Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Might Summer be The Right Time?

With the coldest temps of the season (so far!) hitting us on campus last week, and torrential rains starting off this week, it’s the perfect time to start thinking of the warmer, sunnier months.  Wherever you are this winter break, I hope you are catching up on some well-deserved sleep, time with family and friends, and making the most of your time preparing for spring and summer 2016!

accelerator-networkSummer experiences come in all shapes and sizes, including travel, working back home in a family business, summer coursework, volunteering, internships, and a wide range of projects, to name a few.  For many, it can be an optimal time to develop or advance a business idea.  Opportunities for advice, mentoring, professional services, funding, office space and more seem to be growing each year.  If this piques your interest, toss the idea of an accelerator program in the hopper!  Below are a few to chew on.  Perhaps this summer might be the right time to start on that business idea, or to bring your business to the next level!

Butler Accelarator Summer Venture Program @ Babson:  A 10-week intensive experience right here on campus designed to accelerate the development of the most promising student entrepreneurial ventures from Babson, Olin College of Engineering, and Wellesley College.  Early Ap Deadline February 19 and Regular Ap Deadline March 25.

Summer@Highland:  An entrepreneurship program run by Highland Capital Partners designed to provide student founders with the environment and resources to advance their startups to the next level over the summer.  This year’s deadlines have not been announced, but to give you an idea last year’s deadlines were March 1 for Early Bird Applications; and March 29 for Regular Applications.  

TechStars Summer Programs: A global ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market wherever they choose to build their business. With 18 mentorship-driven accelerator programs worldwide, Techstars exists to support the world’s most promising entrepreneurs throughout their lifelong journey.  Ap Deadlines for TechStars Mobility, TechStars Atlanta, and TechStars Retail — all March 20.

MassChallenge Accelerator:  A 4 month accelerator program with world-class mentorship and training, free office space, access to funding, media and more.  Open to any high-impact, early-stage startup from anywhere, in any industry.  Early bird application deadline March 4; regular application deadline April 2.

Babson Breakaway: A competition and mentoring program that promotes gender parity while championing women entrepreneurs and aspiring venture capitalists.  The Challenge finalists—6 women-led startups and 6 venture capital apprentices—will receive 6 weeks of intensive mentoring from top thought-leaders. The program will culminate with a final pitch showcase on March 30, 2016. Breakaway will award the winning startup with $250,000 in funding and a brand identity platform, as well as extend a summer internship offer to the top performing venture capital apprentice.  Application deadline January 15th (this week!). 

Y Combinator:  Twice a year, Y Combinator selects promising startups in which to invest.  These startups move to Silicon Valley for three months, during which time they work intensively with startups to get the company into the best shape possible. Each cycle culminates in an event called Demo Day, at which the startups present to an audience that now includes most of the world’s top startup investors.  Summer cycle application deadlines not yet announced, but typically occur sometime in March.