Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

#BeantownThrowdown Recap

On October 9, Summer Venture Program alumnae Emily Levy ’16 and Maria Gomez ’16 of PICCPerfect represented Babson and won the #BeantownThrowdown pitch event. PICCPerfect is creating functional fashion for medical accessories. Its first product is the PICCPerfect PICC line cover for patients undergoing long term IV treatment. PICCPerfect is a safe and stylish way to protect PICC lines.

PICCPerfect went against student ventures from Boston University, Boston College, Berklee College of Music, Harvard University, MIT, Northeastern University, UMass Lowell and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Before the pitch competition, attendees got to hear a fireside chat about entrepreneurship from a panel of speakers. The panel was moderated by Boston Globe Innovation Economy columnist Scott Kirsner and the speakers included Katie Rae, managing director of TechStars and founder of Project 11; Jebbit Founder and CEO Tom Coburn; and Ecovent Systems Founder and CEO Dip Patel.

Hearing from startups and advisers, there was a lot of advice given to the aspiring entrepreneurs in the room. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Talk is cheap. People, especially potential investors and advisers, want to see that entrepreneurs are making progress in their ventures. Make something happen.
  • As an entrepreneur, you always get a lot of advice. The key is to not only listen, but also judge what advice will really help you and your venture.
  • When you are looking for outside funding, most entrepreneurs naturally look at angel investors or venture capitalists. Make sure you meet with an investor that believes in you and the business. Meet an investor on your own terms.
  • There are a lot of startup events out there. Go to events that help put you and your venture in good light.

Listening to the lessons learned from the fireside chat was insightful and made an impact for attendees in the room. Regardless of what stage you’re in, the takeaways can apply to you and your venture throughout your entrepreneurial journey.