Weeks 9: Summer Venture Program 2018
It is hard to believe that we just completed our last week of programming for this year’s Summer Venture Program (SVP). Our startups have grown so much since the beginning of SVP. To see what our entrepreneurs have been up to all summer, check out the previous weekly blogs (after reading this one of course).
Lunch and Learn with Fleishman Hillard and Babson College PR
Although it was the last week of programs, our startups made sure to go out with a bang! We began the week with catered food from our very own Nanny A La Carte. Sali brought in delicious food like couscous salad, rolls, and lamb, among other things. While eating our meals, Shannon Sweeney from Babson’s Public Relations department and Sarah Francomano from Fleishman Hillard gave our startups some media training. Sarah explained how you will know when your company is ready for PR and exactly what PR could do to help further your business. She also delved into some tips and tricks in navigating the press. Shannon spoke specifically about what Babson marketing can do to help student ventures grow, and how you can get started on PR without an agent. Later on in the day, some of our startups met with the Dorm Room Fund, a student-run venture fund backed by First Round.
The next day, Maya Mutalik repitched her business Hope Sews to a few of our entrepreneurs. It was clear that she made useful changes since her rebuild session in the previous week. Following directly after, Mara Steiu pitched her company ignitED. As usual, our entrepreneurs gave plenty of feedback for Mara and Georgia Gabriela to work with during their rebuild session. Maya, Neal Wagner (Waec), and K Triyangkulsri (SportsRiot) helped the ignitED team focus on filling in the gaps of their presentation like emphasizing their game-changing curriculum. To end the day off, a few of our startups met with Dan Marques, a member of the Blank Center Advisory Board and the “founder” of SVP! He shared his insight into the world of marketing and entrepreneurship.
Visiting MassChallenge
Wednesday was a working day for our entrepreneurs. Our teams filled Workbar, as they began to shape their Venture Showcase slides and further propel their businesses. Babson’s Speech Center also worked with some of our startups to practice for their upcoming presentations. To end the week off, David Chang, Felipe Acosta (Dondoctor), Sali Bangoura (Nanny A La Carte), Ralph Haddad (TastePal), Dillon Glaynsky and Leny Prog (Smask) all ate lunch at Society on High before heading on over to Babson Boston. Jess Lynch pitched her business Wish Route during our last hot seat of the summer! After receiving some criticism on her presentation, Jess worked with Marion Benitez (Gaido), Sali, and Dillon to polish a few things up for her Summer Venture Showcase pitch. Our startups ended the day with a happy hour at MassChallenge. This was a time for our entrepreneurs to meet and network with some other startups in the area. We even got a chance to catch up with a few SVP alumni who are now participating in MassChallenge!
Our entrepreneurs have worked immensely hard this summer and it really shows in all the progress each of them have made. Although SVP is ending, I know our entrepreneurs will take all they have learned this summer and continue to grow as people and as a venture.