Built to Last: Helping Prepare Founders for the Entrepreneurial Journey

Editor / Writer

Eric Beato

Eric Beato is the Editor of Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Eric has worked as an editor and writer at newspapers across the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Boston Herald. Eric joined Babson College in 2019 after working as the communications director for a private educational travel company and as the managing editor of six regional sports publications.

March 5, 2026

James Agnew MBA’21, DBA’28 is a lifelong entrepreneur, who has founded several nonprofit organizations while building a career in direct-to-consumer fintech. (Photo: Nic Czarnecki/Babson College)

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Editor’s note: As Babson’s new Doctor of Business Administration program begins, we are highlighting the individual entrepreneurial leaders who comprise the inaugural cohort. This is one in a series of DBA candidate profiles.

James Agnew MBA’21, DBA’28 has been an entrepreneur his entire life. His mother had built her own business, and he has followed in her footsteps.

While most of his for-profit work has been in direct-to-consumer fintech, Agnew also has founded several nonprofits, including community-based youth competitive sports organizations. He and his wife also recently launched a real estate company, and he now is building Blaast, Inc., an AI-powered financial wellness platform designed to support employees navigating income volatility and financial stress.

Many of the organizations he has started are operating 10 to 15 years after launching, and Agnew says he is particularly proud of an annual community event that his family started and is now heading into its 11th year and growing.

Now, as a member of the inaugural cohort of Doctor of Business Administration program, Agnew returns to Babson College to focus on helping understand and educate other founders on their entrepreneurial journeys—and even inspire his family.

What drove you to want to pursue your DBA, and why did you choose Babson? 

“Pursuing a DBA is driven by a few things for me. It helps prepare me for the final phase of my career, where I want to give back through teaching, research, and mentorship. After years of building businesses, I believe I have practical experience that can add real value to entrepreneurial education and help future founders navigate the realities of building something that lasts. On a personal note, I hope to encourage my family by my actions to continually embrace learning, step beyond their comfort zones from time to time, and seek out challenges that are both meaningful and fulfilling to them. I get a lot of energy from being involved in education and genuinely enjoy the process of learning and being challenged intellectually. Babson just feels natural to be a part of with its focus on leading the world in entrepreneurial thought and action.”

As you are entering the program, what is one big problem you would most want to solve, and what research area are you aiming to explore to help solve it? 

“Through my own experience building businesses and working closely with many founders, I’ve seen how deeply the entrepreneurial journey shapes a person’s life. Regardless of whether a venture ultimately succeeds or fails, the process of starting and growing a business can fundamentally change who a founder becomes. Yet I feel entrepreneurship is often over-glamorized, with too much emphasis on the founder as a hero and too little attention paid to the stress and personal cost that founders carry. I want to better understand the founder’s journey and the personal challenges that come with building a business. My hope is to explore how founders can be better prepared for that journey, so it becomes a positive and meaningful experience rather than an overwhelming or debilitating one.”

What part of the program are you most looking forward to? 

“The people! I earned my MBA at Babson. The most rewarding part of that experience was learning alongside people from different backgrounds and interests both within my cohort and among the faculty. I love entrepreneurship in all its forms: doing it, thinking about it, studying it, and learning from others who approach it in ways different from my own. I’m most excited for the conversations, experiences, and relationships we will build together.”

At this point, what are your hopes and aspirations professionally after the DBA program? 

“My professional goal is for my research to fuel the development of a framework that can be integrated into accelerators and early-stage entrepreneurship education. This framework would complement traditional skills and knowledge programs by helping founders build resilience throughout their startup experience. I plan to teach one or two courses as an adjunct in entrepreneurial education, continue starting and building businesses of my own, and stay closely connected with the startup landscape by mentoring new founders. My goal is to contribute in ways that strengthen both the educational and real-world experience of entrepreneurship.”

This is part of a series of profiles highlighting the individual entrepreneurial leaders in the inaugural cohort of Babson’s new Doctor of Business Administration program. Read more about Babson’s first DBA candidates.