How Babson Miami Is Expanding Innovation in a Thriving Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Over the past 18 months, the director of Babson Miami, Carla Curiel ’05, has been applying Babson College’s formative methodology of Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® (ET&A™) to further connect to the strongly social startup community in Miami.
“I’m Babson trained, so I’m very ET&A focused,” Curiel said. When it came to expanding Babson’s visibility through a new program or partnership, Curiel’s answer was, “Let’s do it. Let’s try and see if it works.”
In that spirit, Babson Miami has hosted 45 new high-profile events while working with corporate leaders such as Wells Fargo and eMerge Americas. Meanwhile, Curiel has worked to court new friends while staying in touch with prominent alumni such as Zumba co-founder Alberto Perlman ’98.
“Miami is a very relational city,” Curiel said. “We’ve been able to really build those relationships that embed us into the entrepreneurial ecosystem here.”
As she continues to establish Babson Miami as a hub for innovation, education, and community engagement, Curiel shared more about her progress as director and discussed what’s next for Babson Miami.
What has been your focus since taking on the role as director of Babson Miami?
“My main focus has been strengthening Babson’s brand visibility in Miami. The city is highly relational, and previously, Babson Miami operated primarily as a satellite campus running an MBA program without much local engagement. I saw an opportunity to change that by actively embedding Babson into Miami’s strong entrepreneurial network.
“We’ve built strong relationships with local startup organizations, participated in major industry events, and hosted more than 45 events on campus, bringing in renowned speakers and engaging over 1,000 attendees. This has created an active and growing network of alumni, students, and business leaders.”
What are some of the initiatives that helped raise Babson’s profile?
“One of our standout events was a Latinx/e Startup Hub Tour, which we launched with the support of sponsors like Dentons, Wells Fargo, Inicio Ventures, Justworks, and eMerge Americas. This program raised $57,000 in sponsorships and awarded $35,000 to entrepreneurs. More than 100 companies applied, and we provided workshops and a high-profile pitch event for the top 20 startups. We’ve also seen tremendous success in expanding Babson’s corporate partnerships. Sponsors have supported various events and initiatives, helping us create new opportunities for students and alumni.”
How have you helped improve the student experience at Babson Miami?
“We started a field trip to Babson’s main campus in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Previously, Miami-based students did not have the opportunity to visit Wellesley as part of their program. We introduced an optional trip during their second semester to connect them with Babson’s larger community, faculty, and resources.
This has now become an annual tradition. We also worked on improving the Miami campus itself, securing funding for facility upgrades, enhancing classroom spaces, and modernizing common areas to create a more vibrant learning environment.”
What role does Babson Miami play in lifelong learning?
“Lifelong learning is a key part of Babson’s mission. We launched the Rise & Thrive Breakfast Series, bringing down faculty from Babson’s different centers and institutes to engage with Miami’s professional community. This initiative has attracted a new audience—corporate partners and mid-career professionals—who are interested in executive education and networking.
“We also offered a workshop called Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, led by Professors Erik Noyes and Jonathan Sims—and with a special keynote by Professor Tom Davenport. It was Babson Miami’s first executive education event, and it had a significant impact. Participants formed a WhatsApp group to continue learning from each other and even requested to meet on campus monthly. This led to the creation of an AI Learning Club, which was completely participant-driven. It’s incredible to see the organic growth of these initiatives.”
Are there any initiatives you are looking forward to in the next few months?
“There is a project called Bank on It: A Babson Financial Literacy Experience, offered in June that was originally inspired by Alberto Perlman ’98, co-founder of Zumba. He wanted to provide financial literacy education to his high school student interns in Miami. We partnered with the Babson Financial Literacy Project team to design a two-day program that combines financial literacy with entrepreneurial mindset training. The initiative helps connect Babson with high school students and their families, expanding our reach and impact in the region. South Florida has become really competitive when it comes to college admissions, and this program allows high schoolers who are interested in going to Babson to have an opportunity to connect with the College.”
What’s next for Babson Miami?
“We’re moving to solidify Babson Miami as a high-impact hub for entrepreneurship, executive education, and global business leadership, deeply connected to both Babson’s Wellesley campus and the Miami and Latin American ecosystem.
As Miami positions itself as a destination for innovation in entrepreneurship and emerging sectors, there is a growing demand for agile, relevant, and industry-aligned executive education, which Babson can help fill to empower professionals, corporate leaders, and founders.
“Seeing students, alumni, and local business leaders rally around Babson Miami and actively contribute to its growth has been incredibly rewarding. We are not just running an academic program; we are building a thriving entrepreneurial community.”
Carla Curiel ’05
My vision is to scale programming to create a platform where Babson becomes a lifelong learning partner to individuals and organizations navigating the future of work in the Miami-LATAM markets. Creating impactful initiatives that continue to bring value to the community, increasing MBA inquiries and enrollment which have already seen significant growth, and elevating the student experience continue to be key pillars as we grow.”
What motivates you in this role?
“The people. The energy and entrepreneurial spirit in Miami are unmatched. Seeing students, alumni, and local business leaders rally around Babson Miami and actively contribute to its growth has been incredibly rewarding. We are not just running an academic program; we are building a thriving entrepreneurial community. That’s what makes this work so exciting.”
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