Two student entrepreneurs, two deeply personal missions, one pitch competition

Small businesses are the engine of innovation in our communities. They create jobs, solve local problems, and push entire economies forward. Through HubSpot’s We Are All Entrepreneurs (WAAE) program, we’re investing in that potential by supporting entrepreneurs with the tools, mentorship, and confidence they need to turn ideas into impact.

Partnering again with Connectr, specialists in learning design and skill development, We Are All Entrepreneurs 2025 wrapped up with a cohort of 32 aspiring student founders from Ireland and the UK with bold ideas and deeply personal motivations. Over the course of the program, students refined their business concepts, strengthened their digital foundations, and learned how to build with their customers as well as for them.

The journey culminated in a pitch competition that showcased what happens when purpose meets opportunity.

From Ideas to Impact: The WAAE Journey

At a high level, WAAE is designed to meet entrepreneurs where they are. Participants learn how to validate ideas, understand customer needs, and use digital tools—like the HubSpot platform – to build scalable, sustainable businesses. But beyond the curriculum, the program creates space for founders to reconnect with why they started in the first place.

Throughout the program, one theme consistently emerged: entrepreneurship is deeply human. These founders are doing more than building products. They’re chasing dreams, responding to problems they’ve experienced firsthand, and hoping to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. There are no guarantees of success, but that uncertainty is exactly what makes their journeys so powerful.

Below, we spotlight two of the finalists whose stories capture what WAAE is all about: helping entrepreneurs realize their potential while driving digital prosperity in their communities.

Abhishek Mazumdar: Finding Purpose Through Climate Action

For one finalist and the winner of our pitch competition, Abhishek Mazumdar, entrepreneurship became a way to bridge personal values with real-world impact.

As a graduate student studying the intersection of technology, sustainability, and business strategy, Abhishek was repeatedly exposed to a tension he couldn’t ignore: small businesses and households want to act on climate issues, but often feel overwhelmed, under-resourced, and unsure where to start.

That’s what led to the creation of Abhishek’s AI-powered platform that helps SMEs & residents understand their energy footprint, identify the most cost-effective decarbonization actions, and bring them to life through trusted vendors and integrated green financing.

What stood out most to him wasn’t just the scale of the climate challenge, but how disconnected many solutions felt from the day-to-day realities of local communities. Rising energy costs, confusing information, and a lack of trusted guidance were holding people back. His motivation to build a business came from listening closely to those frustrations and believing that technology, when designed thoughtfully, could remove friction rather than add to it.

Through the WAAE program, he sharpened his sense of purpose as an entrepreneur.

“The WAAE program taught us the importance of deep customer discovery and building directly from real-world SME challenges, not assumptions. It pushed us to sharpen our value proposition and focus on delivering solutions that create immediate financial and climate impact.”

Looking ahead, his focus remains on empowering small businesses and residents to make choices that are both financially and environmentally sustainable. His journey reflects a core belief at the heart of WAAE: when entrepreneurs are grounded in purpose, their potential to drive change multiplies.

Hassan Baraka: Entrepreneurship for Conflict Resolution

For another finalist, Hassan Baraka, the decision to become an entrepreneur was rooted in something deeply human: relationships. He has long been affected by the way miscommunication and unmanaged emotions can slowly erode love, families, and futures.

Seeing how common—and how painful—this experience can be pushed him to ask a difficult question: what if more people had support before conflict caused lasting harm?

This is what led him to create his AI-powered, 24/7 conflict navigation app that partners with couples and therapists called, Rose.

“To me, being an entrepreneur means taking full responsibility for identifying an important problem and building a scalable and sustainable solution to solve it. It means committing time, energy, and judgment, not just to the product and growth, but also to the long-term impact of the company.”

What keeps him motivated are the stories behind the statistics—the couples and families who might never seek help because the first step feels too intimidating. His purpose as a founder is to lower that barrier and offer support that feels accessible, private, and grounded in professional expertise.

When he looks to the future, he imagines a world where entrepreneurship helps strengthen human connection. His journey through WAAE reinforced that businesses can be both ambitious and compassionate—that purpose-driven founders can create tools that genuinely improve lives.

Why This Matters

The stories of Abhishek and Hassan reflect the broader purpose of the We Are All Entrepreneurs program. WAAE is about building businesses, of course. But it’s also a a lever for entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and create real impact in their local economies.

HubSpot is proud to support their ideas, motivations, and courage. As these entrepreneurs continue on their journeys, we’ll be rooting for them every step of the way.