Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

SVP Week 9: Rising to the Entrepreneurial Challenge

With the 2019 Summer Venture Showcase days away, the Summer Venture Program startups have been preparing to present to the Babson community. But the life cycles of these businesses do not end after the Showcase, and founders are balancing these immediate preparations with their continued growth of their ventures. Here’s a look into how SVP teams rose to the challenge of balancing showcase preparations with future-minded development during Week 9:

Monday, July 15th

Professor Les Charm taught the SVP founders how to approach forming and interacting with their ventures’ advisory boards.
  • For our last Lunch & Learn session of the summer, SVP founders were visited by Les Charm, Babson entrepreneurship professor and member of several company boards. A self-described “professional board member,” Professor Charm taught the SVP teams how to form advisory boards and maintain strong relationships with their boards as their ventures grow. SVP founders had the opportunity to guide the discussion, and Professor Charm answered their questions about the dynamics between founders and their board members. One key insight for the SVP founders: “When you start thinking about going into business, that’s when you should have a board.”

Tuesday, July 16th

MassChallenge CEO Siobhan Dullea visited SVP on Wednesday to watch the cohort pitch. Each venture left with actionable feedback and insights from Siobhan!
  • Babson Speech Center consultant Dr. Andy Tollison visited the SVP ventures at WeWork for the latest session of his office hours. With the Showcase right around the corner, Dr. Tollison’s presentation advice for the SVP teams has been invaluable.

Wednesday, July 17th

  • Throughout the Summer Venture Program, participating founders have had access to the Blank Center’s network of expert entrepreneurs. On Wednesday, the Summer Venture Program welcomed MassChallenge CEO Siobhan Dullea to Babson Boston for presentations by the SVP teams. Siobhan gave each team key feedback on its presentation and universal pitch advice to the entire cohort, which will serve them well as they prepare for July 25th’s Summer Venture Showcase.

Thursday, July 18th

  • Having worked together so closely for the past nine weeks, there is a great sense of camaraderie within the SVP cohort. On Thursday night, ventures working out of WeWork that day shared a Chinese food dinner as a group.

In Week 10, SVP teams will be making their final preparations for the Summer Venture Showcase. SVP’s expert mentors and advisors will be providing feedback as teams practice their presentations at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

You can see the Summer Venture Program’s cohort of innovative startups pitch at our Summer Venture Showcase on Thursday, July 25th at the Federal Reserve Building in Boston. To register visit bit.ly/2019svp. We hope to see you there!

To stay up to date with the latest SVP happenings and updates about our Showcase event, follow @babsoneship and #babsonsvp on Twitter and Instagram.