Babson Students Run for Chance at Dunkin’ Business
Last week at FutureM, an annual conference for marketing professionals, three undergraduate Babson students vied for the opportunity of doing business with Dunkin’ Donuts and their advertising agency, Hill Holiday, by pitching their business, MyImpax, to an intimidating group of judges from Silicon Valley Bank, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Hill Holiday, and a crowd of marketing professionals.
The challenge, Dunkin’s Startup Turbo Shot, was to make Dunkin’ “the most social brand in America.” To enter the competition, companies were required to submit videos explaining how they could help Dunkin’. MyImpax was one of three companies selected for the final presentation round.
These first year undergraduate students, Dominic Esposito, Ben Bolotin, and Michael Kliska, became aware of the opportunity through a source on campus. In true Babson fashion, they did not even pause to think about the pressure associated with presenting to some of the top marketers in the region; they just acted. According to Dominic, his team “followed Entrepreneurial Thought and Action®. Students and faculty gave us great feedback on our idea, but we wanted to test it out in the real world.”
Although their company didn’t win, they gained invaluable experience and made some impressive connections. Michael, Ben, and Dominic were supported by other members of their team who eagerly watched from the audience: Kim Dvorak, Jaclyn Gaines, Lizzy Egan, Collin Duffany, Lisa Chen, Edgar Ocana, Ah Young Kwak, and Caroline Boffa.