Kara Froula ‘00 serves as spring 2024 Entrepreneur in Residence

When Kara Froula ’00 was a student at BGA, she found mentorship and an ability to think more deeply. This past year, she gave that same mentorship and education to the current students of BGA through being an Entrepreneur in Residence for BGA’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program.

The founder and creator of BackEmbrace, a posture corrector to relieve back pain, tension, and strain, Froula is an entrepreneur who didn’t initially set out to be a business owner. In her late 20s, she was working at a PR firm in Los Angeles, and it was there that she discovered a problem with no solution – back pain and the need for a posture corrector that was discreet, stylish, and effective. All the posture correctors she found were uncomfortable and bulky, so she set out to make hers more sleek and attractive. After some adjusting and sewing, she began wearing her posture corrector out, and people started noticing.

“People were literally stopping me, saying, ‘Where did you get that? I need something for my posture,’” Froula said. 

“So I had this light bulb moment and I started researching, and I realized there is a massive market for posture correctors.”

From that realization, BackEmbrace was born, and after six years of operation, BackEmbrace has been featured in prominent media like Good Morning America, CNN, HuffPost, Women’s Health, and more. From Froula’s experience as a business founder and owner, she provided mentorship and feedback to students in the Entrepreneurial Leadership program this past school year.

“I think mentorship and being able to provide guidance is really fun. And I love to hear what these kids are creating. I am so impressed, and they have the most incredible ideas,” Froula said.

Froula took on the opportunity to become an Entrepreneur in Residence at BGA to give back to the place that gave her a strong education. 

“Mentorship is key when you’re starting something new. I remember I had so many powerful conversations with people that really moved the needle for me when I was first starting out,” Froula said.

For Froula, being back at BGA was surreal, with plenty of reminders of ways it has remained the same and other ways it has grown, like developing an entrepreneurial leadership program. It was encouraging for her to see how technology has made entrepreneurship possible for the younger generation.

“You can start a business in your basement, on your laptop, and it’s truly amazing. There are so many resources available, with e-commerce and everything being online,” Froula said.

“There are more opportunities now than ever before.”