Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

Past B.E.T.A. Challenge Finalists: Where Are They Now? (2016 Series: Part 2)

Rob Hunter M'14 presenting at the 2014 B.E.T.A. Challenge

Rob Hunter M’14 presenting at the 2014 B.E.T.A. Challenge

Rob Hunter M’14, founder of HigherMe, was the winner of the 2014 graduate B.E.T.A. Challenge. Rob founded HigherMe in March 2014 when he was still a graduate student at Babson. HigherMe is a recruiting platform that helps employers in the retail and service industries to find and hire better employees by screening data, video of many potential employees. Through a thirty second video, HigherMe creates an opportunity for candidates to show off their personality, communication style, and interpersonal skills. It also proficiently improves efficiency and quality of the hiring process for many employers.

In 2014, Rob applied to the graduate track of B.E.T.A. Challenge. The cash prize was an incentive – having more capital to get more resource – particularly technical, was going to make a huge difference. Rob also thought the B.E.T.A. Challenge was a great source of motivation as it forced him to make continuous improvements to his business.

HigherMe has made a lot of progress since winning the B.E.T.A. Challenge. The company is now an eight person company, with three co-founders and five full-time employees. The company has its own office space and has many well-known clients including Dunkin Donuts and Panera Bread. HigherMe has also participated in Babson’s Summer Venture Program, MassChallenge, and was part of the Winter 2015 Y Combinator batch. For the next six months, Rob and his team are planning on having better and innovative new products and are building up their team as they continue to grow.

As a takeaway for prospective B.E.T.A. Challenge applicants, Rob emphasized that the B.E.T.A. Challenge is a competition which judges participants’ actions. Focusing on the milestones, going out and doing things, such as talking to customers, is key. “The competition is more than just a pitch,” says Rob.

Interested in applying to the B.E.T.A. Challenge? Follow #babsonbeta and visit the B.E.T.A. Challenge to learn more!