Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

Summer Venture Program 2019: What You Need to Know Now

Hanson Grant ’16, founder, Think Board

“The Summer Venture Program really helped us hit the ground running and gain the confidence needed to move from student entrepreneurs to adult entrepreneurs 🙂 The relationships, mentors, and lessons learned have carried forward with us over years and have greatly added to the success of the company!”
– Hanson Grant ’16, founder, Think Board

One of Babson’s signature programs, the Summer Venture Program (SVP) is a 10-week intensive experience that builds entrepreneurial skills and accelerates the development of student ventures. Now in its 11th year, the Blank Center is accepting applications for its 2019 cohort!

What is SVP all about?

Saralee Chetnaowaphong MBA’19 and Shaymaa Gaafar MBA’19 working on Shay Jaffar during the 2018 SVP

Each year, approximately 15 teams are chosen among graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurs from Babson College, F.W. Olin College of Engineering, and Wellesley College. SVP provides participants with an entrepreneurial community, support, and resources, including:

  • Free housing (if needed)
  • 24/7 workspace downtown
  • Dedicated advisors that work with the entrepreneurs during the course of the program
  • Access to expert speakers/mentors
  • World-class programming that leverages the resources of the Blank Center.

Although the value of a transformative experience on an entrepreneur is priceless, each team receives services with a market value of at least $200K.

At the culmination of the program, teams present at the Summer Venture Showcase to an audience of over 400 members of the Babson and local startup communities.

The 2019 SVP will run from Monday, May 20 to Saturday, July 27.

(L-R) William Tanadi ’18, Colleen Leung MBA’18, and Marion Benitez MBA‘18 sharing a laugh during the 2018 SVP

What should I know now if I want to apply?
More details are on our “About” SVP page, but here are a few things you should know now:

  • The program is highly competitive. Only up to 15 teams are accepted, so all interested entrepreneurs need to fill out an application form. .
  • SVP is a student experience. Applicants must be currently enrolled at Babson, Olin Engineering, or Wellesley College at the time of application.
  • Applicants must be in good disciplinary standing with Babson College and the community.
  • Applicants must have a viable business concept that has potential to make significant progress during a 10 week summer intensive.
  • Applicants need to be able to commit full time effort to their venture and the SVP Community during the 10 weeks. Participants must be present for all core work hours, which are 16 hours a week, and attend all weekly meetings (team updates, lunch and learn, Hot Seat, advisor meetings and other sessions).
  • The selection criteria consist of four key aspects:
    • Team—entrepreneurial potential, complementary skills, and commitment to the venture
    • Business—big market/opportunity, broad impact, differentiated product/service
    • Stage—product/service near launch or already in market, ability to make significant traction and hit key milestones during the summer
    • Fit—ability to learn, eager to make the best use of SVP resources and contribute to the community

Key Dates
SVP has two application cycles: early and regular. Below are dates you should know about!

Early Application:

  • Friday, February 22 at 12 p.m. EST: Early application deadline
  • Friday, March 1: Early application notification of interview (by end of day)
  • Friday, March 8: Early application interviews (by invitation)
  • Friday, March 15: Early application final notification (by end of day)

Regular Application:

  • Friday, March 29 at 12 p.m. EST: Regular application deadline
  • Friday, April 5: Regular application notification of interview (by end of day)
  • Friday, April 12: Regular application interviews (by invitation)
  • Friday, April 19: Regular application final notification (by end of day)

Other Questions?
Join us at our one of our two info sessions and get your questions answered!:

Follow all things SVP on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, #babsonsvp.