challenge - Local Championship Wins

2022:

Team Members: Aditya Agarwal ’22, Sophia Knopp ’22, Gabriel Papa ’23, and Ryan Watts ’23

Company: Akamai Technologies

Industry Advisor: David Wellinghoff MBA'07

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Gregory, CFA

cfa research challenge

2021:

Team Members: Alexa Tutecky ‘21, Vladimir (Manny) Cadavid Dubinin ‘21, Tavleen Arora ‘21, and Tyson Corner ’22

Final Written Report - Rapid 7

Industry Advisor: David Wellinghoff MBA'07

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Gregory, CFA

Group photo

2019:

Team Members: Rushi Nagalla ’19, Mitchell Troyanovsky ’19, Guillermo Vadell ’19, and Albert Yun ’19

Final Written Report - CarGurus

Industry Advisor: David Wellinghoff MBA'07

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Gregory, CFA

2017:

Team Members: Brittany Bascom MBA'16, Rachel Burstiner '17, and Roy Nakamajeo '17

Final Written Report - Global Partners LP

Industry Advisor: David Wellinghoff MBA'07

Faculty Advisor: Patrick Gregory, CFA

Group photo

CFA Institute Research Challenge - Global Championship Wins

2007:

Team Members: Anil Agarwal, Paul Fruin, Michael Hess, Sri Krishnamurthy, Dave Wellinghoff, and Dennis Yuscavitch

Final Written Report - Analog Devices Inc.

Industry Advisor: Warren Johnson

Faculty Advisor: Steven Feinstein

Group photo

Van Berkom John Molson Small-Cap Case Competition

The Cutler Center sponsors students who participated in the Van Berkom John Molson Small-Cap Case Competition. Babson recently placed second at the competition, having previously placed third in 2018. The team was comprised of undergraduate students Tyson Corner ’22, Gabriel Papa ’23, Nathan Watts ’23, and Ryan Watts ’23, all members of the Babson College Fund. The team was supported by faculty advisor Spencer Adams.

This event is the premier case competition focused on small-cap investment. It provides business students with an opportunity to showcase their ability to analyze financial business cases, develop strategic recommendations, and apply the academic skills they have gained in the classroom while networking with other business students and professionals in the finance industry.

2022:

Team Members: Tyson Corner ’22, Gabriel Papa ’23, Nathan Watts ’23, and Ryan Watts ’23

Second Place - $3,000

2018:

Team Members: Tim Hasbergen MS '18, Lilia Chobanova MS'18, Jack Long MS'18, and Dhriti Shetty MS'18

Third Place - $1,000

CFA Institute University Affiliation Program

At Babson College, the Bachelor of Science in Finance and the Master of Science in Finance programs have been acknowledged as incorporating at least 70 percent of the CFA Program Candidate Body of Knowledge (CBOK) and placing emphasis on the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice within the program. These programs position students well to obtain the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation, which has become the most respected and recognized investment credential in the world.

Entry into the CFA Institute University Affiliation Program signals to potential students, employers, and the marketplace the Babson College curriculum is closely tied to professional practice and is well-suited to preparing students to sit for the CFA examinations. Through participation in this program, Babson College is eligible to receive a limited number of student scholarships for the CFA Program each year, including:

16 annual scholarships
Access to the CFA curriculum (Levels I, II, and III)
Practice exams (Levels I, II, and III)

CFA Program Awareness Scholarships are available for qualified students and faculty (who have not already registered for the exam). The scholarship waives the one-time enrollment fee ($450) and reduces the exam costs ($650–$1,380) to $350.

Eligibility

Applicants must be current students at the time they submit their applications. Students can register and sit for any exam that is open for registration within one year from the date their award decision is made.

Application Process

Complete the Scholarship Application on the CFA website. To access the application, click on "Log-In" on the top right hand corner of the CFA website and either log-in with your account information or sign up to create a new account. Once logged in, select "View Programs". Click on "Complete the eligibility profile" by selecting "Scholarship Opportunities" option and then click "Save my profile". From there, select the "CFA Program Student Scholarship" option and click "Apply" on the next page. In the ‘Attachments’ section of your scholarship application, please attach the following:

CV/Resume
Academic Transcript – an unofficial transcript will suffice
Babson CFA Scholarship Essay

CFA Program

A Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charter is a designation given to those who have completed the CFA® Program and completed acceptable work experience requirements.

The CFA Program is a three-part exam that tests the fundamentals of investment tools, valuing assets, portfolio management, and wealth planning. The CFA Program is typically completed by those with backgrounds in finance, accounting, economics, or business. CFA charterholders earn the right to use the CFA designation after program completion, application, and acceptance by CFA Institute. CFA charterholders are qualified to work in senior and executive positions in investment management, risk management, asset management, and more.

Cutler Center Managing Director Patrick Gregory, CFA offers an overview of the CFA program for Babson students interested in pursuing the designation.

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