Are entrepreneurs born or made? Babson founder's POV

When I moved to the U.S. for college, I attended Babson College, a name that has only grown in stature over the years. Recently, it was ranked as the number one college for entrepreneurship by the Wall Street Journal.

That ranking didn’t surprise me—it’s what Babson has always been known for. Its entire approach revolves around fostering entrepreneurship and weaving it into every course. When I joined Babson to pursue my MBA, I was drawn to this very ethos.

One of the big questions that kept coming up during my time there—and still lingers in my mind—is this: Are entrepreneurs born, or are they made? It’s a profound question, especially when you’re immersed in a school like Babson that’s built around creating entrepreneurs.

As someone who never imagined becoming an entrepreneur early in life, but eventually did, I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on this.

There are a few traits that, in my experience, are critical for entrepreneurship. The first—and perhaps the hardest—is the ability to take, accept, and overcome failure. Let’s be honest: I don’t think the human brain is naturally wired to deal with failure. It’s painful.

Every setback, whether it’s a small bump in the road or a massive crater, hits hard and leaves an impact. I’ve felt it deeply myself—every misstep feels personal, and it takes an extraordinary amount of willpower to bounce back.

But here’s the thing: no matter how passionate, intelligent, or talented you are, if you can’t recover from failure quickly and keep moving forward, your chances of succeeding in the startup world shrink dramatically.

This ability isn’t necessarily innate—it can be cultivated with the right environment, the right people, and the right mindset. Over time, you learn to accept failure as part of the process, not the end of the road.

The second trait that doesn’t get talked about enough is this: Passion isn’t enough. Yes, passion is a great starting point—it’s the foundation of any entrepreneurial journey. But it’s not the whole house.

You need perseverance, a touch of luck, and the willingness to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

Often, this means doing things you’re not good at or don’t enjoy. Take fundraising, for example. I don’t know many founders who love it. It’s grueling—it requires endless conversations, rejection after rejection, and the nerve to convince people to invest their money in you. It’s hard, uncomfortable, and emotionally draining, but it’s essential.

Finally—and maybe most importantly—entrepreneurship is about the ability to inspire others. You can have the most brilliant idea in the world, but if you can’t rally a team, gain investors’ trust, or connect with customers, it doesn’t matter.

Being an entrepreneur is as much about building relationships as it is about building products. You need to inspire your team, your employees, your shareholders, your customers, and even your family to believe in your vision and join you on the journey.

This is where self-awareness plays a key role. You must know your strengths and weaknesses. Nobody can do it all alone.

A successful venture is built on a team with complementary skills, people who fill in the gaps where you fall short.

So, are entrepreneurs born or made? I think it’s a mix of both. Certain traits—like the ability to embrace failure or the drive to inspire others—can be developed, but some foundational qualities need to already exist. If those are missing, the path becomes exponentially harder.

Babson taught me many lessons, but perhaps the most important one is this: entrepreneurship isn’t a destination, it’s a mindset. And it’s a mindset that, with effort, anyone can adopt.

Akhil