Babson College Expands Its Professional & Executive Education Portfolio with Launch of New AI & Innovation Certificate with Founderz

Wellesley, Massachusetts--(Newsfile Corp. - February 12, 2026) - Babson College announced a suite of new AI and innovation offerings within its Professional & Executive Education portfolio. The new Babson On-Demand™ offerings, AI in Action: From Prompts to Innovation, were developed in collaboration with Founderz, a global education company specializing in applied, real-world AI and innovation training.

Learners can choose from four badges and one certificate that blends entrepreneurial thinking with hands-on AI application, enabling professionals to address real business challenges through AI-THINK, a structured, repeatable innovation methodology. Designed with busy professionals in mind, each self-paced course can be completed in just a few hours. Participants engage in rapid prototyping, workflow automation, and guided experimentation, to apply AI responsibly and drive immediate organizational impact.

As demand intensifies for AI-skilled talent — marked by 25% salary increases for AI-enabled roles¹, 6 in 10 executives requiring AI fluency², and 78% of companies already using AI in operations³ — Babson now equips professionals to use AI as a strategic tool for decision-making, innovation, and productivity.

"AI is fundamentally changing how leaders think, decide, and create value," said Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA'92, PhD, president of Babson College. "For today's professionals, staying competitive means understanding how to apply AI thoughtfully and responsibly across every area of business. This collaboration ensures our learners are prepared not just to keep pace with change, but to lead it."

The continually refreshed curriculum is taught by Founderz executives, applied scientists, architects, and innovation leaders from Microsoft (Microsoft Aktie) and other industry-leading organizations, ensuring instruction grounded in real-world expertise and cutting-edge practice. Academic oversight is provided by Phillip H. Kim, PhD, faculty advisor for Babson On-Demand.

"The strategic joining of business-focused AI instruction and entrepreneurial leadership is a powerful combination that allows professionals to create value at any level of an organization," said Kelly Lynch, Executive Vice President at Babson. "This new collaboration with Founderz aligns with our assertion that understanding and applying AI is essential to learners at every stage."

Founderz, a Microsoft Worldwide Training Partner and member of Microsoft's Worldwide Learning Advisory Board, has supported more than 400,000 learners across 50 countries. Babson is the first U.S. institution to partner with Founderz, bringing together Babson's expertise in entrepreneurial leadership with Founderz's applied AI curriculum shaped by enterprise insights from Microsoft.

"The biggest risk for professionals today isn't AI replacing jobs-it's falling behind because they don't know how to use it," said Pau Garcia-Milà, Co-Founder of Founderz. "Together with Babson, we're helping learners build real, applicable AI skills they can use immediately-whether they're launching a venture, leading a team, or transforming an organization."

Course instruction is delivered by the Founderz instructional team, alongside industry leaders and Microsoft professionals, grounding the learning experience in real-world use cases and responsible AI practices. Participants earn digital badges and certificates upon completion, providing verifiable credentials that signal applied AI and innovation expertise to employers and professional networks.

"As AI becomes embedded in everyday work, AI fluency is quickly becoming a baseline leadership skill," said Jeana Jorgensen, Corporate Vice President of Global Skilling at Microsoft. "This collaboration gives learners practical frameworks and hands-on experience to use AI effectively, ethically, and at scale-these technology skills, alongside the uniquely human skills like resiliency and curiosity, are increasingly essential across industries."

For more information about Babson's AI offerings within Professional & Executive Education, visit Courses for Individuals | Babson College.

• ¹ PwC 2024
• ² Work Trend Index 2024 de Microsoft & LinkedIn
• ³ McKinsey, McKinsey surveys, compiled and published by Exploding Topics in 2025

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. The College offers an array of undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs and partners with organizations around the world to support global entrepreneurship initiatives. Through the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Babson's centers and institutes, the College empowers accomplished and aspiring entrepreneurs to advance the study and practice of entrepreneurial thought leadership around the world.

About Founderz

Founded six years ago by Pau Garcia-Milà and Anna Cejudo, Founderz is Europe's leading AI school and is transforming how professionals and organizations harness artificial intelligence and innovation. They develop proprietary AI-powered technologies and applied learning solutions that blend strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, and hands-on experimentation. Having trained over 400,000 participants and empowered 1,500 enterprises worldwide, Founderz offers more than 10 specialized programs across multiple industries in collaboration with Microsoft. The goal is clear: to equip individuals to implement responsible AI solutions, accelerate business growth, and drive meaningful change globally.

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