#1 school for female founders looking to change the world
by College Magazine
Make Your Mark Through F&E CWEL
A gift to the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL) is one of the most visible and important ways to empower Babson women.
The College was the first business school to establish a center focused on women entrepreneurial leaders and in 2018 received the All-Inclusive Awards by Color Magazine for its Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab venture accelerator.
Today, F&E CWEL manages the largest undergraduate scholarship program on campus and has launched two successful venture accelerator programs, impacting almost 200 female founders looking to scale their businesses.
By donating to F&E CWEL, you help give Babson women the opportunity to achieve their full leadership potential by supporting vital programs such as the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab accelerator for female founders, the F&E CWEL Scholars program for undergraduates, the Dean’s Series on Gender, and the F&E CWEL Mentor Network.
To give directly to the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL), click on the image above, click on "Give Now", and then select F&E CWEL from the drop down menu under "Select Fund".
To give directly to the Boston or Miami WIN Lab, click on the image above, click on "Give Now", and then select the Boston or Miami WIN Lab from the drop down menu under "Select Fund".
A Letter from Susanna D'Souza '21
My experience with the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL) has been more than I could have hoped for. Through its programming, events, and access to role models, the F&E CWEL Scholars program has transformed the way I see myself as a leader and as a future entrepreneur.As someone who wants to build a company one day, F&E CWEL has allowed me to see that I have what it takes to turn that dream into reality. Before coming to Babson, I had a hard time seeing myself in the shoes of people who are so often celebrated as successful entrepreneurs. The simple fact is that they just don’t look like me. And while many people talk about changing that landscape by amplifying the stories and voices of female founders, F&E CWEL actually does it. Sitting at F&E CWEL’s signature Disruption Dinner event this year, I heard the stories of two growth-stage women CEOs who shared the challenges and opportunities they experienced as they built their companies. It was that night that I could finally envision myself in the shoes of a successful founder. For the first time I thought, “If they can do it. I can do it too.”
Many of the Scholars would join me in saying that F&E CWEL provides transformational moments like the one I experienced at the Disruption Dinner. Each day we are empowered to take risks, celebrate our unique strengths, and chase our dreams. With a gift from you, I know that generations of young women like me will have the opportunity to do that too.
Many of the Scholars would join me in saying that F&E CWEL provides transformational moments like the one I experienced at the Disruption Dinner. Each day we are empowered to take risks, celebrate our unique strengths, and chase our dreams. With a gift from you, I know that generations of young women like me will have the opportunity to do that too.
Sincerely,
Susanna D’Souza ‘21
Supporting the F&E CWEL Experience
By giving a gift to F&E CWEL, you are empowering hundreds of women entrepreneurial leaders by supporting a wide range of award-winning programs, exclusive events, access to cutting-edge experts, and hands-on coaching impact a diverse set of stakeholders from around the world. Highlights include:
Undergraduate students can participate in a number of programs designed to increase their leadership strengths. Those include:
- Mentor Program with recent alumnae
- F&E CWEL Circles monthly leadership events
- Women Innovating Now (WIN) Workshops
- The Women Innovating Now (WIN) Venture Accelerator
- Disruption Dinner Signature Event
- Dean's Gender Series
- The F&E CWEL Scholars Program
Delivering the F&E CWEL value proposition to women graduate students.
- Graduate Mentor Program
- Babson Association for Women MBAs (BAWMBA)
- F&E CWEL Circles leadership conversations
- Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab Venture Accelerator
- WIN Lab Intensity Track
- WIN Workshops
- Forte Fellows Scholarship
WIN Lab: Venture Accelerator for women entrepreneurs.
Created by the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL) at Babson College, the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab® provides women entrepreneurs with an inspiring community and a rigorous, experiential process that catalyzes innovative thinking and enables them to successfully scale their businesses. You get:
- 5 months of business curriculum, including Babson faculty and world-renowned pedagogy
- One-on-one coaching for the duration of the program
- Access to experts in a variety of industries and subject matter
- To participate in well-attended public events to showcase your company
- Milestones to hold you accountable to your goals
- A cohort of women entrepreneurs who are experiencing the entrepreneurial journey with you
WIN Workshops: Hands-on business skills and knowledge sharing
These are 2-hour workshop style events that provide insight and an opportunity to practice various leadership skills. From public speaking and negotiations to utilizing Babson's resources, experts will work with undergraduate and graduate students to build their business artistry. These events are open to the entire Babson community and are supported by WIN and F&E CWEL.
At F&E CWEL, we participate in a number of activities in thought leadership as they relate to women's entrepreneurial leadership. From disseminating major faculty research and hosting global convenings of thought leaders, to creating programs and unique hands-on learning opportunities for students, we are dedicated to advancing the gender acumen and opportunities for all of our stakeholders.
- The Diana International Research Institute: the first global research institute in the world dedicated to being the source of all research, policy, and educator information about women’s entrepreneurship.
- The Dean's Gender Series: an annual event that brings high-profile thought-leaders to our Wellesley campus for unique experiences designed to develop gender acumen
- Faculty Research: The F&E CWEL and Babson boast a lively, supportive and growing community of faculty who do innovative research on women and gender, leadership and entrepreneurship.
- Publications: we follow the journey of founders and create easily digestible content created to empower women entrepreneurial leaders to reach their full potential
F&E CWEL Awards & Recognition
F&E CWEL has been the recipient of a number of awards, impacting a diverse set of stakeholders around the world. Highlights include:
Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education Award
presented by the Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers
Finalist: Top Specialty Program for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education
U.S. Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship
“50 on Fire” innovators and visionaries
presented by BostInno