Application Deadline: SIPA Dean's Public Policy Challenge Grant
2019-09-30
Open to teams with at least one SIPA student in a substantive role.
Apply here.

The SIPA Dean’s Public Policy Challenge Grant invites students to form teams to propose student-designed projects and prototypes that use ICTs and/or data analytics to solve urban problems around the world. Solutions may be market-based, public/philanthropic supported, or a mix. The program encourages the formation of teams that integrate students of public policy, computer science, engineering, and other fields across Columbia University. All teams must include at least one SIPA student in a substantive role.
The application deadline is September 30: https://fs23.formsite.com/SIPA/form59/index.html

Deadline: Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
2019-10-01
The 2019-20 Regional NYC Competition offers NYC-based students with a budding business the opportunity to compete with other student-entrepreneurs for a chance to appear in the National GSEA Competition, and ultimately the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards in South Africa. Please view the NYC competition website here.
Application Deadline
October 1, 2019
Applications are open here
Competition Date
November 2019

Studio Hours at the Design Studio (Open Collaboration Time)
2019-10-01 04:00 - 17:30, 2019-10-08 16:00 - 19:00 UTC
OPEN TO ALL IN THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY
Do you have an idea and want to get personal design thinking feedback from the Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio? During Studio Hours, teams or individuals are invited to discuss their projects or ideas one-on-one with human-centered designers in the Studio. Teams of Columbia affiliates are also welcome to use the studio space for working independently on their entrepreneurial projects.
If you want to sign up for a specific half-hour time slot, register here.

Data Science Institute-Industry-Innovation Seminar: Goldman Sachs
2019-10-01 11:00 - 12:30
Free, open to the public, and does not require registration.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Schapiro CEPSR – Davis Auditorium

530 West 120th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10027

Speaker #1: Mayur Thakur, Head of the Data Analytics Group, Global Compliance Division
Biography: Mayur Thakur is head of the Data Analytics Group in the Global Compliance Division. He joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2014. Prior to joining the firm, Mayur worked at Google, where he designed search algorithms for more than seven years. Previously, he was an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Missouri. Mayur earned a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Rochester in 2004 and a BTech in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1999.

Speaker #2: Suruchi Deodhar, Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Biography: Suruchi is a Vice President at Goldman Sachs, leading the Communication Risk Engineering team in the Global Compliance Division. She joined the firm in 2015 after completing her PhD in Computer Science from Virginia Tech. Her PhD research focused on developing large scale data integration techniques and big-data systems for evaluation and forecasting of epidemics.

Design for Social Innovation Info Session
2019-10-01 17:30 - 19:00
Open to all Columbia students (including Teachers College and Barnard)
RSVP here.

Design for Social Innovation brings together diverse members of Columbia’s community to learn, connect, and create innovative solutions to some of the most challenging problems, locally and globally. Through principles of “design thinking”, we encourage entrepreneurs and innovators to delve into the needs of a community, generate creative ideas, and build human-centered solutions.
Learn more at this information session:
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
5:30 pm to 7:00pm
The Design Studio
(Riverside Church Room 430)
Info Session 1: 5:30pm
Info Session 2: 6:15pm
(Note: In order to accommodate different class schedules, content for each session will be the same)
Design For Social Innovation (DFSI) is a project-based initiative where Columbia University students and faculty support social enterprises and nonprofit organizations to solve complex, ambiguous global problems through human-centered design. The initiative combines an interdisciplinary cohort of exceptional students, cutting edge research, design + passionate organizations to deliver a positive impact. The initiative is a collaboration between Columbia Entrepreneurship’s Design Studio and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).
This a 3.0 credit course offered through SIPA and open to cross-registration from all Columbia Schools.
DFSI has a strict enrollment cap at 28 students. All students must apply with a written application; those that make it through this first round will be invited for an in-person interview. Final decisions will be announced after interviews are completed.
Clients for Spring 2020 include:
Aga Khan Foundation-Kyrgyzstan
Mobdiun: Creative Youth-Tunisia
Computer Science for All-NYC
Witness-NYC
Harlem Children’s Zone-NYC

Application Deadline: Almaworks
2019-10-02
Almaworks (http://alma.works/) is Columbia’s startup accelerator for student founders. You can apply at alma.works/apply by 11:59PM Wednesday, October 2.
Open to Columbia Students

Almaworks takes no equity and aims to help early-stage startups run by NYC student entrepreneurs achieve significant, sustainable growth. Our 50+ student startups have collectively raised more than $14M in seed funding, enrolled in programs like TechStars, Y Combinator or Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, awarded numerous CVC grants and other prizes, and created over 100 million dollars in value.

The program lasts for an intensive 8 weeks. Each week consists of 3 hour sessions on Fridays (3pm to 6pm) at the SoHo WeWork (Columbia Startup Lab). While there is no typical Friday session, over the course of the program, teams will participate in workshops, attend office hours with mentors, hear from speakers and alumni, and connect with the extended CORE and Almaworks community. We also provide free catered dinner.

“The Almaworks accelerator was essential for our growth at Droice Labs. Every Columbia founder should consider it.” — Mayur Saxena, Founder Droice Labs, Almaworks Fall ’16 cohort

“Use Almaworks as a platform to rocket yourselves up to greater things! This is the place where you can find lots of interesting people to connect with — both in terms of other startups and potential investors/mentors.” — George Mgaloblishvili, Founder Legalr, Almaworks Spring ’18 cohort

“Almaworks will now be a lifelong community that all share a mutual passion for creating companies that make life better!” — Angelica Deleon, Founder Leon, Almaworks Spring ’19 cohort

You can apply to Almaworks at alma.works/apply by 11:59PM Wednesday, October 2. Interviews begin next weekend and the first session is Friday, October 11.

Information Session: Columbia Life Science Accelerators
2019-10-03 10:00 - 11:00, 2019-10-17 12:00 - 13:00
Open to Columbia faculty.
Apply here.
This information session is being held on the CUIMC Campus.

The Columbia Life Science Accelerators: Lab-to-Market Programs are now accepting pre-proposal applications for their 2019-2020 awards cycle. APPLY HERE by Monday, November 4th at 5 PM.
These programs help translate cutting-edge faculty-led university research out of the lab through project funding, education, and support for interdisciplinary teams working to advance innovative ideas with the potential to positively impact health outcomes.
The three core accelerators are centered around:
Therapeutics/Drug Development

Accelerating Cancer Therapeutics | ACT

www.cancer.columbia.edu | act@cumc.columbia.edu

Translational Therapeutics Resource | TRx

www.irvinginstitute.columbia.edu | TRxResource@columbia.edu
Medical Devices/Technologies/Software

Biomedical Technology Accelerator | BiomedX (formerly Columbia-Coulter Program)

www.ColumbiaBioMedX.com | BiomedX@columbia.edu
To learn more, we invite you to REGISTER HERE for one of the following upcoming informational sessions hosted at various locations throughout Columbia.
Morningside:

Thurs 9/26 12-1pm: BME Conference Room, Engineering Terrace, Rm 353

CUIMC:

Thurs 10/3 10-11am: CUIMC Irving Institute Auditorium Room PH 10-204
Thurs 10/17 12-1pm: CUIMC Cancer Center Auditorium

Application Deadline: PropTech Challenge
2019-10-06
Open to all developers and startup firms.
Learn more here.

Demo Day will be held at MIPIM PropTech, the premier Real Estate and Tech event. MIPIM PropTech. which is a collaboration between MIPIM and MetaProp NYC, unites key real estate decision makers from all sectors and technology companies to take their business to the next level and build the future of real estate.
Leading up to the Demo Day event, each team will receive an 8-week window to submit a video and written presentation demonstrating their solution, concepts, and business plan. The top three finalists from each challenge category will be selected by a panel of industry experts, ultimately presenting a five-minute live demonstration of their solution on Demo Day, followed by a Q&A session. The winners of each category will be invited to participate in the MIPIM Startup Competition finals held in Cannes, France on March 10 – 13, 2020.

Application Deadline: MassChallenge HealthTech
2019-10-08
Eligibility information can be found here.
Apply here.

30+ industry partners, 300+ mentors and experts, $250K+ in cash, and one incredible program. MassChallenge HealthTech is transforming healthcare through innovation and entrepreneurship. Apply today and bring your digital health startup to the next level.
Learn more: https://masschallenge.org/programs-healthtech
Early Bird Application Deadline: 9/24, 12pm ET
Regular Application Deadline: 10/8,12pm ET

NYC DS3 Seminar - How Can Machine-Learning Methods Help to Make Scientific Inferences?
2019-10-09 17:30 - 18:30
Free, open to the public, and does not require registration.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM: Welcome
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Talk

Schapiro CEPSR – Davis Auditorium

530 West 120th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10027

Talk Abstract: Machine learning in the form of standard supervised classification algorithms is not all that useful or productive in the natural sciences, because the (effective) goals of these algorithms aren’t very similar to the goals of scientific inquiry. However, the ML community has delivered great ideas and methods for building, fitting, and validating extremely flexible models. I argue that if we want to exploit the good things about ML but achieve truly scientific goals, we need to do two things: We need to augment or modify the (currently trivial) causal structure of the ML methods to represent our very strong domain-specific beliefs about how the data are generated. And we need to be careful to use ML methods only in the parts of our problems for which we don’t care about the latent structure or parameters (that is, use them to model nuisances, not use them to do everything). I give examples from stellar astrophysics where adding ML components into larger causal models has created new scientific capabilities.

Speaker: Professor David W. Hogg, NYU|MPIA|Flatiron

Speaker Biography: After a Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech and a few years at the Institute for Advanced Study, Hogg came to New York University in 2001 and was granted tenure there in 2007. His work at NYU has ranged from fundamental cosmological measurements to stellar dynamics to planet search and characterization. His work includes a significant engineering component. He spends a part of each year at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, where he is a visiting member of the research staff, and a part of each week at the Flatiron Institute of the Simons Foundation, where he is a group leader.

2019 Social Enterprise Conference
2019-10-11
OPEN TO ALL
REGISTER HERE

Columbia University
Alfred Lerner Hall
2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
8:00 AM–5:30 PM
Register Now for Early Bird Pricing*
Student Tickets $25 ($50 after August 31)
General Admission $100 ($175 after August 31)
*No code required.
The business and investor community once questioned whether it could afford to prioritize social impact. The consensus is now clear—how can businesses afford not to? The Millennial and Gen Z generations are driving trends in impact investing, using their purchasing power to demand change, and seeking employers that are socially conscious. As a result, funders and the organizations they invest in are directing their attention not only to the bottom line, but also to how business and financing models can be aligned to positively contribute to society.
This headline event, located in the finance capital of the world, provides a unique opportunity to tap into the vibrant ecosystem of capital for impact through the lens of philanthropy, impact investing, ESG, and social venture and business examples. Social impact leaders in business, government, nonprofit, and philanthropy will speak to how they are changing the way we think about how capital is sourced and used to generate sustainable solutions to global, systemic challenges. Hear where opportunities exist to pursue future careers of impact on both the financing and implementation sides of social impact capital.
Join us on October 11, 2019 as we bring together industry leaders, investors, philanthropists, professionals, faculty, students, and alumni to share best practices and engender new ideas surrounding the intersection of capital and society. Speaker presentations will catalyze conversations of change and embolden a generation to take risks in order to create a world in which everyone, regardless of where they were born, has the equal opportunity to succeed in creating a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.
This conference was founded by Columbia Business School’s Social Enterprise Club members in 2002, and has grown to engage students across Columbia University, as the pre-eminent forum to explore and address the ever-changing topics of social justice and innovation from the lens of business solutions.

The Rockefeller Foundation-Acumen Student Social Innovation Challenge
2019-10-15
Eligibility requirements and applications here.

Develop innovative solutions to problems associated with poverty and pitch for a chance to win up to $20,000 plus an invite to a community of experienced entrepreneurs and investors to help you turn your idea into an impactful enterprise.

Studio Hours at the Design Studio (Open Collaboration Time)
2019-10-15 16:00 - 19:00
OPEN TO ALL IN THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY
Do you have an idea and want to get personal design thinking feedback from the Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio? During Studio Hours, teams or individuals are invited to discuss their projects or ideas one-on-one with human-centered designers in the Studio. Teams of Columbia affiliates are also welcome to use the studio space for working independently on their entrepreneurial projects.
If you want to sign up for a specific half-hour time slot, register here.
The Design Studio is located at 645 W 120th Street, Room 430.

Defense Innovation Meetup
2019-10-15 18:00 - 20:30
Open to the public
RSVP here

Army Applications Lab hosts Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars

Learn about the Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars and whether your company could be the right fit for this innovative program

About this Event

On October 15, the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) will host Warren Katz, the Managing Director of the Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars.
The Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars recently opened applications for its third class, which will begin in 2020. Warren and his team are looking for new solutions from the commercial industry, including autonomous technologies, merged reality for training and education, and physical or cybersecurity capabilities.
Join us in Flatiron to learn more about the Air Force’s needs as well as how to apply to join the program.
This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited.
About the Army Applications Laboratory
The Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) was established in 2018, along with the stand-up of the Army Futures Command (AFC), to act as a concierge service across the Army’s Future Force Modernization Enterprise (FFME) and the broader commercial marketplace of ideas. AAL’s mission is to align innovative solutions and technologies with Army problems, resources, and programs to rapidly discover, validate, and transition technology applications in support of Army modernization. In other words, AAL exists to connect ideas from a broad range of solvers — startups, entrepreneurs, tech companies, VCs, universities, research labs, and more — with the right people and organizations within the Army to close capability gaps and field novel solutions.
About the Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars
Kicking off in 2018, the inaugural Techstars Autonomous Technology Accelerator with the U.S. Air Force, which renamed and expanded in 2019 to the Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars, was an experiment by the Air Force in establishing closer ties to innovative early-stage startups with commercially viable products and making it easier to do business with the Air Force. The 2018 and 2019 programs yielded 20 companies that have won more than $14M in non-dilutive contracts for prototypes and products and are on the verge of fielding state-of-the-art capabilities to warfighters.

FAQs:
Why should I register?
Though the event is free and open to the public, space is limited. So, be sure to save your spot!
Where is the event being held?
The event is being held at Army Application Laboratory’s New York office -155 5th Avenue on the 6th Floor. The entrance is to the left of The White Company.
How can I learn more about the host?
Visit aal.army or techstars.com to learn more.

Third Thursday: Urban Works India Launch!
2019-10-17 17:30 - 19:00
Students and alumni 5 years from graduation.
RSVP here.

In partnership with the Columbia Global Center | Mumbai, SEAS Entrepreneurship is launching a new track in the Columbia Venture Competition, The Urban Works India Innovation Challenge! This year, we are seeking applications from innovators and entrepreneurs who are passionate about producing viable and interdisciplinary tech-based solutions for transforming 21st century cities in India into sustainable and safe work environments.
All ideas are welcome! You do not need to have previous startup experience to join. Alumni 5 years past graduation are welcome enter the competition.

Come join us on Oct 17 at 5:30 pm for the kickoff event.
You will hear from:
Faculty lead, Trish Culligan, Civil Engineer, Co-founder of Data Science Institute, advisor to many green infrastructure projects
Prof John Kymissis: Electrical Engineer, multiple startup founder and advisor
Last year’s winning team, BinIt! (current SEAS and CC students)
Register here.

2019 Application Deadline: Design for Social Innovation
2019-10-18
The applications for DFSI 2019 have closed. Please join Columbia Entrepreneurship’s mailing list to learn when applications for 2020 are open!

Design for Social Innovation
A project-based initiative and course aimed at solving complex global problems through design
Design For Social Innovation (DFSI) is a project-based initiative where Columbia University students and faculty support social enterprises and nonprofit organizations to solve complex, ambiguous global problems through human-centered design. The initiative combines an interdisciplinary cohort of exceptional students, cutting edge research, design + passionate organizations to deliver a positive impact. The initiative is a collaboration between Columbia Entrepreneurship’s Design Studio and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA).

This a 3.0 credit course offered through SIPA and open to cross-registration from all Columbia Schools.
A total of 24 students will be selected via an application and interview process.
Students will apply for a specific project and will work in groups of four with their client.
The Course will be held in the Design Studio on Wednesdays from 11:00am-12:50pm in the Spring.

Clients (details below):

Aga Khan Foundation (Youth and Employment – Kyrgyzstan)
Computer Science for ALL (K12 Ed Tech – US)
General Assembly (Technology Training to Communities in Need – NYC)
Harlem Children’s Zone (Harlem Communities – NYC)
Mobdiun: Creative Youth (Youth and Deradicalization- Tunisia)
Witness (Human Rights and Media – Global)

(All airfare and lodging will be covered by Columbia for students accepted to international projects)

Spring 2020 Clients
Aga Khan Foundation (Youth and Employment – Kyrgyzstan)

Challenge: How Might We Better Connect Youth to E-Commerce Opportunities in Kyrgyzstan?
Since 2002, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has been supporting the establishment of institutions and programmes that help develop an economically dynamic, politically stable and intellectually and culturally vibrant Kyrgyz Republic. These include the main campus of the University of Central Asia in Naryn; the Osh School; the First MicroFinance Company; the Kyrgyz Investment Credit Bank; various initiatives supporting 310,000 people in the Osh and Naryn oblasts; and activities of the Aga Khan Music Initiative to support broad-based music and arts education.
Connect and retain talented Kyrgyz youth in the growing e-services sector. Columbia students will collaborate with the Aga Khan Foundation and the affiliated Mountain Societies Development Programme (MSDSP) to interview Kyrgyz youth and e-service leaders in Kyrgyzstan. Columbia students will also research current e-services trends in Kyrgyzstan and beyond. Based on the interviews and related research, Columbia students will articulate a number of challenges and opportunities. One primary goal will be to understand how students are or are not prepared for e-service jobs. Another major goal will be to understand how youth in Kyrgyzstan make decisions about what jobs they take and careers they pursue. Finally, Columbia students and their local partners will develop and test prototype solutions to these opportunities and challenges.
*
Computer Science for ALL (K12 Ed Tech -NYC)

Challenge: Scaling K-12 Education Technology and CS Programming Across US — how might we expand reach without sacrificing quality?
Computer Science for All (CSforALL)’s mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience of all K-12 students and teachers in the US and to support student pathways to college and career success.
CSforALL has supported some 150 school districts across the United States — primarily in urban areas. This programming includes consulting with district and state level teams to create state level plans for integrating CS education into K-12, thinking about lens of equity and serving “all” and maintaining rigor and high quality in the process. This requires significant support on the team at CSforALL. There is significant demand from districts across the US and globally but CSforALL’s capacity for response is challenged. How might they scale and reach every district that needs them without reducing quality of programming?
More Information on CSForALL’s District Support Programming: SCRIPT — the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool — is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students. School districts and other local education organizations are the unit of change toward creating rigorous, inclusive and sustainable K-12 computer science education. The SCRIPT supports systems-level change by addressing five key areas: (1) Leadership, (2) Teacher Capacity and Development, (3) Curriculum and Materials Selection and Refinement, (4) Partners, and (5) Community.
*
General Assembly (Technology Training to NYC Communities in Need)

Challenge: How might GA connect its most resource challenged students to public benefits and other resources that will support them on a trajectory towards job & economic security?
General Assembly (GA) is a technology company representing the future of work. It is a pioneer in education and career transformation, specializing in today’s most in-demand skills. GA has 20 offices in 6 countries and 35,000 alumni.
GA is launching a new program aimed at bridging the digital divide and ensuring that those left out of the digital revolution are fully integrated. Through an impact investment fund, GA will be able to provide access to its programming to communities in need — both those on public assistance and those coming out of the prison system (for non-violent offenses). GA is interested in working with a team of students to get real time feedback on how best to access and scale public benefits so they can reach exponentially more students and ensure that these students are able to successfully complete programs & be on a trajectory towards job and economic security.
*
Harlem Children’s Zone (Harlem Communities – NYC)

Challenge: How Might We Better Serve Harlem Families Who are Not Accessing HCZ’s Resources?
Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) is a pioneering nonprofit organization committed to ending generational poverty in Central Harlem.
Historically, HCZ has offered several opportunities for assessment, referral and in-person direct services (e.g., legal consultation, benefit screening, financial counseling, tax preparation, adult education courses) through various programs, including Community Pride and Single Stop. Over the years, these programs have faced various challenges such as discontinued funding, duplication of efforts, or leadership changes. It’s important for us to continue serving the adult population in Harlem, but we wish to define our priorities and align our resources to deliver services in the most effective and efficient manner.

Clarify the priorities for direct community services (by talking to the customer)
Design how we will deliver these services using existing resources
Create a financial model to demonstrate cost-effectiveness

*
Mobdiun: Creative Youth (Youth and Deradicalization- Tunisia)

Challenge: How Might We Create a Scalable and Sustainable Model for Youth Development across Tunisia?
Mobdiun – Creative Youth is a social impact organization founded in 2016. Mobdiun, meaning ‘creatives’ in Arabic, inspires young girls and boys, living in marginalized communities where the Tunisian Revolution was sparked and are today at risk of violent extremism, to become the peaceful and creative change leaders of their communities Mobdiun uses arts, sports and technology in order to help amplify their voices and to contribute to their social, economic and political inclusion.
In its short-term strategy, Mobdiun proposes to implement a comprehensive pilot project in Kram Ouest in order to serve the 9.000 teenagers aged 10 – 19 who live in the area. In its longer-term strategy, Mobdiun wants to scale to similar at-risk working-class neighborhoods and potentially impact 500.000 young people from the same age group.
Mobidun staff will be leading teens through a four-month Leadership Academy workshop where they will learn the basics of human centered design and will run a design challenge around youth and civic engagement. Youth teams will create civic action groups and will explore, reframe, generate and prototype solutions to problems that they encounter on a daily basis. By creating solutions for their after school programs at the Mobdiun Youth House, teens will actively participate in positive leadership and learn valuable skills around project management and creating deliverables.
Columbia students will work with Mobdiun from January-May 2020 on Youth oriented policy in marginalized neighborhoods, Creating a guiding framework and a “manual” procedure for the youth centers that formalizes and standardizes the best practices for the youth; ie, welcome procedure in the youth houses located in marginalized neighborhoods, services that should be offered depending on youth situations, the best practices and benchmarks of the policies and procedures of advanced countries. This will be a direct continuation of the Fall Leadership Academy project. One goal will be to convince the Ministry of Youth to endorse this project, supervise it, and commit to adopt it in a newly elected government. Students will create a prototype national public policy for youth in critically underserved areas.

*
Witness (Human Rights and Media – NYC)

Challenge: How might we enable more people around the world to harness the power of video effectively in their fight for human rights?
About WITNESS: WITNESS.org is a global human rights organization that has partnered with 420+ groups in over 130 countries since its founding in 1992. Specialized in the use of video for the defense and promotion of human rights, WITNESS has supported partners using video to expose war crimes, protect indigenous land rights, stop police violence, defend immigrants, fight hate speech, and many other issues. With staff based around the world, WITNESS is constantly learning about new tactics –and gaps– in the global field of video-for-change. Because WITNESS believes these learnings don’t belong to us –but rather to the movement– the organization sees sharing what we’re learning as an ethical obligation and a defining aspect of our ethos as an organization.
About the project:
Over the years, WITNESS has ramped up efforts to make what we’re learning more accessible to more people who could benefit from this knowledge (see, for example: the Video for Change book, published in 2005 and available online in six languages; and the Video Advocacy curriculum, launched in 2007 with 37 sessions covering everything from storytelling to interviewing survivors of abuse to creating an overarching strategy for advocacy with video.) We’ve done this by putting our curriculum online, creating social-media derivatives in several languages, responding to direct events like protests, hiring locally-based staff, organizing opportunties for activists to connect and swap tactics, working with partners to tailor and localize different bits of the guidance, and more. Today our online Library is home to over 180 training resources (including videos, guides, tipsheets) in more than 27 languages – all available for free. We’ve seen activists download, add to, remix and then share these materials with their own networks, a testament to their usefulness. Much progress has been made in ensuring more people access this guidance, but yet we’re only scratching the surface.
Based on this assumption, WITNESS recently created a new Learning & Sharing program to craft a long-term vision for how we could better learn and share. In the WITNESS context this could mean, for example, assessing which learnings from a local context (like protests in Rio, for example) could have global relevance when new protests erupt in Hong Kong or Mexico; or, in another scenario, how learnings about collecting visual evidence of illegal deforestation in the Amazon could be shared with indigenous communities and activists facing similar challenges in Malaysia. This work seeks not to copy-paste solutions, but to avoid duplication of mistakes and build on a global field of existing knowledge to help activists use video more effectively, strategically, ethically and safely.
For this partnership we’re looking to learn more about how organizations and movements learn. What are the best models, methodologies, workflows and practices for LEARNING in the human rights sector and beyond? We’ve identified 80+ entities – from corporations like the Cheesecake Factory to peers like New Tactics for Human Rights to Firefighter Trade Associations and more – and we’d like to scan their tactics, approaches to help us understand which of these strategies could benefit those using video for justice and human rights. Help us!

Studio Hours at the Design Studio (Open Collaboration Time)
2019-10-22 04:00 - 19:00, 2019-10-29 16:00 - 19:00
OPEN TO ALL IN THE COLUMBIA COMMUNITY
Do you have an idea and want to get personal design thinking feedback from the Columbia Entrepreneurship Design Studio? During Studio Hours, teams or individuals are invited to discuss their projects or ideas one-on-one with human-centered designers in the Studio. Teams of Columbia affiliates are also welcome to use the studio space for working independently on their entrepreneurial projects.
The Design Studio is located at 645 W 120th Street, Room 430.

Application Deadline: SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Funding
2019-10-23
The DOD SBIR 19.3 and STTR 19.C Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) topics are open until October 23.
AFWERX has open innovation topics, with (conditional) fund-matching for VCs. Opportunity to put your data science tech on the Joint Strike Fighter, largest defense program in global history.
Learn more here.

Columbia Giving Day - Click to Support Columbia Entrepreneurs!
2019-10-23
Give to innovators changing the world today!

It’s our mission to help all innovators and entrepreneurs across Columbia with funding, programming, and pedagogy. That’s why we say that a gift to Columbia Entrepreneurship is a gift to all Columbia founders, regardless of the school they attend—including Barnard and Teachers College. Because it takes more than grit and brilliance to launch a new venture, we offer financial help though competitive grants, guidance at the Columbia Startup Lab, and fieldwork programs that help our founders use the tools of innovation in real-world settings, solving real-world problems in the markets they serve. Explore our areas of interest to learn how your gift makes an immediate difference to Columbia entrepreneurs. Give a hand up to Columbia startups on Columbia Giving Day!

Event with founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, George Yancopoulos, MD, PhD
2019-10-23 17:00 - 19:00
Open to all Columbians.
Space is limited; RSVP here.

Please join the Biomedical Innovation club next Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019 at 5PM for a discussion with the founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, George Yancopoulos, MD, PhD. Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that has developed numerous technologies to help patients with eye disease, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, pain and rare diseases, and is currently valued at over 30 billion USD (read more about Regeneron here). Dr. Yancopoulos will share details on his life and career as a physician, scientist, and entrepreneur and answer any questions you may have. Read more about him below and here! Pizza will be provided and space is limited so please register ASAP here!

Application Deadline: Verizon 5G Retail Prototyping Challenge, $5k award
2019-10-25
Explore the future of NYC retail with 5G technologies. The 5G Retail Prototyping Challenge is a 7-week prototyping sprint in partnership with NYC Media Lab and Verizon 5G Labs. The program is now recruiting two core participants:

Startup companies: $10,000 award. Apply to expand your knowledge of frontier tech and user test your products and services with a small business in NYC. Teams will receive access to co-working spaces and mentorship from Verizon 5G Labs engineers.

Faculty & Students: $5,000 award. If you focus on data, engineering, spatial computing, design, or other emerging technology areas on campus, this is an exciting opportunity to build and develop prototypes with Verizon’s 5G network. You’ll be paired a startup team and local retailer to support small business growth in NYC.

Application Deadline: Friday, October 25, 2019. Apply here and RSVP for info sessions.

Application Deadline: 2019 Global PropTech Awards during NYC Real Estate Tech Week
2019-10-25
For more information on applications and eligibility here.

The Global PropTech Awards  recognize individuals, technologies and organizations that have gone above and beyond to positively impact next-generation #PropTech.
The nomination period opens today, September 26th and closes October 25th. Finalists will be announced November 6th and Award Winners will be presented at a ceremony during NYC Real Estate Tech Week’s flagship event, MIPIM PropTech NYC.
For more information about the Global PropTech Awards visit www.realestatetechweek.nyc.

FinTech Lecture Series - Where on Earth is AI Headed?
2019-10-25 14:00 - 15:30
Free, open to the public, and does not require registration.

Where on Earth is AI Headed?

Friday, October 25, 2019

2:00 PM – Lecture

3:00 PM – Reception

Schapiro CEPSR – Davis Auditorium

530 West 120th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10027

Speaker: Tom M. Mitchell – Founders University Professor, School of Computer Science

Speaker Biography: Tom M. Mitchell is the Founders University Professor in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, where he created the world’s first academic Machine Learning Department. Mitchell’s research explores machine learning theory, algorithms and applications, as well as the impact of AI on society. He has testified to the U.S. Congress several times on AI impacts on society, and he co-chaired the 2017 U.S. National Academy study on “Information Technology, Automation, and the U.S. Workforce.” Mitchell advises a variety of young and old companies internationally on their AI product and business strategies, and his research has been featured in popular press from the New York Times, to CCTV (China’s national television network), to CBS’s 60 Minutes. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow and Past President of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

Application Deadline: ERA Winter 2020 Accelerator
2019-10-28
Find eligibility criteria and program details here.
Apply here.

ERA invests $100K in seed funding with potential follow-on funding and gives entrepreneurs access to NYC’s largest mentor network of 500+ industry leaders and the strongest alumni network of 190+ companies.
Application Deadline: Oct 28, 2019
Program Start Date: Jan 13, 2020

Columbia Nano Day
2019-10-29
Open to Columbia Faculty.
RSVP here.

Learn how you can use and leverage the Columbia Nano Labs! Columbia Nano Day is an unparalleled opportunity to hear about the innovative and high-impact research conducted by its faculty and industrial users, and learn of new opportunities for becoming engaged and involved. Register here.

Fireside Chat on Mapping Data: How the largest tech firms use your data
2019-10-29 13:00 - 14:00
Open to the Columbia community.
RSVP here.

JOHN BATTELLE – Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) Senior Research Scholar, Adjunct Professor, Co-Founder & CEO of Recount Media
in conversation with MERIT E. JANOW – Dean, Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs
on Mapping Data Flows: How the largest technology companies collect, use, and share user information across the internet
Understanding how the largest technology companies collect, use, and share user information across the internet. We’ve transformed the “Big Four” (Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook) terms of service and data policies — the thousands of lines of code that govern their use of your data — into a database powering an interactive visualization, an initial version of which we invite you to explore and critique.
Researchers associated with this event:
ZOE MARTIN – SIPA MPA
NATASHA BHUTA -SIPA MPA
MATTHEW ALBASSI – MS Data Journalism
VERONICA PENNEY – MS Data Journalism
Lunch will be served.

This event is co-sponsored by SIPA’s TMac, Management Specialization, Tech & Policy Initiative, Entrepreneurship & Public Policy Initiative, Brown Institute for Media Innovation

Application Deadline: Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars 2020
2019-10-31
Check out the Techstars website for information about the program and eligibility.
Apply here.

Techstars, the U.S. Air Force, and BAE Systems FAST Labs are proud to announce the opening of applications for the third class of the Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstars. This year’s interest areas expand beyond previous year’s focus’ of autonomous technologies and AR/VR for training and education to include physical and cybersecurity of bases and installations.
