Vitor Ungari

Babson College, F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business

“An entrepreneurial, data-driven optimist who brings people together to create meaningful impact.”

Hometown: Campinas, Brazil

Fun fact about yourself: I broke my nose during an MBA soccer tournament in Austin. Came back a year later and scored 17 goals in 6 games! (P.S. Still need to proper fix my nose).

Undergraduate School and Degree: Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Food Engineering.

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? CEO and Co-founder at Aurica, a startup that helps businesses to measure, manage, and report their sustainability impacts.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2024? EnergySage, Boston and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Boston.

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided.

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

• Chief of Staff, Graduate Student Council
• President, Grad Soccer Club
• VP of Partnerships, Graduate Tech Club
• Butler Institute Student Scholar
• Fast Track Cohort Award as an entrepreneur who contributed significantly to cohort collaboration
• Inventureship Project: AI solutions to make energy efficiency more accessible to communities (sponsored by the Babson Social Innovation Fund)
• Ralph Z. and Charlotte R. Sorenson Scholarship Award Recipient: Recognized for academic distinction, entrepreneurial spirit, and social impact
• Dean’s Scholarship recipient
• Social Innovation Scholarship recipient
• Member of the Beta Gamma Sigma community
• Global Impact Sprint: One of the 3 Babson students selected for the 100-hour experience with peers from HPI, MIT, NYU, and Tecnologico de Monterrey to develop microgrid solutions addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? When I arrived at Babson, I made a promise to myself, one I shared only with my spouse and a few close friends: “I will be the most engaged person in grad school.” This commitment fueled my MBA journey, pushing me to immerse myself in Babson’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, take on leadership roles, and give back to the community. In January 2025, I was honored to receive the Ralph Z. and Charlotte R. Sorenson Scholarship Award for Meritorious Achievement, one of the most prestigious recognitions at Babson. This award is given to a select few students who exemplify academic excellence, active participation in extracurricular activities, and a commitment to entrepreneurial endeavors. It was a full-circle moment, affirming that the effort I put into fostering community, engaging in impactful projects, and embracing an entrepreneurial mindset truly mattered.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? As a Program Manager at Enactus, an organization that promotes entrepreneurship for social and environmental impact among universities, I oversaw programs where students worked in-person with local communities to develop meaningful projects. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I led a crisis committee that pivoted our entire model, ensuring we could continue delivering impact remotely. We mapped priorities, mobilized our network, and took action. That resulted in 164 community-based initiatives and fundraising R$185,000 (~$ 30,000 USD). These efforts led to 25 tons of food distributed and 65,000 liters of hand sanitizer, 7,000 hygiene kits, and 25,000 masks donated. I am proud to have positively impacted over 45,000 people across Brazil during such a challenging time. This experience reinforced my belief that entrepreneurship is not only about building businesses but also about solving real problems with agility purpose.

Why did you choose this business school? Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action (ETA) framework was one of my game-changers. I didn’t just want an MBA, I wanted a business school experience where entrepreneurship was at the core and its foundation. I knew Babson would surround me with innovators and entrepreneurs, pushing me to think bigger, show up, and be bolder. I had followed Babson’s online content for years, met alumni who built incredible ventures, and saw firsthand how this community doesn’t just dream – it builds. The phrase that comes to mind is: “Those who dream, we call dreamers… Those who do, we call entrepreneurs.” At Babson, I knew I would find the builders, the changemakers, and the future leaders of impact-driven ventures. And I wasn’t wrong.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Managing a Growing Business with the iconic Professor Ed Marram was an amazing experience. Of course, the class includes theory and frameworks, but its true richness lies in tackling real-world, high-stakes decisions that entrepreneurs face daily. This involves recognizing and evaluating opportunities, allocating resources, navigating leadership challenges, and adapting strategies in a fast-changing world. Professor Ed has lived the entrepreneurial journey himself, which made his lessons incredibly practical and insightful. His wisdom and conversations played an important role in helping me make a major career decision: exiting the business I co-founded in Brazil to fully embrace my journey in the U.S. His mentorship gave me the clarity and confidence to take that leap, knowing that entrepreneurship is as much about knowing when to build as it is about knowing when to let go and pivot.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? If I could do one thing differently, I would embrace the MBA experience fully from day one, including mentally, physically, and emotionally. The first semester was intense because of the core courses, group projects, networking events, and a wave of opportunities. Although I had aligned my responsibilities in Brazil before starting the program, I was still mentally tied to my previous projects. This made it difficult to be 100% present at times. Eventually, I shifted from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to JOMO (Joy of Missing Out), learning to prioritize experiences that mattered instead of trying to do everything. This shift allowed me to dive in the MBA journey, form deeper connections, and maximize learning opportunities.

What is the biggest myth about your school? “Babson is only for startup founders.”

This is just not true. Founders are welcome in the Babson community, but that is not even close to the whole picture. Babson is known for entrepreneurship, but that doesn’t necessarily mean launching a company, it’s about applying an entrepreneurial perspective and action everywhere. Entrepreneurial leaders don’t just start businesses, they drive change, create impact, and innovate within different areas of society like industries, corporations, and social enterprises. The Entrepreneurial Thought & Action (ETA) methodology is not just about building a startup. It is actually a problem-solving framework that applies to any career path, whether in consulting, finance, tech, sustainability, or policy-making.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Wellesley perfectly balances suburban tranquility with access to Boston’s business ecosystem. Just a 30-minute train ride, and you are there in Boston. It is a town that has its beauty in every season (my favorite one was during the Fall). It offers the ideal environment to reflect, connect, and grow.

What movie or television show (e.g. The Big Short, The Founder, Mad Men, House of Lies) best reflects the realities of business and what did you learn from it? The Pursuit of Happyness exemplifies grit, perseverance, and resilience, essential traits for entrepreneurs. The film illustrates overcoming obstacles, seeking opportunities, and self-belief despite challenges reflects the realities of career or business. At the same time, hard work alone isn’t enough, it requires agility, learning, and adaptability. Success is earned through relentless problem-solving and initiative. Setbacks happen, but those who learn quickly, embrace feedback, and persist with humility break through.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? Babson approaches AI not merely as a tool but as a transformative force, integrating it across disciplines to help and encourage students to think critically about its role in business and society. Courses like Artificial Intelligence for Business brings theory with hands-on applications, encouraging students to develop AI-powered business models and strategies while considering ethical implications. Beyond the classroom, Babson’s Interdisciplinary AI Lab provides a space for innovation, enabling students to explore how AI reshapes different industries and augments human decision-making. A key insight is that AI is not only for automation, but also for augmentation. I believe the leaders of tomorrow will leverage AI to enhance their capabilities, building problem-solving at scale.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Ruso Samunashvili has a journey of determination, excellence, and resilience. She moved from Georgia (the country, not the U.S. state, as she always says) to pursue her MBA, leaving behind her young daughter for the first year. Even though they talked many times during the day, this is an unimaginable challenge that she met with strength and grace. Besides this, she has excelled in pretty much every course, being our rockstar in Finance and Accounting, always helping classmates in their learning processes. She makes Excel look like a form of art, breaking down models and calculations while keeping a sharp sense of humor. Now, with her daughter in the US, Ruso balances academic excellence, motherhood, and leadership, inspiring all the Babson community.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? I believe that the process to be a greater leader passes through being a better person. Thus, I invest my energy in sculpting my values, listening actively and respectfully to people, and having this constant hunger and openness to learn. With this foundation, these are my two items:

(1) Build and scale businesses that create economic, social, and environmental Impact. I don’t just want to run companies and projects, I want to build ventures that matter.

(2) Empower the next generation of entrepreneurs. True leadership is about what you build and how many others you help rise. I aim to inspire and help young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs, guiding them from dreamers to DOers. As mentors have shaped my journey, I want to pay it forward and help to empower a new generation of changemakers.

What made Vitor such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?

“In my interactions with Vitor both inside and outside the classroom, I have been impressed by his curiosity, openness, and joy for inquiry, thinking, learning, and, importantly, for contagiously sharing the same with members of the community. He is a wonder-filled and wonderful learner and human being.”

Anirudh Dhebar
Professor of Marketing
Babson College

 

“Vitor consistently brings a rare combination of intellectual depth and practical insight into every class, significantly elevating our discussions. Always thoroughly prepared, his contributions actively support a collaborative learning environment where everyone—including myself—is encouraged to reflect and grow. Vitor effectively bridges theory with meaningful real-world impact, demonstrating genuine commitment and insightful perspectives on business sustainability. His work exemplifies excellence but inspires our entire community to reach higher. Among exceptionally talented peers, Vitor uniquely transforms learning into leadership with his compelling vision and purpose.”

Rubén Mancha
Associate Professor at Babson College and Faculty Director of the M.S. in Entrepreneurial Leadership Babson College

 

“Vitor was the kind of student that every professor loves to have in class: bright, engaged, hard-working, and eager to learn for learning’s sake. It’s also been extremely gratifying to keep up with Vitor since he left class and see all the of the amazing things he’s doing with the tools we learned — if only every student were like Vitor!”

Nathaniel Karst
Professor of Applied Mathematics and the Chair of Mathematics and Science Department
Babson College

 

“I met Vitor Ungari early in his first year of his two-year MBA program and immediately knew he would have a tremendous impact during his time here at Babson. His energy, excitement and passion were palpable. Vitor made a significant impact through his dedication to social entrepreneurship and youth empowerment prior to even stepping onto our Wellesley, MA campus. At Babson he has been actively involved in various initiatives, including his commitment to sustainability and innovation. He is truly driven to improve the planet and the lives of the underserved. His contributions to addressing social inequalities and fostering leadership through education and technology are admirable. Vitor has received numerous awards and recognition for all the good he has helped create, yet he is always celebrating and giving kudos to others for their successful endeavors. Watching these experiences unfold and witnessing his passion for making a positive difference are undoubtedly what, in my eyes, makes him an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025.”

Margaret Jones
Senior Associate Director
Graduate Center for Career Development
Babson College

 

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