For Immediate Release

Babson College Celebrates 20th Annual Sustainability & Energy Conference: "Entrepreneurs for Impact"

Milestone gathering brings together students, founders, investors, and alumni for a full day of bold ideas at the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and climate innovation.

WELLESLEY, Mass. — Friday, April 24, 2026

On Friday, April 24, 2026, Babson College hosted the 20th Annual Babson Sustainability & Energy Conference: Entrepreneurs for Impact — a landmark event bringing together students, founders, investors, and alumni for a full day exploring how entrepreneurship is shaping the future of sustainability and energy.

The conference marked two decades since the Babson Sustainability & Energy Club (BSEC) was co-founded in 2006 by John Chaimanis (MBA '07) and Mark T. Donohue '89, who envisioned a platform where profitable clean business and sustainability were inseparable. Over those 20 years, students have driven initiatives from bringing Babson's first wind turbine to campus in 2008 to installing EV charging stations through a Toyota partnership in 2012. This year, Babson's sustainability journey continued with the launch of a campus bee farm and a Miyawaki biodiverse forest.

"This conference reflects what makes Babson distinctive — students who don't just study challenges, but take action to solve them." — Leila Lamoureux, Babson's Director of Sustainability and Campus Utilization

A Morning of Vision and Legacy

Co-Presidents Ryan Lee and Rashmi Tripathi (both MBA '27) welcomed attendees and set the theme for the day before a morning program that wove together Babson's campus sustainability story with the journeys of the alumni entrepreneurs who built the BSEC legacy.

Carl Perez '15 and Viola Aureggi '18, co-founders of Exodys Energy, shared their journey of pioneering nuclear waste recycling — from their earliest days at Babson to securing $6 billion in client contracts.

"There's no such thing as failure. It's just getting more information. Whoever learns fastest wins." — Carl Perez '15, Co-Founder, Exodys Energy

John Chaimanis (MBA '07), BSEC co-founder and CEO of Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure, reflected on the values that have sustained his firm: relationships over transactions, conscientiousness, grit, and creative problem solving.

"The only thing that defines you is what you do. Write your mission statement. Set your values and get some stuff done." — John Chaimanis, MBA '07, CEO, Kendall Sustainable Infrastructure

On behalf of BSEC, Ryan Lee presented Chaimanis with the inaugural Entrepreneur for Impact Award in recognition of his founding vision, 20 years of impact in sustainable infrastructure, and continued support of the next generation of Babson entrepreneurs.

Nicole LaChapelle, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, encouraged the room to engage with government as a partner, highlighting the value of collaboration between public agencies and entrepreneurs.

"Those who know the rules rule the day." — Nicole LaChapelle, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

Mark T. Donohue '89, co-founder of BSEC and the conference's Honorary Chairman, accepted the second Inaugural Entrepreneur for Impact Award before delivering a keynote on decades of social entrepreneurship across cleantech, venture capital, mental health, and beyond.

"Entrepreneurship is the most powerful tool to manifest a future which fulfills humanity's highest potential." — Mark T. Donohue '89, Co-Founder, BSEC; Honorary Chairman

Headline Keynote: David Evans Shaw

Headlining the morning program was David Evans Shaw, Founder of IDEXX Laboratories, author of Wave Making: Inspired by Impact, and a globally recognized leader in science, conservation, and social entrepreneurship. Drawing on a lifetime of building enterprises across diagnostics, ocean conservation, national park stewardship, and regenerative agriculture, Shaw made the case that each person holds the capacity to be a "wave maker" — transforming challenges including climate change and sustainability into extraordinary opportunities for innovation and impact. Shaw received the conference's third Inaugural Entrepreneur for Impact Award.

Afternoon: Sector Deep Dives and the Venture Showcase

The afternoon program moved to Malloy Hall for six concurrent "For Impact" breakout tracks co-hosted with Babson clubs:

• Oceans for Impact — Moderated by Professor Sinan Erzurumlu, featuring Eric Hudson (Founder & CEO, Preserve; MBA '92), Conor Carlin (Founder & President, Clefs Advisory LLC; MBA '10), Michael Weir (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), and Rockford Weitz (Tufts/The Fletcher School).
• Energy for Impact — Moderated by Prashant Khorana (Wood Mackenzie), featuring Nick d'Arbeloff (ReVision Energy), Ignacio Estella (Avangrid/Iberdrola Group), and Erin Smith (Environmental League of Massachusetts).
• Investments for Impact — A partnership with the Babson Graduate PE/VC Club, moderated by Professor Brigitte Muehlmann, featuring Samir Karoum (Bombelli Ventures), Danny Donovan (Silicon Valley Bank), and Doug Brown (Iv3 Aqua Group).
• Food & Agriculture for Impact — Featuring Jen Faigel (CommonWealth Kitchen), Christopher Rassias (Bright Feeds), JC Arce (Tidefield), and Srirup Kumar (Flow).
• Fashion for Impact — Moderated by Professor Caroline Daniels, featuring Professor Margaret Hassey and Bukonla Adeniyi (Founder, Vesy and Ori-Lane Africa Fashion Digital Platform).
• Hospitality for Impact — Moderated by Jozeph Kierkegaard, featuring Katrina Goulden (Vice President, Climate and Sustainability, Marriott International).

Running concurrently in Knight Auditorium, the BSEC Sustainability & Impact Venture Showcase gave student-led teams and early-stage ventures the opportunity to present their solutions to investors, alumni, and ecosystem partners.

Closing: Community, Awards & Action

The day concluded with a cocktail reception bringing together students, speakers, alumni, and guests. The conference weekend extended into community action on Saturday, April 25, with the Charles River Earth Day Cleanup at Elm Bank — the 27th Annual Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) Earth Day Cleanup. Thanks to a sponsorship from the Babson Cruickshank Fund, a Babson volunteer team was formed as an official 2026 CRWA Cleanup Sponsor, reinforcing the partnership between campus entrepreneurship and local environmental stewardship.

For more information, visit https://www.bseclub.org/.

About the Babson Sustainability & Energy Club (BSEC)

Founded in 2006, BSEC is a student-led organization at Babson College dedicated to demonstrating that sustainable business and clean energy are not idealistic dogmas, but profitable, attractive enterprises. The club hosts the Annual BSEC Conference and connects students, alumni, investors, and ecosystem partners across sectors.

About Babson College

Babson College is a global leader in entrepreneurship education. Through its proven Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology, the College prepares entrepreneurial leaders who create, grow, and steward sustainable economic and social value around the world. Founded in 1919 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Babson has empowered more than 46,000 entrepreneurial leaders to impact communities and industries of all kinds. Babson is recognized as the No. 2 best college in the United States by The Wall Street Journal and has maintained its place as No. 1 atop U.S. News & World Report's entrepreneurship rankings for decades.

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