This is a double honor for all three winning ventures in Babson College’s 2024 BETA (Babson Entrepreneurial Thought & Action®) Challenge. The challenge was live streamed for the first time at a watch party.
All of the winning ventures also received special awards, leaving the teams doubly excited and grateful at the conclusion of Babson’s famous competition.
“We started with Babson, and we would never have been able to do this without Babson,” said Aleksandr Malashchenko MBA’24.
Marashchenko’s venture, ReviMo, a robotic mobility device that allows bedridden people to get out of bed on their own, won a graduate track and field competition and a $7,000 technology sponsored by Gautam Gupta ’07 Received the Innovation Award.
The Alumni Track winner, Vaidehi Thembekar MBA’21 of Jahazi, also received the $10,000 High Impact Woman Founder Award, sponsored by the Frank & Irene Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Center.
Chloe Samaha ’25, the undergraduate track winner of BOND, an AI-powered site that helps virtual employees connect and engage, also won the $10,000 Stephen H. Kramer Award ’92 Award and the Michael London Award ’92 Award. I won an award.
Alexandra Dunk MBA’22, associate director of entrepreneurial programs and engagement at the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship, will be speaking both live and livestreamed April 11 in Olin Hall’s Joseph L. Wynn Auditorium. welcomed the audience.
“The BETA Challenge recognizes the progress and potential of Babson ventures that seek to solve problems and make an impact,” said Dank. “This year’s finalists have worked really hard to get here. They truly embody the mindset and actions of entrepreneurs.”
The three winning ventures each received $25,000 in cash and in-kind services donated by sponsors. The runner-up in the graduate and graduate categories each received $2,500, and the runner-up in the undergraduate category each received $3,500.
BETA Challenge Watch Party
Babson College first-year students were able to watch pitches and award presentations live as part of the college’s core Business Foundations and Entrepreneurship (FME) program. This distinctive course challenges students to develop, launch, and manage new ventures.
The watch party, held in the university’s Knight Auditorium and in collaboration with FME faculty leaders Angela Randolph and Michelle Kerrigan, also served as a celebration to mark the official end of the FME team’s work. .
“We believe the BETA Challenge Finale is a meaningful moment for the Babson community to come together and see extraordinary entrepreneurial talent in action,” Dunk said. He added that he appreciated the efforts of the FME faculty who started the watch party. “We are thrilled to welcome FME students into this tradition and hope this pitch will inspire them to pursue their entrepreneurial goals.”
Jahajii
One of the reasons graduate winner Thembekar founded Jahazii was the difficulties he faced when trying to obtain financial support during his previous business in Kenya.
Africa has a wealth of capital available to support many small and medium-sized businesses that need financial support to grow, but many local lenders are ill-equipped to make those loans. Is not …
“Africa is a continent of limitless opportunity, where small and medium-sized enterprises account for 18% of employment and 50% of GDP, but access to affordable finance remains a distant dream,” Thembekar said in the judgment. told the official.
Thembekar said Jahaj will work from end to end of the lending process, streamlining the process for both institutions and businesses.
Other alumni finalists are Ralph Haddad ’20, MS’21 and HospiceMatch, his venture aimed at building an operating system for hospices, and Legislation, designed by Vivian Nguyen ’22 and Chris Gomez It was Legislaide, an AI co-pilot tool. Local governments streamline daily processes.
The alumni judge was Jennifer Davis, investment principal at Techstars Boston. Stephen Kramer ’92, Bright Horizons CEO. Michael London ’92, CEO and Founder of Youwill.
Levimo
Marashchenko began his pitch with a photo of his grandfather Nikolai, whom he remembers as strong and proud.
“In his mid-20s, he had a stroke and became paralyzed, so now I have to take care of him,” Malashchenko said. “For him, having someone take him to the bathroom was always painful and embarrassing, so he always wanted his dignity back.”
Marashchenko founded ReviMo to help people like his grandfather regain their independence. Current devices that help people with disabilities get out of bed or chairs use belts or slings and cannot be operated by just one person.
“ReviMo is the first device that is safe and independent to use, a quick and easy process, and does not require belts or slings,” said Malashchenko. He joked after his win that if his grandfather were still alive, he would urge him to hurry up and get Levimo ready.
Other graduate student finalists are Luis Martin MBA’24 of Develop US, an IT consultancy that provides software development from Latin America for U.S. clients, and Chemically Safe, founded by Gopika Maheshwari MBA Plantex Tech is a materials science company that produces plant-based fibers. ’24 and Rohan Patil MBA’24.
The graduate student judges were Wendy Hudson MBA’19, founding partner of Cisco Brewers; Ab Igram MBA’96, Executive Director, Tariq Farid Franchise Institute. Diana Yuan ’15 is co-founder and senior vice president of human resources and operations at Indico Data.
hook up
Undergraduate winner Samaha founded BOND to address the rise of virtual workplaces. The rise of virtual workplaces took a toll on her mental health during her first remote work internship.
“Even after six weeks working there, my colleagues were just names on a screen,” Samaha said, adding that she felt isolated and alone. Samaha said that of the 44.5 million workers who will leave their jobs in 2023, the number one reason for leaving is a lack of employee engagement.
“BOND is an AI-powered employee engagement tool that gamifies the team bonding process,” said Samaha.
Other undergraduate finalists were Jake Ross ’24, who founded Build You Marketing, a marketing agency focused on fully growing brands and building fan bases; Sneaker Soul’s Block Alpha ’27 is a one-stop sneaker care company that has created flexible covers to keep sneaker soles clean.
The faculty judge was Scarlett Batchelor MBA’06, Chief Growth Officer of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Ryan Lupberger ’18, his CEO and founder of Cleancult and 2018 BETA Challenge undergraduate winner. And Will Magruder is MassChallenge’s vice president of partnerships.
special award
The Blank Center announced two other special awards that will be handed out to honor the contestants’ hard work and value creation.
- The Family Entrepreneurship Award, a new award sponsored by the Bertarelli Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, awarded $5,000 to Gopika Maheshwari MBA’24 and Rohan Patil MBA’24 of Plantex Tech.
- The Lila W. Sahney Endowed Fashion & Textile Award, sponsored by Gobind Sahney ’83 and daughter Sabrina L. Sahney, awarded $20,000 to Adila Rammadia MBA’24 of Snug Scrubs.
Categories: Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Achievements
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