Brandeis International Business School

What do an online marketplace for thrifted goods, a Namibian digital payments app and a prototype for a self-filtering water bottle have in common?

They’re all examples of student innovation supported by Brandeis International Business School’s Asper Center for Global Entrepreneurship.

“We have so many phenomenal entrepreneurs here,” said professor Philippe Wells, director of the Asper Center and the Ain Family Professor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship.

Wells himself is a successful entrepreneur. After working in consulting and finance and earning his PhD in economics, he launched and eventually sold several businesses — including a boutique chain of yoga studios and an online health food supplier.

Throughout his career journey, Wells has always considered himself a teacher. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? Don’t be afraid to get creative, and always stay focused on the big picture.

“That’s where you can have the most impact,” said Wells. “When there are opportunities to connect the dots and see what others don’t, that’s when you potentially have a significant opportunity.”

Wells recently shared his thoughts about entrepreneurship and student innovation at Brandeis during a recent interview.

What should students know about entrepreneurship at Brandeis?

There are so many fantastic resources to help you turn your idea into a reality. At the Asper Center alone there’s the Ain Family Startup Award, the Asper Pitch Summit Challenge and Asper Student Startup Prizes, just to name a few.

Brandeis is unique because not only do we have an excellent business school with a vibrant entrepreneurship program, but the university is also well known for its groundbreaking life-science research. We’re also looking forward to the launch of a new Engineering Program, so all of this is exciting from an entrepreneurial perspective. I’m already seeing many great cross-disciplinary ideas, drawing from both business and the sciences, that are poised to make a positive impact.

Why are you passionate about startups and student innovation?

I tell my students you don’t have to start your own business to be an entrepreneur. You can apply entrepreneurial principles in large organizations too, or even use them in your own life to identify pain points or find creative solutions. One reason I’m passionate about this is because it’s a way for students to tap into their authentic selves.

Many successful entrepreneurs have a close personal connection to the problem they’re working to solve. So if you really commit to something that you authentically care about, along the way you might discover that other people care too — and that the solution to the problem won’t just improve your life, but improve the lives of others.

That ability to make a difference is a wonderful aspect of entrepreneurship, especially at a place like the International Business School where there’s a deep commitment to leveraging the power of business to improve the world.

What do you love about teaching?

I love connecting with students and being part of their journey. They’re at that stage where all possibilities are open and I think that's a really exciting place to be.

I also love connecting what’s going on in the world with what I’m teaching in class. It’s important to focus on conceptual understanding, but I also want students to know that similar themes and patterns are resurfacing all the time. Sometimes the news reads like it’s pulled directly from our textbook or case study, and these connections can be very valuable if you’re an entrepreneur or working in business, finance or economics. That’s how I try to make the course material come alive — it’s fun for me and my students.

Why should prospective students consider Brandeis?

Brandeis is a great place to develop your mind and develop who you are. The International Business School is home to excellent academic programs and the Brandeis campus is super close to Boston. My students are always attending events in the city hosted by major employers and industry groups — there are so many networking opportunities to take advantage of!

Brandeis is also such a supportive environment overall. Our class sizes are small so it’s quite easy for students at the International Business School to meet one-on-one with their professors. My students will regularly knock on my door and we’ll catch up, maybe discuss this week’s assignment or talk about their career ambitions and their job search. I think this is really unique to Brandeis. It’s not just our size, it’s a shared mentality among the faculty. We’re all committed to helping our students succeed.