Five startups, launched by either Babson MBA students or alumni, advanced to the final round of MassChallenge, a international business competition designed to support early-stage entrepreneurs. These startups will be accepted into MassChallenge’s 2013 class and spend the next four months drawing on resources provided by MassChallenge, including free office space, mentorship and $10,000 to grow their businesses. These teams also have the chance to compete for $100,000 or $50,000 in grants and receive free media and legal advice.
The MassChallenge inductees include a nut-free snack company, a remote baby monitoring equipment company, and an automotive diagnostics company. Startups were chosen based on their high growth potential. Judges spent three weeks reviewing applications and providing feedback before selecting 300 startups as semi-finalists. These teams were then asked to deliver a 20-minute business pitch to a panel of judges who then chose 128 startups from across the globe as finalists.
Babson College was also awarded the Trendspotter of the Year in recognition of the number of applicants and finalists the college sent to the competition. MassChallenge aims to be the world’s largest accelerator and startup competition.