Week 2: SF Summer Venture Program
Babson’s SF Summer Venture Program is in full swing! Our entrepreneurs are acclimating to the Bay Area and progressing on their startups. Every Monday, everyone updates the community on their achievements, key learnings, and goals that they hope to accomplish that week. The next day, we had a presentation from Michelle Messina and Jon Baer, co-authors of the book, Decoding Silicon Valley. They discussed the myths and realities of Silicon Valley and shared best practices for growing and scaling companies.
We then had our second *Hot Seat* with Brendan Barbato (Shelfie), who is building an interactive platform that creates crowdfunded photo competitions for charities. Phil Motto (ModPost), Carey Fan (Scootybees), Joe McHugh (Earth Loans), Ashwin Mysore (Brown Bag), and Dinesh Rajasekhar (DeTour) helped rebuild Brendan’s pitch and clearly articulate his story.
Brendan and Joe also connected with a local non-profit and volunteered at the SF Food Bank with Startups Give Back – they packaged tens of thousands of pounds of food that serve local families in need!
Later that week, Ajay Bam, Babson MBA alum spoke to the entrepreneurs about building a Silicon Valley network. His presentation, “I will carry my business card to my grave,” outlined several strategies including creating your personal brand (being memorable), aiming for meaningful connections (quality > quantity), and having a call to action.
Lastly, we are celebrating all the Summer Venture Program birthdays with cake and merriment! We had our first SVP birthday on June 2- Happy Birthday Mike D (Grow)! 🙂
Another piece of happy news: Gustavo Diaz (Let’sGoHustle.com) has his first paying customer and was featured in Puerto Rico’s newspaper! Read here: 21 Year Old Launches Online Academy for Entrepreneurs
Follow us: #babsonSF
Save-the-date: Summer Venture Showcase: August 4th