Emerging entrepreneurial energy from Tufts

(BostInno, November 11, 2013)

An entrepreneurial energy is quietly brewing across the Charles River. "Tufts is two or three semesters away from erupting in a way that will make us very hard to ignore," posited Tufts student John Brennan. "Think Harvard and MIT entrepreneurship." In just over a year, the university, located high atop a Medford hill on the outskirts of town, has made an impact so strong, it's being felt here in city center. Spearheading the charge is James Barlow, Tufts director of entrepreneurial leadership, who took the reins just last year, fully aware of, and ready to break into, the school's "untapped potential." The Tufts $100K Business Plan Competition grew from 18 to 109 applicants earlier this year, and went beyond the scope of apps, featuring environmentally-engineered showerheads and education-changing programming instead. The success of Tufts entrepreneurship program is only beginning to show, with more and more students starting organizations on campus.The Tufts Venture Fund, a micro-seed investment fund for Tufts startups, is one of the newest initiatives, which Barlow said will be up-and-running in the next 12 months and potentially feature a social impact investing arm, courtesy of Tufts' Fletcher School.