Entrepreneurial Leadership

The world needs entrepreneurial leaders to solve complex challenges that have persisted for decades or longer, as well as future ones we can’t even envision yet. Entrepreneurial leadership is both a skill set and a mindset, and entrepreneurial leaders impact businesses, organizations, and society because they put people first and manage in a relational way. Here, we illustrate the impact of entrepreneurial leadership through inspiring and uplifting stories from the Babson community and beyond.

A boat sails in the water
The Entrepreneurial Spirit of Sailing Around the World Mark Towill MBA’23 is the co-founder of the 11th Hour Racing Team, which just won the grueling Ocean Race. The achievement took resilience, as well as business know-how.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
August 10, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Outcomes

Marvin Makofsky holds several vegetable plants
Solving Food Insecurity One Row at a Time Marvin Makofsky ’64 feeds a need with his nonprofit Plant a Row for the Hungry, which utilizes local gardens to provide fresh vegetables to his community of Port Washington, New York.
By
July 27, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Outcomes

Picture of Wishroute owner Jessica Lynch ’13, MS’13, MBA’18.
When Should You Sell Your Startup? Jessica Lynch ’13, MS’13, MBA’18 decided to sell her beloved venture Wishroute earlier this year. Here’s how she did it.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
July 25, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Insights, Outcomes

Sonal Dalvi MBA’23 poses for a portrait with a group of women artists
She Empowers Women Artists in India Sonal Dalvi MBA’23 works with tribal artists in India whose art is in danger of disappearing. She wants them to have careers that are rewarding, profitable, and empowering.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
July 24, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Outcomes

Akhil Nair MBA'18, a former Global Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College, with the program's director Cindy Klein Marmer and another volunteer.
Babson’s Global Entrepreneur in Residence Program Returns Akhil Nair MBA’18 grew his venture and mentored Babson students in the Global Entrepreneur in Residence program, which restarted this year after a four-year hiatus.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
July 18, 2023

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Tony Harris stands in the middle of a group of students posing for a picture
In Ukraine, He Teaches a Critical Skill: Entrepreneurship Tony Harris MBA’91 has taught and developed entrepreneurship programs around the world. His latest position? Teaching social entrepreneurship in Ukraine.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
July 11, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership

A wooden walkway leads to a dock on the water
One Woman’s Mission to Help Save a Neglected Resort In a labor of love, Laura Scheeler Smith ’90 scrambles to find the right people to repair and restore a closed resort on beloved Daufuskie Island in South Carolina.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
July 7, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership

Babson student pitches her venture while standing in front of a presentation screen during a competition
Competitions Help Babson Grad Perfect Her Pitch Swarna Shiv ’23 competed in five national entrepreneurial contests that provided hands-on experience on pitching startups, enhancing business strategy, and learning what it takes to launch a successful company.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
June 23, 2023

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Ed O’Malley races on a bicycle through a Western landscape
The Quest to Create a Very Fast Shoe For his third startup, Ed O’Malley MBA’03 set about creating a more aerodynamic cycling shoe for triathletes. It wasn’t easy.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
June 21, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Outcomes

Haiti was hit by deadly flooding and a 4.9 earthquake in June.
A Helping Hand for Haitian Relatives Joseph Noel ’24 is working to bring his Haitian relatives to the States as Haiti is rocked by yet another earthquake.
By
Hillary Chabot
Writer
Hillary Chabot
Hillary Chabot is a writer for Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. An award-winning journalist, she is known for her insightful reporting and dedication to detailed storytelling. With a career spanning over two decades, she has covered a wide range of topics, from presidential campaigns and government policy to neighborhood issues and investigative series. As a reporter for The Boston Herald, Hillary earned a reputation for tenacity and integrity. Her work at Babson College fuels her passions—to learn something new every day and conduct thoughtful, empathic interviews. She’s thrilled to be at Babson College, where students, faculty, staff members and classes provide compelling copy daily.
June 15, 2023

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership