Centers and Institutes

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Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship

Our mission: We accelerate new ventures of all kinds by providing Babson’s emerging entrepreneurs access to the opportunities, community, and critical resources that they need. We ignite the exchange of innovative ideas that will shape the future of entrepreneurship through our research and thought leadership.

The Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership is a playground for Babson students. It’s the place to test out ideas and get real-time feedback to guide your next approach (aka: entrepreneurial leadership in action). Practice your "Shark Tank" pitch. Win the B.E.T.A. Challenge or Rocket Pitch. Meet entrepreneurial leaders like you and support others in their pursuits.

The hub of entrepreneurial activity at Babson, the 6,000-square-foot Blank Center was named in honor of Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98 (co-founder of The Home Depot) and provides a home for:

Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership

At the Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (F&E CWEL) we believe entrepreneurial leadership is a life skill.

Thanks to the generosity of Frank & Eileen™ founder Audrey McLoghlin, we educate and empower leaders to create social and economic impact through industry and innovation as we research and enlighten the global community about the importance of inclusive leadership for prosperity and human progress.

THE F&E CWEL EXPERIENCE

The Frank & Eileen™ Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership is the premier source for business acceleration, global entrepreneurship research, and entrepreneurial leadership. We educate, convene, and champion Babson students, alumni, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem guided by the principles of Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action.®

F&E CWEL is the first center to focus on women entrepreneurial leaders at a business school. The center educates and empowers women as entrepreneurial leaders who create social and economic impact. Award-winning programs include:

Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship (KMH Center) is where innovation meets entrepreneurship to achieve health, economic, and social value for all, with a focus on health equity and justice.

The KMH Center aims to provide cutting-edge experiential learning, research, and advanced education and mentoring to entrepreneurial leaders in the health sector globally, including more than 1,400 Babson alumni in the health sector.

To make an impact in developing countries, the Healy Center brings the power of entrepreneurial thinking and business know-how to global medicine. The center conducts research, works with local entrepreneurs on health-related ventures, and collaborates with eminent physicians and institutions to increase medical access.

Opportunities for Students

The center offers a wide range of programs, courses, and resources for students interested in health innovation and healthcare entrepreneurship.

Opportunities for Alumni

There are many opportunities for Babson alumni to engage with the KMH Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Opportunities for Professionals

The KMH Center offers several advanced education and engagement opportunities for healthcare professionals and health entrepreneurs.

The KMH Center has three significant areas of activity that impact a diverse set of stakeholders, including undergraduate and graduate students, Babson alumni, corporations, foundations, and entrepreneurial leaders in the health sector. We define the health sector to include healthcare delivery, medical devices, digital health, and drug development, taking a holistic approach to change in sector practices and policy.

Research

Distinguished faculty comprising 18 faculty members who explore current trends in health innovation, entrepre­neurship, analytics, health equity, and employee health and well-being. Learn More

Student Programs

Dedicated to encouraging co-curricular activities within and outside the Babson community including our Global Health Innovation Lab in partnership with The University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda and partnerships with academic clubs at graduate and undergraduate level. Learn More

Professional Programs

Continuing educational opportunities and executive certificates on Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Health Sector, Inclusive Innovation and Commercialization Programs, and Executive and Employee Wellness offerings.

Learn More »

Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship

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

The Institute is made possible by a generous gift from Ernesto Bertarelli, founder of the Bertarelli Foundation, and family. The Institute, formerly known as the Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, resides under the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College.

The BIFE is a hub for research, resources, and programming for entrepreneurial students and their families. Unlike any other school, Babson recognizes that families, not just family businesses, drive entrepreneurial behavior. Our programs include:

About Ernesto Bertarelli '89

Ernesto Bertarelli, a Swiss entrepreneur active in the field of business, finance, sports, and philanthropy who graduated from Babson College in 1989, studied business throughout his lifetime, realizing much later in his career how important the actual foundation of family values and beliefs was to his family’s success. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Babson-Camus Global Family Entrepreneurship Award, an annual award to recognize highly distinguished and uniquely impactful business families that have created significant economic and social value across generations while exemplifying Babson College values.

Institute for Social Innovation

The Institute for Social Innovation (formerly called the Lewis Institute) and Babson Social Innovation Lab helps students and stakeholders to create social, economic, and environmental value simultaneously.

Our promise is to inspire action for creating social innovation, which we define simply as any activity that advances one or more of the UN Global Goals—the most important unmet economic and societal needs of our time.

We seek to create better outcomes for business and society by reimagining relationships of all kinds and providing experiences and resources to activate changemakers.

The Institute for Social Innovation inspires action around the biggest challenges of our time: the UN Global Goals. We help tap into important networks, frameworks, resources, and conversations that promote taking productive action in creating economic and social value simultaneously, including:

The Tariq Farid Franchise Institute at Babson College

Developing Tomorrow’s Franchise Leaders, Expanding Global Opportunities for Rising Entrepreneurs

The Tariq Farid Franchise Institute at Babson College creates and fosters cross-disciplinary programming that draws on Babson’s business and entrepreneurial expertise, combined with the experience and knowledge of franchising experts, to advance students’ understanding of franchising and the opportunities it can create.

The Institute is boldly transforming how business education is designed and delivered around the world. As part of the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership, the institute collaborates with the other centers and institutes for a truly unique approach to learning.

Few institutions currently have programs dedicated to franchising education, and business education as a whole is lacking in franchising expertise. Babson provides opportunities to rising entrepreneurs with specific expertise, knowledge, and skills that will bolster their success in their future endeavors.

This institute leverages the experience of franchising experts to create cross-disciplinary programming in business and entrepreneurial action. The institute aims to support the success of rising entrepreneurs in the world of franchising—and introduce newcomers to the field. Made possible by Tariq Farid P’15, founder and CEO of Edible Brands, this institute is a part of The Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership and provides many employment opportunities.
 

Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village

The Herring Family Entrepreneurial Leadership Village (HELV) at Babson College is a one-of-a-kind facility where Babson students, alumni, faculty, stakeholders, and staff will collaborate and come together as they learn.

Made possible by the generous naming gift from the Herring Family and the founding gift from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (AMBFF), The Herring Family ELV allows Babson's students and community to expand upon the college's strategic vision, developing the skills necessary to be an entrepreneurial leader impacting communities everywhere. Aspiring and established entrepreneurial leaders will learn and apply the mindsets, principles, and tools of entrepreneurial leadership to turn their ideas into reality.

The physical village will serve as a space that brings students, faculty, staff, partners, and new stakeholders together, as a community, for unique living and learning experiences as well as educational experimentation. Construction of the new village, funded entirely through generous philanthropy, will include classrooms, collaborative spaces, and a café. The construction is currently underway.

Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance

The Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance enhances Babson’s innovative and practical approach to finance education through programs and resources that enrich the student learning experience, support faculty research, and engage our alumni community.

The Center was founded in 2000 with a generous gift from Stephen D. Cutler MBA’61 and his wife, Alice. Thanks to their generosity and the ongoing support of our many donors, the Cutler Center advances financial education and improves Babson students' skill set and marketability.

Gain access to a state-of-the-art finance lab

Today, nearly one-third of Babson students pursue a degree in finance. With the increased demands on the Cutler Center, a newly expanded center in the Babson Commons was opened in June 2019. To help prepare students for a career in finance, the Cutler Center provides access to state-of-the-art information resources and educational opportunities in and outside of the classroom.

Develop real-world experience through experiential learning programs

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 Babson College Fund (BCF) is our signature program where selected students manage $5 million of the Babson College endowment.

The Cutler Center advances finance education and improves the marketability of Babson students. The center provides programs and cutting-edge resources enabling industry practitioners, faculty, and students to collaborate and learn from one another. 

The Weissman Foundry

The Weissman Foundry at Babson College is a cutting-edge design studio for creative and collaborative projects led by a community of Babson College, Olin College of Engineering, and Wellesley College students. The Foundry’s intentional mashup of student disciplines and interests ignites forward-thinking design—and offers many opportunities to connect with potential employers.

The Foundry is a design studio Babson students can use to create prototypes, pursue creative goals, and collaborate on hands-on projects across Wellesley and Olin colleges. This space, which includes a woodshop, digital fabrication studio, and textile and electronics studio, is open to all of our students. Come expand your knowledge of technological concepts such as AI and Blockchains, learn about crowdfunding, and get your start in the fashion industry.

Collaborate and get even more inspired.

The Foundry is a place where you can collaborate with other students who help you build on your ideas. It’s an entrepreneurial think tank, an artist’s studio, a performance space, a media lab, a wood shop – and your 10,000 square foot arena to work on any project you want. Stop by or email us and we will help you get started. Want to brainstorm with a team, let us know and we will put one together just for you.

Have an idea and don’t know where to begin?

Bring it to the the Foundry and we will help you get it off the ground and make it a reality. Working on a project already? We can help you advance it even further with technical support, advanced fabrication equipment and fresh perspectives. The new Weissman Foundry has everything you need to build your art, design, academic or entrepreneurial projects. It’s an entire building dedicated solely to making your ideas happen, and it is open to all BOW students and faculty.

Think outside the curriculum – and the campus –and put your ideas into motion.

At The Foundry, we don't put restrictions on what you can do, because we don't believe in self-imposed limitations. We encourage you to bring us ideas outside your areas of study and work on them right here.

It’s a positive environment where taking risks is encouraged and all ideas are welcome. We don’t stop there. We have the tools, materials and state-of-the art technology you need to make your ideas happen. And we have a team of volunteers from all three schools waiting to help.

Attend a training session ➝

The Weissman Foundry is an open-door design studio, inspiring transdisciplinary innovative collaboration between Babson, Olin, and Wellesley for the advancement of new or existing projects.

Co-Curricular Academic Opportunities