Each year, the Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College puts on a program to showcase ventures led by its students and alumni.
Babson is a private college in Wellesley with a focus on entrepreneurship education. Its annual Babson Entrepreneurial Thought & Action (BETA) Challenge aims to find and support startups that are solving problems and creating impact. This is the 12th year of the BETA Challenge.
Nine finalists were selected to pitch at the Winn Auditorium last Thursday for cash and prizes in front of judges that included Kerty Levy, the new managing director of Techstars Boston; Christian Magel, co-founder and managing partner of Venture Lane Studio; and Uli Becker, former president of Reebok.
The winners in the undergraduate, graduate and alumni tracks each received a grand prize of $28,000, plus in-kind services provided by sponsors.
Let’s meet the winners in each category.
Alumni: River Otter Renewables
This startup is using its patented process to produce biocrude oil from waste, including plant waste, food waste, sewage waste and some plastic waste. The resulting product could be used for home heating oil, transportation fuels and possibly creating new plastic consumables. Amelia Thomas, the CEO of River Otter, said the company is in the process of pitching Boston-area venture capitalists for funding and applying to programs like the BlueSwell incubator. Thomas previously spent nearly 10 years working at bluebird bio before coming to Babson’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business.
Finalists: Exodys Energy and Spoten.
Graduate: G.I. Junk Removal
G.I. Junk Removal is a veteran-owned and -operated business founded in 2019 by spouses Matthew and Jennifer Calhoun. The company specializes in the removal of unwanted items from residential and commercial properties. It prioritizes hiring veterans and military family members. G.I. Junk Removal also works to redeploy salvaged items to people in need in the local community.
Finalists: Prediktia and TruLeague.
Undergraduate: Computers 4 People
Founder Dylan Zajac has been running his nonprofit, Computers 4 People, since he was 15 years old. For four years, Zajac’s organization has been collecting, refurbishing and donating computers to individuals and organizations in under-resourced communities. The nonprofit is funded by donations, federal grants and foundations. Computers 4 People also hosts programs like computer literacy classes.
Finalists: Elcove and Wall Street Connection.
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