SUD Sprint Cohort 2023

SUD Sprint: Tackling the Drug Crisis with Entrepreneurial Leadership

No Cost to Par­tici­pants!

What is Babson SUD Sprint?

Now in its second year, Babson SUD Sprint (formerly L-SPRINT) is a 6-day bespoke program in entrepreneurship and commercialization for researchers and inventors tackling substance use disorders (SUD)/drug addiction, taught at the world’s #1 college for entrepreneurship. 

Meet our 2023 cohort, with innovations encompassing recovery support, addiction risk assessment, medication management, substitution pharmacotherapy, and many more prevention/treatment modalities. 

The program’s 30 participants will also attend follow-on monthly virtual mentoring sessions and nurture new network connections to a greater ecosystem of entrepreneurs and investors interested in drug addiction solutions.

A FULL SCHOLARSHIP for every participant.

Babson created SUD Sprint with a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to facilitate the commercialization of innovative SUD prevention and treatment solutions. Thanks to this grant, each of the 30 admitted applicants will receive a full program scholarship — including round-trip travel to the Babson campus.

Denise Hummel Isaacson, Founder and CEO, RevMyLife

I got the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in SUD innovation and market acceleration in one week.”

Denise Hummel Isaacson
Founder and CEO, RevMyLife

Game-changing entrepreneurship education in the hub of life sciences innovation

While NIDA funds several programs to advance early-stage SUD prevention/treatment solutions, only Babson SUD Sprint is devoted exclusively to developing YOU as an entrepreneur. Because the sooner you can take your idea to market, the sooner you can start saving lives.

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2024 SUD Sprint Cohort In-Kind Award »

Babson SUD Sprint at a glance

For five intensive days, you and your peer innovators will engage with Babson’s signature Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology. Expect to expand well beyond your science, to explore and develop your untapped potential as an entrepreneur with workshops covering topics including:

  • The SUD Ecosystem: Stakeholders and Challenges
  • Methods for Moving from Invention to Opportunity
  • SUD Entrepreneurship: Teams, Processes, and Outcomes
  • Methods for Addressing Uncertainty in the SUD Commercialization Process
  • Financing for SUDs
  • and more.

And because of Babson’s optimal location just west of Boston, you’ll have opportunities to make connections in one of the world’s largest, most influential life sciences innovation ecosystems.

For this reason we especially encourage SUD researchers and innovators from underrepresented communities to apply to SUD Sprint.

Babson Health Entrepreneurial Leader Network: Substance Use Disorders (SUD)

Whether you are part of the SUD Sprint cohort or not, you are welcome to join our community. Visit our Babson Health Entrepreneurial Leader Network, and join forces to accelerate innovation in the prevention or treatment of substance use disorders and addiction.

Danielle Dick, Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center, Unchained Health LLC

I learned so much! My business partner and I had previously discussed many of the topics that were covered during the L-SPRINT, but this was the first time that they all came together in a way that I understood.”

Danielle Dick
Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center, Unchained Health LLC

Resources for applicants

Program Timeline
November 13, 2023 Application opens
November 28, 2023 Open House #1 of 3: Watch the video
December 5, 2023  2023 Cohort Final Demo Day. See how our inaugural class is bridging to idea to commercialization and scale - and how SUD Sprint can be a difference-maker for YOUR innovation. Watch the Video
December 6, 2023 Online Open House & Information Session #2 of 3 Watch the Video
January 17, 2024 Online Open House and Information Session #3 of 3 Watch the Video
January 19, 2024 Early Decision application due date: Applications submitted by this date will receive notice of acceptance or wait list by February 29, 2024.
February 16, 2024 Final due date
April 12, 2024 Decisions made; notice of status provided to all applicants
May 31, 2024 Confirmed participation of all participants
June 2024 Travel booked by Babson College
August 18-23, 2024 Course takes place in-person on Babson College campus
Jeanie Chung, MD, PhD

The wealth of business information and grant and support opportunities [shared during L-SPRINT] has inspired me to continue to move forward with my project. The faculty are so engaged in making a difference.”

Jeanie Chung, MD, PhD

Connect With Us

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Why Babson College?

Babson College is the No. 1 school of entrepreneurship. It has maintained this prestigious position for over a quarter of a century.

What is NIDA?

NIDA is the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is one of the 27 institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Their mission is to advance science on drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency which makes important discoveries that improve health and save lives.

What’s included in this NIDA-sponsored Babson SUD Sprint program?

A five-day in-person workshop for accelerating the commercialization of innovative solutions for substance use disorders; course materials; site visits, networking events with actors in the SUDs solution ecosystem; faculty-led mentoring meetings; travel to and from Babson College, housing accommodations, and meals. Babson College will make all travel arrangements and provide the housing accommodations and meals. 

Is there any cost to participants?

There is no cost to participants as the NIDA grant provides funding for scholarships. Every admitted participant gets a full scholarship. Reimbursement will not be made for travel arrangements not made through Babson College.

What does the scholarship cover?

The scholarship covers program registration, tuition, workshop materials, housing accommodation, meals, and travels (ground, rail, and air).

What topics does the program cover?

Entrepreneurial Thought & Action,® design thinking, product and customer development, commercializing emerging technologies, entrepreneurial sales and marketing, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial leadership, raising resources, and the art of pitching.

What is the schedule for the five-day in-person workshop?

Participants will arrive on a Sunday and have a welcome introduction dinner. The next five days feature workshop activities in 90-minute blocks with breaks. Evening events will consist of guest speakers and networking. The program ends by 5 p.m. on Friday.

Where does the program take place?

Babson Executive Conference Center, 1 Snyder Drive, Babson Park, MA 02457. It is located within Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts.

Do I need a finished product/solution?

No.

Do I need to already have in place a team working on the innovative solution?

No.

Can I apply individually? Or as a group?

You may apply individually or as a group. If applying as a group, there is less likelihood of the whole group being accepted into the program.

Have another question not listed here?

Contact us at sudsprint@babson.edu

Program Facilitators

Wiljeana Jackson Glover, Founding Faculty Director

Wiljeana Jackson Glover

Co-principal Investigator and Co-director

Vincent Onyemah

Vincent Onyemah

Co-principal Investigator and Co-director

Angela Randolph, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship Division

Angela Randolph

Co-principal Investigator and Co-director

Gina O'Connor Profile Picture

Gina O'Connor

Affiliate Faculty

Andrew Zacharakis, Professor, John H. Muller, Jr. Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies, Entrepreneurship Division

Andrew Zacharakis

Affiliate Faculty

Sherene Shenouda, Innovation and Licensing Specialist, Mentor

Sherene Shenouda

Innovation and Licensing Specialist, Mentor

Michele Bernier, Associate Director, Programs

Michele Bernier

Program Manager