Third Thursday: Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2021-01-21 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
Open to Columbians, including Teachers College and Barnard.

Third Thursday is a recurring open forum and networking and info session for the Columbia University entrepreneurship community. It provides students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to hear ideas from across campus, form teams, and explore career options. You’ll hear from Columbia alumni and other experts on their experiences working in the field, how they’ve applied their Columbia experience in their careers, and more.
Thursday, January 21 will feature Megan Kludt, Partner at Curran, Berger & Kludt LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in all areas of immigration, including business, achievement, investment, family, and humanitarian bases for immigration status.

Third Thursday - Pitch Practice
2021-02-18 12:00 - 13:00
Hosted by Columbia Engineering, this Third Thursday will feature pitch coaches, mentors, students and faculty to help you deliver the best pitch. This is a great opportunity to practice your pitch for CVC 2021!
RSVP Here

Spring 2021 Design Challenge: Upcycling out of Microplastics
2021-02-19 13:00 - 15:00
Join the Spring Design Challenge, focused on Upcycling out of Microplastics. Columbia students (including Barnard and Teachers College) are invited to join the challenge, learn about the issues in polymer use, pollution, and recycling, and to propose creative solutions. Prizes will be awarded to the best student team projects.
Sign up here
Timeline:

February 19th: Kick off, 1-3pm EST on zoom
February 20th: Team building session with course assistant
Fridays in between: Meeting with faculty leads on topics such as plastic imaging, sorting, and chemical processing. You will also hear from experts in industry and policy.
Weekly: Check in sessions with course assistant
April 2: Final meeting with student team presentations

Kickoff: Start Me Up Bootcamp Spring 2021
2021-04-26
Apply here, rolling admission
Open to Columbia (and Barnard and Teachers College)) faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers.

Join Columbia Engineering’s Lean Launchpad virtual course to test your idea in the market! Participants in this free, two-week course will receive entrepreneurship training and mentor support as they virtually talk with customers to identify the best product-market fit using the lean launchpad methodology. Faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers may apply with a team of one to three people. Applicants are expected to be available for all short-course sessions. Teams that successfully complete this bootcamp may become eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant. Application Deadline: rolling; first come, first serve. Bootcamp Dates: April 26, 27 and May 5, 12.

Ignition Grants
2021-05-14
Ignition Grants are financial grants to assist Columbia University students in launching new businesses, social and not-for-profit ventures. Ignition Grants support the initial stages of early venture development from formation, IP protection, and incubation to building prototypes and creating proofs of concept.
Teams must have at least one SEAS founding member to be eligible for grants. Judges will decide the level of funding (ranging from $5k-$15k) for teams based on their applications.
Apply here

Third Thursday: Mix & Mingle End of Semester Social
2021-05-20 12:00 - 13:00
RSVP
Open to the entire Columbia community (including Barnard and Teachers College)
Join your fellow entrepreneurs, alumni and current students for this special networking event. This is a chance to get to know your entrepreneurial community. Come with a question you need help with from fellow entrepreneurs and be prepared to offer your advice to others.

Third Thursday is a recurring open forum and networking session for the Columbia University entrepreneurship community. It provides students, faculty, staff, and alumni the opportunity to hear ideas from across campus, form teams, and explore career options.

Third Thursday
2021-09-23 17:00 - 18:00
RSVP Here
Kicking off the new semester, Columbia Engineering is hosting its first Third Thursday of the 2021-2022 school year where you can mix and mingle with new, current and alumni entrepreneurs. Open to all Columbia schools.

Start Me Up Bootcamp
2021-10-21
Join Columbia Engineering’s Start Me Up Bootcamp, a virtual course to test your idea in the market! Participants in this free, two-week course will receive entrepreneurship training and mentor support as they virtually talk with customers to identify the best product-market fit using the lean launchpad methodology. Faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers may apply with a team of one to three people. Applicants are expected to be available for all short-course sessions from October 21- November 5. Teams that successfully complete this bootcamp may become eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant. Application Deadline: rolling; first come, first serve.
Apply here.

Third Thursday
2021-10-21 17:00 - 18:00
Join us for our monthly Third Thursday forum to hear from new and current entrepreneurs!
Third Thursday provides students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to hear ideas from across campus, form teams, and explore career options. You’ll hear from Columbia faculty and other experts on ways to engage at Columbia, their experience in startups, and more. Have an announcement or idea to pitch to the group? Contact Ivy Schultz (is2350@columbia.edu) in advance and to pitch it!
Limited seating available. All attendees must continue to wear masks at all times in indoor settings in Columbia facilities, regardless of vaccination status. For more information about COVID-19 protocols visit covid19.columbia.edu.

Fast Pitch Competition
2021-11-19
Fast Pitch is Columbia’s campus-wide annual elevator pitch (similar to Shark Tank) competition where students and teams have 60 seconds to sell their business ideas to a panel of judges to win up to $5,000 for their idea. Teams are judged on their appeal, conciseness, and completeness. Register for Fast Pitch 2021 updates.

Third Thursday: Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2022-01-20 17:00 - 18:00
Open to all Columbians, including Barnard and Teachers College.
RSVP

Join Columbia Engineering for an open forum on Thursday, January 20th to learn more about entrepreneurship and network with the Columbia University startup community. You’ll hear from Columbia alumni and other experts on their experiences working in the field, how they’ve applied their Columbia experience in their careers, and more.
Invited speaker Megan Kludt, Partner at Curran, Berger & Kludt LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in all areas of immigration, will discuss options and requirements for various visas, immigration resources for foreign startup founders and much more.

Deadline: Columbia Venture Competition Technology Challenge
2022-02-17
Columbia Engineering provides funding in the Technology Challenge to students and teams focused in tech, innovation, products, etc.
All entries to the Technology Challenge must include business models based on a solid foundation of applied, solution-focused, technology innovation. Judges favored novel tech over novel applications of existing tech. Submissions had to focus on product development, innovative design, and “builder” technologies including data analytics, biomedical solutions, software, or hardware. As always, cross-disciplinary teams were strongly encouraged.
The Tech Challenge is open to all Columbia University students and recent alumni (five years or less from their most recent degree) but teams must have one SEAS founding member (either recent alumni or student).
There’s more information at StartupColumbia.org – please check that site for eligibility and timeline information, made available when you click on the name of the challenge you are interested in – but here’s a quick run down of this and other tracks that are accepting applications this month with the deadlines for participating and lines to applications.

Columbia Innovation Forum: Perfect Your Pitch!
2022-02-17 12:30 - 14:00
Columbia Engineering’s February forum will feature pitch coaches who are angel investors and venture capitalists. Apply using this Google form by February 7th for consideration as a priority application, and by February 11th for regular application.

Ask Me Anything (AMA): Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurship
2022-02-24 18:00 - 19:00
REGISTER
Join on Thursday, February 24th to learn about entrepreneurship through a multidisciplinary and cross functional lens. Guests include Erin McNulty, a junior studying computer science and working in tech entrepreneurship, Daniela Duron Garcia, a 2020 graduate currently with the mechanical engineering lab and co-founder of start up FLOW, and Maya Joudi, a senior with a background in global entrepreneurship and experience with the Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs. Attend this session to hear firsthand accounts of entrepreneurship at Columbia – through senior capstones, club projects, passion projects, hackathons, and competitions – to create spaces for anyone seeking to make an impact.

Applications Open: Startup Bootcamp
2022-03-04
Join Columbia Engineering’s Lean Launchpad virtual course to test your idea in the market! Participants in this free, two-week course will receive entrepreneurship training and mentor support as they talk with customers to identify the best product-market fit using the lean launchpad methodology.
Faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers may apply with a team of one to three people. Applicants are expected to be available for all sessions. Teams that successfully complete this bootcamp may become eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant.
Admissions are rolling.

Big Mistakes Founders Make
2022-05-05 14:30 - 17:00
Join Columbia Engineering to learn the basics about fundraising for investors and legal considerations for startups. This event is open to all schools and students campus-wide.
Date: Thursday, May 5, 2022
Time: 2:30 PM
Location: Design Studio, 645 W 120th St, Room 430, NY, NY 10027
RSVP

Columbia Innovation Forum: Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2023-01-19 17:00 - 19:00
Register Here
Columbia Engineering’s Innovation Forum will feature Megan Kludt, Partner at Curran, Berger & Kludt LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in all areas of immigration, including business, achievement, investment, family, and humanitarian bases for immigration status. Attend to hear about options and requirements for various visas, such as: J1, O-1B, and H-1B; visa options and NYC/NYS immigration resources for foreign startup founders.

Start Me Up Bootcamp Kickoff
2023-07-18
Join a select group of entrepreneurs for a two-week virtual program designed to build your startup. The bootcamp introduces participants to the Lean Launchpad methodology and techniques to direct customer discovery through field interviews.
Participants are required to conduct at least 20 customer interviews; attend online sessions and engage with other bootcamp teams and entrepreneurs. Teams “get out of the building” to learn from potential customers to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a sizeable market opportunity.

Benefits include

Meet other entrepreneurs and alumni
Join for endless networking opportunities
Receive feedback from Columbia faculty and mentors
Learn about potential funding opportunities
Find out where to plug in Columbia’s wide-ranging entrepreneurial community

APPLY

Fundraising 101 for Startups with NY Angels
2023-08-02 12:00 - 14:00
Join Columbia Engineering to learn the basics about fundraising for startups with NY Angels’ Nikos Theodosopoulos, BS’84. This event is open to all schools and students campus-wide.
RSVP HERE
12:00 – 12:30 PM Lunch and Networking
Arrive early for lunch and network with entrepreneurs, students and mentors at the event.
12:30 – 1:45 PM Startup Fundraising
Explore the basics with an expert from NY Angels: fundraising, the recent trends, and approaching investors.
Why attend?

Support Columbia Entrepreneurs
Meet our Start Me Up Bootcamp teams
Connect with new and old friends!
Excellent opportunity to get started and learn about entrepreneurship at Columbia

Innovation Forum: Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2024-01-24 17:30 - 19:00
RSVP
Join Columbia Engineering for an open forum to learn more about entrepreneurship and network with the Columbia University startup community. You’ll hear from Columbia alumni and other experts on their experiences working in the field, how they’ve applied their Columbia experience in their careers, and more. This event will feature Megan Kludt, Partner at Curran, Berger & Kludt LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in all areas of immigration, including business, achievement, investment, family, and humanitarian bases for immigration status.

StartMe Up Bootcamp Winter 2024 Kickoff
2024-01-25
Apply here.
Join a select group of entrepreneurs for a two-week hybrid program designed to build your successful startup. The bootcamp introduces participants to the Lean Launchpad methodology and techniques to direct customer discovery through field interviews. Participants are required to conduct at least 20 customer interviews; attend online sessions and engage with other bootcamp teams and entrepreneurs. Teams “get out of the building” to learn from potential customers to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a sizeable market opportunity. In addition to providing entrepreneurial training, this program helps students and researchers identify new ways to apply research to solve global challenges.
Faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers may apply with a team of one to three people. Applicants are expected to be available for all short-course sessions. Teams that successfully complete this bootcamp may become eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant.
Winter 2024 Bootcamp Dates
Kickoff Day 1 | January 25, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Kickoff Day 2 | January 26, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Midpoint Check-in | February 2, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Finale | February 9, 9:30 AM – 12:00 PM

*Interviews are required prior to acceptance. Please email seaseship@columbia.edu to set up a brief interview after submitting your application.

Learn more.

Kickoff: Start Me Up Bootcamp
2024-04-11
The Start Me Up Bootcamp program is a two-week virtual program designed to build your startup. The bootcamp introduces participants to the Lean Launchpad methodology and techniques to direct customer discovery through field interviews. Teams are required to conduct at least 20 customer interviews; attend online sessions and engage with other bootcamp teams and entrepreneurs. Teams “get out of the building” to learn from potential customers to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a sizeable market opportunity. Upon completion, eligible teams may apply for a $50,000 NSF I-Corps grant to support customer discovery. Additional funding is available to support conference travel for commercialization.
APPLY

Founder's Journey: Navigating the Obstacles from Student to Startup!
2024-04-24 17:00 - 18:30
Our speaker on the Founder’s Journey is Andrew Satz, CEO of EVQLV, a company that leverages advances in computation to design therapeutic antibodies for biotechs and pharmaceutical companies. Andrew is a Columbia alumnus, a data scientist, and former CORE president, where he had a significant impact on Columbia’s entrepreneurial community. He will be sharing his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges, and ways to overcome obstacles to build a thriving startup.

Deadline: Start Me Up Bootcamp
2024-06-30
Join a select group of entrepreneurs for a two-week hybrid program designed to build your successful startup. The bootcamp introduces participants to the Lean Launchpad methodology and techniques to direct customer discovery through field interviews. Participants are required to conduct at least 20 customer interviews; attend online sessions and engage with other bootcamp teams and entrepreneurs. Teams “get out of the building” to learn from potential customers to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a sizeable market opportunity. In addition to providing entrepreneurial training, this program helps students and researchers identify new ways to apply research to solve global challenges.
Faculty, staff, postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student researchers may apply with a team of one to three people. Applicants are expected to be available for all short-course sessions. Teams that successfully complete this bootcamp may become eligible to apply for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams program, which includes a $50,000 grant.
MORE INFO AND REGISTER

Innovation Forum
2024-09-18 17:00 - 18:30
Register for the fall welcome event on September 18th to meet new and current entrepreneurs at Columbia. Dan Steingart, co-director of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center will join Professor Harry West, co-faculty director of IDE, and Ivy Schultz, Director of Entrepreneurship Programs, to share how to get started on all things entrepreneurship at Columbia. You’ll hear from Columbia faculty and other experts on opportunities at Columbia, their experience in startups, and more. RSVP to learn about upcoming entrepreneurship programs and events in the 2024 – 2025 school year.

Start Me Up Bootcamp Kickoff
2024-10-10
Applications are now open for the Start Me Up Bootcamp program. Teams are required to conduct at least 20 customer interviews; attend online sessions and engage with other bootcamp teams and entrepreneurs. Teams “get out of the building” to learn from potential customers to determine if they are solving a real-world problem with a sizeable market opportunity. The bootcamp is based on the NSF I-Corps program and introduces participants to the Lean Launchpad methodology including techniques to direct customer discovery through field interviews.

Fireside chat with Investor Mike Maples and Entrepreneur and Professor Apoorv Agarwal
2024-10-22 13:00 - 14:00
Join Columbia Engineering for a fireside chat with Mike Maples, one of the first investors in Twitter, Lyft, and Twitch, on October 22nd at 1PM in Davis Auditorium! A regular on Forbes’ Midas List, Mike has an incredible record of sensing and driving innovation in tech. He’ll be joined by Apoorv Agarwal, who received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Columbia and founded Text IQ, a pioneering legal tech startup that he successfully exited in 2021. If you’re building now or looking to learn more about VC and startups, this is a must attend event for you – RSVPs required, please register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/building-a-startup-tickets-1033913532207
After the panel, Mike will be signing his book, Pattern Breakers, which Steve Blank has called “The most important startup book of the last ten years”. We’ll be doing a Columbia-specific BOGO offer if you’re interested in taking it home!

2024 Columbia Fast Pitch Competition
2024-11-20
In November Columbia Engineering hosts the much-anticipated Fast Pitch event. Teams have 60 seconds to sell their business ideas to a panel of judges to win up to $5,000. Fast Pitch is Columbia’s longest running pitch competition on campus since 2013.

Columbia Innovation Forum: Immigration & Building a Team for Entrepreneurs
2025-01-22 17:00 - 19:30
REGISTER
Join Columbia Engineering for an open forum to learn more about entrepreneurship and network with the Columbia University startup community. You’ll hear from Columbia alumni and other experts on their experiences working in the field, how they’ve applied their Columbia experience in their careers, and more. At this month’s open forum, learn about all things entrepreneurship, immigration and building a team. Attend to network, meet potential co-founders & recruit for your team.

Columbia Innovation Forum: The Art of the Pitch
2025-02-27 17:00 - 19:00
Join Columbia Engineering for an open forum on February 27 to learn more about entrepreneurship and network with the Columbia University startup community. You’ll hear from Columbia founders and other experts on their startup experience, and more. During this presentation/interactive session, serial entrepreneur Hugh Thomas will dig into the details of what a business plan “pitch deck” contains and what you will need to create in preparation for talking with investors and various audiences.

REGISTER HERE
