Shay Gaafar MBA’19 — A Brand Born at Babson

Shay Jaffar
Listen

Shay Gaafar MBA’19 started her career in the tech field. In Egypt, she earned her degree in computer science, and began working for Fortune 500 companies. She was very successful in her career, ultimately becoming an executive at Pepsi. But, she wasn’t fulfilled.

“People said I was crazy to leave that job,” said Gaafar. “Corporate is great, but I had an inkling that maybe it wasn’t for me.”

In her gut, Gaafar wanted to be different, she wanted to be an entrepreneur.

Where It All Began

Gaafar grew up in the United Arab Emirates, where her mother made her beautiful and modest uniforms to wear to school. As she got older, Gaafar realized that other girls didn’t have access to this type of clothing. In order to dress modestly, they had to layer clothes. By college, it was clear to Gaafar that the fashion market wasn’t reflecting the demands of women in the Middle East. Fashionable options for the 90 percent of Middle Eastern women that dress modestly were scarce, and Gaafar sensed an opportunity. She started drawing up dress designs, found a tailor who could help cut and sew, and began making her own clothing.

While Gaafar attended university in Egypt, she continued to make clothing for the women in her social circles. She fell in love with building a fashion brand, and found inspiration in enhancing other women’s lives. She wanted to help those women express themselves through their own styles.

This passion drove Gaafar to make a career shift and go back to school to study entrepreneurship.

Her Journey to Babson

When looking at schools and sponsorship programs, Gaafar decided to apply for the prestigious Fulbright Program, She was admitted, opening an opportunity for her to apply to Babson.

“I applied to Babson because of its entrepreneurship reputation and because I wanted to grow an entrepreneurial mindset,” she said. Gaafar received a scholarship to attend, and began her studies as part of the two-year MBA cohort. “I wanted to shift to the entrepreneurship ecosystem through venture capital.”

 Apply now to enroll in the Babson MBA this fall.

Start Your Application

As she became more ingrained in all that Babson offers, her career trajectory shifted away from venture capital. Gaafar knew it was time to start her business.

“When I came to Babson, I had an idea for my business but I didn’t have the courage to start. I figured if I didn’t start now, with all of these resources, when would I? I took a leap of faith.”

A Business Born at Babson

Gaafar’s fashion business, eventually named Shay Jaffar, was born during the Entrepreneurship & Opportunity course she took her first semester as an MBA student. Everyone in the class had to pitch a business idea that they’d work to build throughout the course.

“I thought to myself, why not pitch the fashion business that I have always dreamed of starting?”

As Gaafar pitched, her professor pointed her to all of the resources that Babson offers entrepreneurs and new ventures. That is when things really took off.

She joined the Butler Launch Pad and participated in its GTM Fast Track Program. She pitched her business at the B.E.T.A. Challenge, where she was a finalist and was awarded the Female Founder Impact Award from the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL).

In terms of funding, Gaafar received support from the Babson Seed Fund, along with winnings from the B.E.T.A. Challenge and the CWEL award. These funds helped with finalizing her product development in New York City and preparing samples. To support her studies, she also received the Sorenson Scholarship Award for Meritorious Achievement—awarded by the Babson community for her contributions to the ecosystem.

Gaafar didn’t stop there. She also participated in both of Babson’s accelerators: Summer Venture Program between her first and second year, and the Boston Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab® in her first year.

Gaafar has soaked up every resource Babson has to offer to grow her brand—making the most of her time on campus to shift her career.

“I would say that Shay Jaffar is a product of Babson,” said Gaafar, “From here, I plan to continue my journey, keep building this luxury brand, and take it to the international market.”

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership

More from Entrepreneurial Leadership »

Latest Stories

Warren Buffett
Buffett Retires: Babson Professors Highlight Lessons from a Historic Transition Warren Buffett’s retirement is more than a milestone, Babson thought leaders say. It’s also a masterclass in thoughtful succession and cultural continuity.
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.
May 30, 2025

Posted in Community, Insights

Zainabou Thiam ’28 sits at a table selling products to waiting customers
Paying Homage to One’s Ancestors Through Entrepreneurship Zainabou Thiam ’28 was raised in the values of Senegal. With the help of Babson, she’s growing her venture, Sunu Body, an African-inspired skin care and wellness brand.
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.
May 29, 2025

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership

The champion tennis players pose for a photo with their trophies alongside their coaches
Repeat Champs: Babson’s Doubles Team Nets Second Tennis National Title Olivia Soffer ’25 and Matia Cristiani ’26 captured their second consecutive NCAA Division III doubles national championship in women’s tennis.
By
May 28, 2025

Posted in Community