redactedHere is a good summary of what BFL is all about: redacted (written by BFL alum, Nolan Jacobi) Think back to the first person who took a chance on you in your career. Maybe it was a boss who hired you without a perfect resume, an investor who backed your first venture, or a mentor who picked up the phone when they had no reason to. For many of us, that one person changed everything. Last summer, someone took a chance on me. I am a Wesleyan student and was one of the 24 students selected for Business, Finance and Life (BFL). I went into the summer with a voice that shook during a routine coffee chat. By the end, I was confidently calling business owners, walking my boss through my work every week, and presenting my final recommendations to a room full of people. I left more confident, with a real foundation in finance and networking I couldn't have built on my own. BFL is for students like me: curious about business, but not sure where to start. You don't need family connections or a finance background, just a willingness to learn, fail, and go all in. Last summer's cohort included first-generation immigrants from six different countries, athletes from eight different sports, and more. Most of us were underclassmen who did not know where we wanted our careers to go. What we had in common was not our resumes; it was our curiosity. From BFL 1.0 to BFL 2.0 For many students, the hardest part is just getting in the room. BFL got us there. Tom Matlack started BFL in 2025 as a summer pilot program, teaching a dozen students the fundamentals of business and finance. He recruited numerous alumni and friends to speak with students about their experiences and how to become successful professionals and human beings. Last summer, BFL 2.0 grew. Twenty-four students were selected for the second iteration of the program, and we split our time between class and working in pods inside search funds, holding companies, and businesses acquired by searchers. We trained with Pacific Lake Partners in Boston, practiced public speaking with Nausheen I Chen, and heard from leaders across various industries. From the program's inception to now, everything has been built around three ideas: Humility. Unconditional love. A growth mindset. BFL 3.0: We Need Your Help However, we don't want to stop there. And we need your help. If you are a search-acquired company CEO, holding company CEO, or an exciting small or medium-sized business, please read on and reach out if you'd like to learn more through a 30-minute Zoom with Tom and our team. For BFL 3.0, we are looking for eight CEOs to underwrite a pod of three BFL Fellows each. This means not just hosting a pod of three students who work together next summer at your company, but buying into the entire BFL vision and how you and we can impact the world for the better. If you want, we'll invite you to participate in the application and selection process for the BFL 3.0 Fellows, with an eye toward the specific strengths you are looking for in your pod. Before our training even starts, we will ask each partner what they want their Fellows to know going into the summer and build their preparation around those skills. This summer, we want at least part of the internships to be in person, because the most valuable learning happens in the room. An Opportunity to Make a Difference Last summer, Tom funded every one of us himself. We proved that this model works; now it needs to grow beyond what one founder can give. We're asking you to consider taking on three trained, hungry students to work on your real problems all summer, for roughly what one market-rate intern would cost. Please reach out if you'd like to learn more by scheduling an introductory Zoom. Zero obligation. This has to be a good fit for everyone involved. But we would love to start the conversation. Somebody took a chance on you. This is your chance to be that person for someone else. Let's Connect: To set up an introductory Zoom with Tom and our team, email any of us. Thomas Matlack: redacted Mia Hreczuck: redacted Nolan Jacobi: redacted George John: redacted