Babson Entrepreneurs Lead the Way on BostInno’s 25 Under 25 List

A blockbuster roster of 12 Babson College entrepreneurs dominated BostInno’s 25 Under 25 list this year, highlighting innovative ventures such as a globally celebrated fashion line, customizable dolls designed to reflect real children, and a company showcasing early-stage founders across Greater Boston.

“Seeing so many Babson students and alumni featured on BostInno’s 25 Under 25 is incredible, but not surprising,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Ariel Armony. “Since I arrived on campus a year ago, I’ve been continuously inspired by how driven, caring, and collaborative Babson’s young leaders are. Our expert faculty and our committed support staff provide students with the framework for academic success and the sandbox to iterate and ideate continuously. Those efforts, combined with our students’ passions for driving change and making the world a better place through their creative ventures and startups, sets Babson apart.”

BostInno named Sanjana Agarwal ’25, founder of ReflectMe; Hurshneet Chadha ’27, founder of CreatorZen; Melissa Chowdhury ’28, creator of Fluent Futures; Alexina McQuilkin ’27 and George Cobi ’27, co-founders of Local Treasure; Jules Deplanck ’25, founder of Genesis Fund; Justin Jin ’27, founder of Klonos; Enyu Rao ‘22 and Sean Robins ’23, co-founders of Launch Yard; Rhesa Teesdale ’23 MSEL’24, founder of Prophet | Envoy; Zainabou Thiam ’28, founder of Sunu Body; and Jolie Wyatt ’26, founder of If The Shoe Fits.

“At Babson, we believe that entrepreneurial leadership will foster a future of collaboration and creative problem solving.”
Ariel Armony, provost and executive vice president

BostInno’s annual 25 Under 25 list, published earlier this month, honors startup founders and young leaders making an impact in Greater Boston. Babson’s dozen honorees in 2025 is an extraordinary accomplishment—far surpassing the number of founders representing any one college or university in recent years. For comparison, the top school in 2024, Harvard University, had five honorees, while Northeastern University led in 2023 with seven.

The unprecedented showing also comes amid a rising tide of accolades for Babson, most recently in an inaugural LinkedIn ranking based on the long-term career success of alumni. Babson was ranked No. 1 for the strongest alumni network in the country, No. 1 for the largest share of alumni who become founders or entrepreneurs, No. 1 for fueling business development careers, and No. 1 for alumni working internationally. The College ranked No. 7 overall in the United States on the LinkedIn Top Colleges 2025 list.

“The honors speak not only to the drive and ingenuity of our entrepreneurs, but also to the strength of Babson’s alumni network, which empowers graduates from day one and throughout their careers,” said Gerri Randlett, Babson’s assistant vice president for alumni engagement and annual giving. “The continual guidance, mentorship, and collaboration among Babson alumni fuel not just early accomplishment, but sustained impact, as our community supports each other in shaping industries and driving positive change. I’m genuinely excited for these young alumni, and for what their achievements say about the strength and legacy of the Babson network.”

The members of the Babson community who made BostInno’s 25 Under 25 for 2025 are listed below, along with their ventures, reactions, and accomplishments in the Babson community.

“At Babson, we believe that entrepreneurial leadership will foster a future of collaboration and creative problem solving,” said Armony. “I know that our young leaders will continue to be at the forefront of that charge in Boston and around the world.” 

Sanjana Agarwal ‘25, founder of ReflectMe

Like many of the best ventures, Agarwal created ReflectMe to solve a complex problem, body dysmorphia, with a simple solution, a doll meant to show young people that their bodies are worth celebrating.

Agarwal began creating customizable dolls using 3D printing while she was still attending Babson, funding the venture with $5,000 from her Weissman Scholarship. Since graduating, Agarwal works on ReflectMe full time, telling BostInno she enjoys her work so much that it takes up most of her time.

“It just does not feel like work, because it’s my everything. It’s my entire focus,” said Agarwal.

Hurshneet Chadha ‘27, founder of CreatorZen

Chadha founded CreatorZen, software designed to help influencer management agencies find the right talent for their campaigns, over a whirlwind few weeks while scrambling to learn coding via various online tutorials.

He continued to refine his instantly popular product through the Babson Acceleration Club and Babson’s Summer Venture Program, culminating at the SVP Showcase where he announced he’d sold the company. But Chadha’s name in BostInno’s list means there will likely be more to come from the quick-thinking founder.

“CreatorZen is neither my first business nor will it be my last,” said Chadha at the SVP Showcase in July.

Melissa Chowdhury ‘28, Founder and CEO of Fluent Futures

Chowdhury, whose mother is half-Ukrainian, wanted to help Ukrainian refugees after the 2022 Russia invasion. She started with what she knew, teaching her 8-year-old niece to speak English over Zoom.

That was the start of Fluent Futures, a nonprofit Chowdhury founded in 2023 that provides free English lessons to refugee children. The company has since expanded, operating with more than 200 volunteers in countries such as Poland, Colombia, and Costa Rica who help teach and organize the lessons.

Chowdhury also founded a new venture called Bring the Buzz Over, according to BostInno, which will better connect student organizations to college campuses.

Alexina McQuilkin ‘27, and George Cobi ’27, co-founders of Local Treasure

McQuilkin was in high school at the height of the pandemic when she first envisioned Local Treasure, an app designed to help guide foot traffic to local businesses. By the time her classmate Cobi joined the venture as head of strategy, the app was fast growing and is now running in three Greater Boston communities. Both McQuilkin and Cobi thanked their supporters.

“I am also grateful to all my mentors for their guidance and endless support and to Babson College and Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship for fostering a strong entrepreneurial community and giving student founders the resources to grow and scale their ventures,” wrote McQuilkin.

 “We’re on a mission to fix the customer loyalty experience,” Cobi wrote in a recent LinkedIn post reacting to the BostInno list. “It’s moments like this that help reinforce that the long nights and endless conversations are worth it.”

Jules Deplanck ‘25, co-founder of Genesis Fund

During his senior year, Deplanck teamed up with four like-minded students from colleges and universities across Greater Boston with a mission to provide funding for the vibrant, growing community of student entrepreneurs in the area.

The result was the Genesis Fund, Boston’s first independent student-run venture capital fund for students, according to Deplanck. Genesis Fund has made three investments so far, and has more planned, according to a recent LinkedIn post.

“Had you told me 4 years ago that my professional dream would’ve come true before even graduating, I wouldn’t have believed you,” wrote Deplanck. “Never feel like you’re out of place—no matter your age, background, or expertise.”

Justin Jin ‘27, founder of Klonos

Klonos uses AI to create an interactive digital avatar that can be used by hotels, museums, or schools to answer questions from customers. The technology, which builds a “Klone,” is meant to improve branding by personalizing the company, providing an avatar to engage the audience instead of a FAQ list.

Initially part of an Nvidia accelerator program, Klonos later gained access to funding at a $15M valuation. Jin also is a Doers and Makers (DAM) Fellow, a Babson student-led accelerator meant to help advance ventures.

With the required information, Jin told BostInno, Klonos can make a “near-perfect replica of the person.”

Enyu Rao ‘22, and Sean Robins ‘23, founders of Launch Yard

By the time Rao was a rising second-year student at Babson, he already had become deeply involved in the startup scene in Greater Boston. So, when Rao was about to graduate, he jumped at the chance to create a community for early-stage founders when Robins reached out to him.

The two have since toured venture-creation hot spots in Cambridge and Boston neighborhoods, such as the Back Bay and the Seaport, over the last year to create a space where founders can connect with investors, mentors, and other key connections.

Robins also has remained involved with Babson, co-launching launching DAM Fellows (Doers and Makers)—a Babson founder fellowship for the doers, the makers, and the builders of tomorrow, with Kellen Kruglewicz ’25 and Krish Bhatia ’25.

Rhesa Teesdale ’23 MSEL’24, founder of Prophet | Envoy

Teesdale began 2025 with news he’d officially be showing his faith-based street wear line Prophet | Envoy at Paris Fashion week. Unbelievably, his year got better from there.

The designer enjoyed back-to-back coverage on NBC10, CBS Boston, and in other local media before walking in Paris. He was then asked to show at London Fashion Week and might go to Milan next year.

“This year has truly been a groundbreaking year for me as an entrepreneur and it is such a blessing to join this list along with so many bright young minds,” wrote Teesdale, who went on to congratulate the other Babson entrepreneurs on the list. “Forbes 30 Under 30 next.”

Zainabou Thiam ‘28, founder of Sunu Body

Thiam’s wellness-focused venture, Sunu Body, is infused with Senegalese culture to honor the West African country where her parents were born. The second-year student, who serves as the vice president of finance in eTower, took some time to honor her own hard work in a recent LinkedIn post.

“To the girl who thought she wasn’t doing enough—you made BostInno’s 25 Under 25,” wrote Thiam. She also congratulated her fellow beavers on the 2025 list.

“As a young founder, it’s easy to question whether the effort is ever enough. But moments like this remind me that the world does see the value of my work,” wrote Thiam.

Jolie Wyatt ‘26, Founder and CEO of If The Shoe Fits

Wyatt created her venture, If The Shoe Fits, to address an ongoing issue she faced for years.

“Retail is built around outdated, narrow sizing standards that ignore the real diversity of women’s feet,” wrote Wyatt in a celebratory LinkedIn post announcing her name in the BostInno’s 25 Under 25 list.

The former SGA president is even more committed to providing footwear with the right fit, adding the BostInno honor will fuel her next chapter.

“This is the daily reality for countless women,” Wyatt wrote, adding, “I’m here to fix that.”

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Tagged Undergraduate, Student Life, Entrepreneurship of All Kinds, Alumni, Startups, Entrepreneurship Education

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