Brain Trust
The Brain Trust is comprised of talented individuals who actively mentor and advise our student entrepreneurs. Members of the Brain Trust include:
- Founders and CEOs of high-growth potential ventures
- Members of Babson’s Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs
- Venture Capital and Angel investors
- Kauffman Fellows (past and present)
- Members of the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Professional legal, management, and accounting experts
The purpose of the Brain Trust is to create connections and networking opportunities for our students as they seek to identify venture opportunities. Brain Trust mentors serve as sounding boards, offer advice and counsel, and assist with the evolution of students’ ideas, business models, and strategies. Importantly, mentors create invaluable connections to additional individuals and resources.
The matching process of students to Brain Trust mentors is done on an individual basis and occurs only after entrepreneurship faculty has thoroughly assessed a student venture. Before a connection is made, students go through a series of exercises to ensure they have a strong understanding of industry context and the competitive landscape of the market they are pursuing.
Each qualified student entrepreneur is matched with one to four Brain Trust mentors, depending on the nature of the opportunity. Currently, the Brain Trust includes nearly 200 highly committed individuals.
Seed Fund
Established by our generous alumni, the Seed Fund is open to all Babson students who are enrolled in an entrepreneurship course and have completed a full business plan. To be considered for funding, each entrepreneur must complete a statement of intent, and have a faculty sponsor that endorses their ability to work in a manner to move the venture forward. The decision to fund a student business is based on an assessment of the commercial viability of each venture. This early stage funding can be critical, as it provides our student entrepreneurs with working capital to build prototypes, secure web designers, offset initial legal fees, and attract other potential investors.
