First-Year Babson College Undergraduate Students Launch 16 New Businesses

All first-year Babson College undergraduate students have developed businesses for teams of thirty students as part of the required Foundations of Management and Entrepreneurship (FME) course.

FME is a seven-credit, year-long immersion into the world of business in which student teams invent, develop, launch, manage, and liquidate a business. Along the way, students study entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting, organizational behavior, information systems, and operations. The College provides up to $3,000 as startup money for these student businesses. This year’s 16 businesses will run throughout the spring semester.

Spring 2010 FME Businesses

B-Ray Sunglasses, www.braysunglasses.com, sells quality imitation sunglasses at an affordable price. They are stylish, durable, inexpensive, and provide eye protection.

Babson Country Club, www.babsoncountryclub.com, is an entertainment business based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, that provides miniature golf opportunities for the Babson community and beyond. The company has purchased a portable mini golf course with funding from the College and additional capital from sponsors.

Boost Bubble, www.boostbubble.biz, sells VE2 caffeinated gum to save customers time and money. The company is seeking area small businesses to buy their product.

Budd-Eaze, www.Budd-Eaze.com, provides customers with a comfortable, machine washable, and affordable companion for listening to music on their favorite media player. The black headphone headband is made with dryfit material and micro-fleece linings to cater to any type of activity while providing superior sound quality and comfort.

Click, www.theclickmouse.com, sells wireless mice with an integrated 1 GB USB storage. With a Click mouse, customers can use their mouse while storing data, all on one USB drive. Click mice are available in two colors and can be customized with a logo.

Diskover Shield, www.diskovershield.com, is a retailer of protective, patented film that snaps on the bottom of any disk and stays on while playing. Diskover Shield seeks to end the era of scratched disks.

E-Z Wash, www.ezwashbag.com, is a product line of bags for laundry. The bags are distinguishable by size and can easily be placed into the washer and then right into the dryer, all without ever losing a sock.

Freshions, www.freshions.com, sells Boost, an ionizer that releases negative ions in order to cancel out positive ions making you feel refreshed and energetic. Boost reduces the risk of airborne illness, and can work as an air cleaner to remove dust and eliminate odors.

Germ Stoppers, www.thegermstoppers.com, sells alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers and refill packages to small offices and non-franchised restaurants in the Boston area. Germ Stoppers seeks to maintain a healthy workplace emphasizing cleanliness, functionality, and efficiency.

Kudos Shirts, www.kudosshirts.com/index.html, sells t-shirts with designs that are chosen by the customers and the Babson community. Kudos Shirts provides the opportunity for their customers to order t-shirts in bulk with a design of their choice.

Lokay, www.ilokay.com, sells an accessory locating gadget to help its customers save time. The company’s primary product is a remote key finder which includes a remote control transmitter and an ornamental key ring that serves as a receiver.

TH2O, www.th2o.biz, sells mug warmer sets that keep beverages hot and plug into any computer USB drive. Sets include a mug warmer and a 14-oz Java Desk Mug with logo. Mugs sport the Babson logo unless business customers specify otherwise.

Threads and Ink, www.threadsandinkstore.com, is a personalization and marketing company with two product lines for businesses and individuals: custom embroidery and custom stamp service. Threads and Ink will embroider text and logos on any piece of clothing, or create a stamp with any text or picture.

Totes2Promote, www.totes2promote.com, provides stores, restaurants and consumers with an eco-friendly alternative to disposable plastic bags. Their product encompasses quality, ease of service, and full customer satisfaction while endorsing an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

WriteOn, www.thewriteon.com, provides a new way to organize thoughts by combining the versatility of Post-It notes with the reusability of dry erase boards. Write-On is a dry-erase sheet that can be struck to most surfaces and then easily removed. They can provide blank sheets or customizable printed ones with watermarks, logos, or pictures.

Y.O.U. Calendars, www.youcals.com, offers two products sold specifically to the Babson Community. The first is BabCal, a generic calendar with pictures of the Babson campus as well as important Babson dates. The second is the YouCal, a personalized calendar that can be customized on the company’s web site.

Each team of approximately 30 students donates 180 hours, along with all profits, to a local community service agency of its choice. Agencies supported by FME businesses have included Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Fidelity House, Cradles to Crayons, Boys and Girls Club, and Wellesley Housing Authority to name a few. Since the program began in 1999, more than $350,000 has been donated by FME businesses to local charities.

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit www.babson.edu.