Babson Expands Professional & Executive Education Portfolio with AI & Innovation Certificate with Founderz

Babson College announced a suite of new AI and innovation offerings within its Professional & Executive Education portfolio. The new Babson On-Demand™ offerings, AI in Action: From Prompts to Innovation, were developed in collaboration with Founderz, a global education company specializing in applied, real-world AI and innovation training. 

Learners can choose from four badges and one certificate that blends entrepreneurial thinking with hands-on AI application, enabling professionals to address real business challenges through AI-THINK, a structured, repeatable innovation methodology. Participants engage in rapid prototyping, workflow automation, and guided experimentation, to apply AI responsibly and drive immediate organizational impact.  

“AI is fundamentally changing how leaders think, decide, and create value,” said Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD. “For today’s professionals, staying competitive means understanding how to apply AI thoughtfully and responsibly across every area of business. This collaboration ensures our learners are prepared not just to keep pace with change, but to lead it.” 

The continually refreshed curriculum in the AI in Action: From Prompts to Innovation suite is taught by Founderz executives, applied scientists, architects, and innovation leaders from Microsoft and other industry-leading organizations, ensuring instruction grounded in real-world expertise and cutting-edge practice.  

Founderz—a Microsoft Worldwide Training Partner and member of Microsoft’s Worldwide Learning Advisory Board—has supported more than 400,000 learners across 50 countries. Babson is the first U.S. institution to partner with Founderz, bringing together Babson’s expertise in entrepreneurial leadership with Founderz’s applied AI curriculum shaped by enterprise insights from Microsoft. 

“The strategic joining of business-focused AI instruction and entrepreneurial leadership is a powerful combination that allows professionals to create value at any level of an organization,” said Kelly Lynch, executive vice president at Babson. “This new collaboration with Founderz aligns with our assertion that understanding and applying AI is essential to learners at every stage.” 

Self-paced, delivered fully online, and non-credit, the programs are designed for working professionals seeking flexibility without sacrificing rigor. Learners explore AI fundamentals, prompt engineering, innovation methodologies, creative applications, and the development of AI-enabled solutions, without requiring a technical background or coding experience. 

“The biggest risk for professionals today isn’t AI replacing jobs—it’s falling behind because they don’t know how to use it,” said Pau Garcia-Milà, co-founder of Founderz. “Together with Babson, we’re helping learners build real, applicable AI skills they can use immediately—whether they’re launching a venture, leading a team, or transforming an organization.”