Columbia Entrepreneurship

Deadline: KP Fellows Program
2020-10-19
Apply
Kleiner Perkins has been at the center of innovation – investing and building companies like Google, Amazon, Square, Slack, Twitter, Uber, Genentech, and many more. An important part of building iconic companies is attracting young talent and that’s why the group started the KP Fellows program. The program is an opportunity for technical students who are interested in pursuing entrepreneurship, technology, and startups.

SBIR/STTR Virtual Workshop
2020-10-21 - 2020-10-22
REGISTER
Columbia Tech Ventures, in partnership with Stony Brook University, is inviting you to join the live Virtual Classroom for an interactive, 1.5 day SBIR/STTR workshop. Led by experts from BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, the session will review key basics, including program purpose, eligibility, and sources of funding. The general overview will be combined with proposal prep essentials of the NIH and NSF programs.

Deadline: WBENC Cummins Grant for Black Student Female Founders
2020-10-23
APPLY HERE
The WBENC Cummins Grant for Black Student Female Founders is a new funding initiative to invest in the next generation of the fastest growing segment of women-owned businesses – Black female founders. The grant program will provide $2,000 to $6,000 funding awards to Black female entrepreneurs in STEM currently enrolled in college or university, or a recent college or university graduate.
Black women are starting businesses faster than any other segment – in 2019, 1,625 new businesses were started by women of color every single day. Despite this, these businesses experience greater difficulties in securing access to capital and receiving funding to grow their businesses.
WBENC is working to address these disparities through education, opportunities, funding and mentorship programs, including the Student Entrepreneur Program, NextGen Program, and Women of Color Development & Outreach Program. This new grant program, in partnership with Cummins, will help fill a critical funding gap and support emerging Black female entrepreneurs with innovative companies focused on sustainability.
Who Should Apply

Black female entrepreneurs
Collegiate level; undergrad, graduate or doctorate; or recent graduate (within the last 6 months)
Preference will be given to:

Businesses in STEM fields
Businesses that address a sustainable future
A demonstrated need for funds

How it Works

The grant application period are open through Friday, October 23 at 11:59 PM EST.
WBENC and Cummins will review all grant applications and determine awards based on specific scoring criteria and demonstrated need.
Grant awardees will be announced on November 12, 2020.
WBENC and Cummins will host a special webinar event to announce the grant awardees.

Questions?
Contact nextgen@wbenc.org.

Deadline: Fall Preliminary Round, Columbia Venture Competition
2020-10-30
APPLY
Introducing the addition of the Fall Preliminary Round of the Columbia Venture Competition. Details are at StartupColumbia.org where you’ll see format and rules changes designed to improve the experience for everyone and to reward Columbia’s most innovative startups. Teams participating in the Fall Preliminary Round may also compete in any of the other Spring Venture Competition Challenges. Teams will pitch over Zoom to judges during the week of Nov. 16. The deadline for registration is Oct. 30 but please register now, you won’t need your pitch deck!

Deadline: MuckerLab Fellowship Application
2020-11-01
Applications are accepting on a rolling basis, but the final deadline is November 1.
Learn more and apply here.

Fellowship Program:
MuckerLab is seeking students for our fellowship program during the ‘20-’21 school year. Selected fellows will spend ~5 hours/week helping the deal flow team with sourcing and evaluating early-stage software and tech-enabled services companies. This is an opportunity for aspiring venture capitalists to gain insights into the day-to-day of being a junior VC by working close with members of the MuckerLab investment team.

About MuckerLab:
MuckerLab is a different kind of accelerator. No three-month boot camps. No demo days. Just heads down company-building for one year — or however long it takes.
MuckerLab partners with just 12-15 companies each year, working one-on-one with founders on a weekly basis providing hands-on, tactical support. We believe that keeping a selective, targeted portfolio aligns better with founder needs.
Now in our 10th year, alumni companies include Honey (raised $39M and later acquired by PayPal for $4B), ServiceTitan (raised a total $400M to date), and Emailage (raised $15M and later acquired by LexisNexis for $500M). Since inception, MuckerLab portfolio companies have raised a total of over $8 billion in additional outside funding since graduating our program.
This is an equity-based accelerator program, and we look to invest between $100k-$200k with follow-on capital available over the lifespan of our investment. Additional perks include hundreds of thousands of dollars in cloud credits, services, and software discounts.
Applications for MuckerLab are being reviewed year-round, with the next set of applications due by Friday, January 22. If interested in being considered for the program, we encourage companies to apply here.

About the role:
The day-to-day of a fellow is dynamic and tailored to accommodate your busy schedule. You can expect to learn about and put into practice the following:

Sourcing potential MuckerLab applicants
Diligence on companies advancing through MuckerLab’s evaluation process
Community-building activities with the local startup ecosystem
Engaging with MuckerLab fellows at other universities

What we are looking for:

Demonstrated interest in entrepreneurship and venture capital. You are a leader in the entrepreneurial community on campus, have taken classes relating to launching businesses, and have a strong urge to pursue startups after graduation. You are plugged into various entrepreneurial ecosystems within your school, and you know dozens of students working on cool ideas.
Ability to go above and beyond given tasks. Anybody can execute on tasks once given instruction. The best employees are those that can take ideas from conception to shipping with limited overwatch. We like applicants that show an ability to take instructions and produce results beyond what is expected.
Naturally curious. You like to read and challenge your mind with different frameworks and theories. You enjoy having range, and you believe in the ability to be mutlifaceted across different dimensions. Your courseload, extracurriculars, and hobbies demonstrate natural curiosity.
Action over ideas. ****You have the ability to turn nothing into something. You not only produce great ideas, but you have an action plan to turn those ideas into something tangible.

FAQs:

How long will the program be?
When is the application deadline?

Fellowship applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications for the Fall 2020 Fellowship will close on November 1, 2020 at 11:59pm EST.

Where can I find the application?
Who should apply?
How many MuckerLab Fellows will there be?
What is the time commitment for this program?
What is the compensation structure for this fellowship?

Fast Pitch
2020-11-19 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Sign up here.
Sign-ups are now open for our annual campus-wide Fast Pitch 2020 competition in November! Teams will have 60 seconds to sell their business ideas to a panel of judges to win up to $5,000.

Application Deadline: Design for Social Innovation
2020-11-20
APPLY HERE
Are you interested in solving complex global problems through human-centered design?
Design for Social Innovation (DFSI) is a project-based initiative and SIPA course open to students from Columbia’s 20 undergraduate and graduate schools.
The application-only course will accept a total of 35 students for the Spring 2021 term. Selected students will work in teams of 4-5 on real world challenges on behalf of clients from the nonprofit, social enterprise and public sector. This year’s clients and themes include virtual learning, early childhood education, agriculture, the environment, and mental health.
The 3.0 credit SIPA course will take place on Wednesdays from 11:00am – 12:50pm.

Columbia | IBM Launch Accelerator
2020-11-20
APPLY HERE
Are you an early-stage team developing innovative solutions in data transparency, big data, AI/ML, blockchain, or a related field in Deep Tech? Apply now to the 2020-2021 cohort of The Columbia | IBM Launch Accelerator, a pre-seed program for early-stage ventures affiliated with NYC-based academic institutions. This non-dilutive program focuses on building and scaling successful companies through early-stage funding, in-depth education, mentorship, and business model design.

Urban Works India Challenge Kick-Off
2020-12-08 10:00 - 11:30
RSVP here

Urban Works India is part of the Columbia Venture Competition and $50,000 is at stake! The faculty lead this year is Mike Massimino – he will be discussing the view of cities from space (!) and why it is important to design and support sustainable cities. Why join? We’ll start with a meet and greet and quick quiz on urban India. Professor Massimino will share his observations and why we should all be paying more attention to urban India. We’ll also have previous winners join to tell us about their experience in the program. Join on December 8th, 10am EST on zoom.

Third Thursday: LinkedIn Learning
2020-12-10 12:00 - 13:00
RSVP HERE
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.
Learn how to develop a LinkedIn profile that works to your advantage and helps build your brand.
Have an announcement or idea to pitch to the group? Contact Ivy Schultz (is2350@columbia.edu) in advance and come prepared to pitch it!

Next 1000
2020-12-13
APPLY HERE
Forbes is looking to spotlight bold and inspiring entrepreneurs on their way to great success. The Next 1000 list celebrates the ambitious sole proprietors, self-funded shops and pre-revenue startups who are redefining what it means to build and run a business today, especially in the “new normal.” They are proof-positive that American entrepreneurship remains resilient, vibrant and ever-changing. Forbes is looking for nominations from every industry across the U.S, with a mission to showcase diverse regions and businesses across the country. Let us know if you decide to apply!

Machine Learning in Science and Engineering (MLSE)
2020-12-14 08:00 - 2020-12-15 17:00
Register here.
MLSE will highlight the latest research in artificial intelligence and machine learning that are advancing science and engineering fields at large. This conference will demonstrate how data-driven approaches may help solve emerging challenges, and will showcase new research from a diverse range of disciplines. Representatives from academia, government, and industry will join virtually to explore the future of science and engineering across 11 dedicated tracks.

Deadline: X-Force Fellows
2020-12-31
APPLY HERE
X-Force participants will engage with Department of Defense (DoD) partners for three months of applied problem solving. Participants will work on problems sponsored by their DoD hosts potentially including:
-Technical (e.g. software development, data analytics, mechanical design/prototyping)
-Strategy (e.g. communications and social media strategy)
-Research (e.g. emerging technology scouting) projects.
Participants will be expected to deliver a prototype capability to their military sponsors by the end of the program.
The full-time X-Force Fellows will be paid a stipend of around $2,500 per month and have a small budget for travel, materials, and other expenses related to the delivery of a product to their sponsor.

Applications Open for Lang Center Funding for CBS Alumni Founders
2021-01-05
The first time in its 20+ year history, The Lang Fund is opening up a selection process for early-stage, alumni-founded startups. The Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund (“The Lang Fund”) provides early-stage funding (typically $25-50K) to qualifying startups. The Lang Fund is looking for CBS alumni-founded ventures that fit the following criteria:
– Pre-seed or seed stage companies, ideally post-revenue with 6 months of customer data
– At least one member of the founding team must be a CBS alum
– The founding team must all be working full-time on their venture
– The venture must be raising, or looking to raise a round within the next 12 months
– The Lang Fund is geographically and sector agnostic
Learn more and apply here.
Important Dates

1/05/21 – Alumni Submission Window Opens – Apply Here
2/2/21 – Alumni Submission Window Closes – Companies will be selected on a rolling basis
2/24/21 – Selected Alumni Ventures Pitch to Screening Committee
3/12 – Final Round Pitch, investment decisions are made by Lang Fund Investment Committee

Info Session: Columbia’s Program for Diversity & Inclusion in Commercialization & Entrepreneurship (DICE)
2021-01-06 11:00 - 12:00
RSVP here
Open to graduate students and postdocs who identify as being from traditionally underrepresented groups in life science entrepreneurship and commercialization as defined by the NIH, DICE will provide educational programming, mentorship, networking, and funding opportunities to prepare participants for careers bringing life science innovation to market.
Applications are due January 18, by 5pm.

Health Tech Assembly (HTA) Scientific Founder Series Part 2: Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD
2021-01-11 18:00 - 19:00
Open to all Columbians, including Barnard and Teachers College
Join here

Dr. Vunjak-Novakovic is the University Professor and Mikati Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Sciences at Columbia University and the Co-Founder of epiBone, Tara Biosystems, Xylyx Biosolutions, and Immplacate.

Deadline: Almaworks Fellowship
2021-01-15
Apply Here
Open to students from all 4 undergraduate schools: Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, General Studies, and Barnard
The Almaworks Fellowship is a program that connects ambitious Columbia University students with select Columbia and Almaworks cohort and alumni startups. Fellows work closely with the company’s founding team to impact organizational strategy, product development, or go-to-market strategy. Furthermore, Fellows are matched with current Columbia MBA student-mentors with experience in management consulting, investment banking, and/or venture capital.

Health Tech Assembly's Diabetes Technology & Innovation Series Part 1: Trang Ly, MBBS, FRACP, PhD
2021-01-19 18:00 - 19:00
Open to all Columbians, including Barnard and Teachers College
Join here.
Dr. Ly is the Senior Vice President and Medical Director at Insulet Corporation, the maker of the groundbreaking insulin patch pump called the Omnipod. Dr. Ly, a pediatric endocrinologist by training and formerly of Stanford School of Medicine, now leads Insulet’s artificial pancreas endeavors as it aims to transform what it means to live with diabetes.

Third Thursday: Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2021-01-21 12:00 - 13:00
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.

19th Annual Social Enterprise Conference Digital Series: Impact Investing and Scaling
2021-01-22 09:30 - 11:30
Open to the Public
RSVP

The 19th Annual Social Enterprise Conference, Capital for Good this year is a Digital Event Series, hosted throughout the academic year. It brings 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.

9:30 AM-1:30 PM ET
Register now →

Institutional Investors Embracing Impact Investing
SOURCES OF CAPITAL | 10:00-11:00 AM
with John Goldstein, head of the sustainable finance group at Goldman Sachs; and Vikram Raju, head of impact investing at Morgan Stanley
This panel will explore the experience and performance of seasoned institutional investors in the growing field of impact investing. With impact investing going mainstream and many seasoned institutional investors deepening their presence in this space, this panel will offer a platform to discuss what their initial lessons have been both in terms of universe of investible opportunities and internal advocacy required to have a strong impact investing focus. We will also discuss trends that will further deepen the sustainability lens in investing, enablers required to further the presence of institutional capital in this growing field, and what are the pitfalls to avoid as one embarks on this journey of impact.
Read more →
Scaling Social Ventures
USES OF CAPITAL | 11:30 AM-12:30 PM
with Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder, CEO, and Board Chair of American Sustainable Business Council; and moderated by Vikas Raj ’10, managing director at Accion Venture Lab
So, your company has been innovating and finally has significant traction with its customer base. Now you’re faced with a whole new set of challenges as you seek to scale and grow your venture and shift from innovating to scaling. From securing funding to balancing growing revenue with growing burn rate to hiring the right team, there are hundreds of problems for startups to balance in this exciting time. This is even more challenging for social ventures that face stigma around profitability and pressures around mission drift. This panel will discuss these challenges and more, as well as possible solutions to bring social ventures to scale.
Read more →

CSL Talks: Your Life, Your Planet with Donna Sanders
2021-01-22 12:00 - 13:00
Open to the public.
RSVP HERE
Donna Sanders is founder and CEO of Virimodo, a Columbia Startup Lab and Techstars alum, on a mission to create a liveable future and helping city residents lead a low-carbon lifestyle. In this CSL Talk, Donna will walk us through carbon footprint ramifications and help us turn inward to take a look at daily life and how each personal decision matters, from the time we wake up to the time we go to sleep. Attendees will walk away knowing what simple behaviors we can change to reduce our carbon footprint in a meaningful way.

Almaworks
2021-01-27
Open to all Columbians, including Barnard and Teachers College.
APPLY HERE

Columbia’s student-run startup accelerator Almaworks is now accepting applications for its Spring 2021 cohort.
Please visit alma.works to learn more about our program and apply at alma.works/apply. Feel free to contact almaworks@columbia.edu with any questions. We hope you will join us!

CGI University 2021
2021-01-29
Open to students

The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) program gives students access to a global community of young leaders, a social impact curriculum, personalized mentorship, seed funding opportunities through partners like Verizon and IBM, and an invitation to our student-only virtual summit in partnership with Howard University.

Deadline: Lang Center Funding for CBS Alumni Founders
2021-02-02
APPLY HERE

The first time in its 20+ year history, The Lang Fund is opening up a selection process for early-stage, alumni-founded startups from Columbia Business School. The Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund (“The Lang Fund”) provides early-stage funding (typically $25-50K) to qualifying startups. The Lang Fund is looking for CBS alumni-founded ventures that fit the following criteria:
– Pre-seed or seed stage companies, ideally post-revenue with 6 months of customer data
– At least one member of the founding team must be a CBS alum
– The founding team must all be working full-time on their venture
– The venture must be raising, or looking to raise a round within the next 12 months
– The Lang Fund is geographically and sector agnostic

The deadline to apply is Feb 2.
Questions? Contact langcenter@gsb.columbia.edu.

Important Dates

1/11/21 – Alumni Submission Window Opens – Apply Here
2/2/21 – Alumni Submission Window Closes – Companies will be selected on a rolling basis
2/24/21 – Selected Alumni Ventures Pitch to Screening Committee
3/12 – Final Round Pitch, investment decisions are made by Lang Fund Investment Committee

Social Enterprise Conference, Capital for Good Series: ESG Investing & Sustainable Farming
2021-02-05
Open to the Public
RSVP HERE

Kickoff: Columbia Business Design Challenge
2021-02-07
The Columbia Innovation & Design Club, a student-led organization at Columbia Business School, is organizing the inaugural Columbia Business Design Challenge. This competition will :
– introduce students and other participants to some of the most innovative companies in the country
– facilitate a robust learning experience by emphasizing the principles of human-centered design and design thinking
– foment fresh ideas in areas important to the future of work and business
– gain real-world, hands-on experience tackling some of the most salient issues facing society today
The Columbia Business Design Challenge is open to cross-disciplinary teams to facilitate diversity of thought, experience, and solutions. We hope you will consider being involved in judging the participating teams and/or facilitating a workshop for competition participants.
Participating Companies:
Fahrenheit 212
Bionic
Designit
Dates:
February 7, 2021 Challenge Kickoff Event
Competition overview, application assignment & prompt reveal
February 8, 2021 Team Registration Deadline
Registration and application assignment submission by 11:59 pm
March 19, 2021 Challenge Pitch Day
Team presentations, judging & award ceremony, & networking event
Prize:
1st prize is $2,000!

Deadline: Design Your Future
2021-02-10 22:00
The future can feel uncertain, so we’ve created Design Your Future as a two-session program where students learn to apply design to their careers and life after graduation. The goal of this program is to help you to better navigate your career and life choices in the face of uncertainty. The tools we cover are ones you can continue to apply whenever you find yourself personally “stuck.”
Dates and times (online via Zoom):
Wednesday, February 17th — 6:30pm to 9:00pm ET
Wednesday, February 24th — 6:30pm to 8:30pm ET
If you are interested, fill out the application below!
Please respond by 10pm on Wednesday, February 10th.
We will contact all applicants by 12pm by Friday, February 12th.
If you have any questions, email adam.royalty@columbia.edu
https://forms.gle/bxdND7aohTHBrnfg6

Deadline (Extended!): 2021 Columbia Venture Competition, First Round
2021-02-12
Registration for the $300,000 Columbia Venture Competition is now open! Visit StartupColumbia.org for rules, descriptions, and eligibility. New this year: Total prize pool of $300,000 * Announcing the addition of the Alliance Social Enterprise Challenge * We’ll select a “2021 Columbia Data Science Institute Startup of the Year * We’ll hold a final “Tournament of Champions” round to determine the “2021 Columbia Venture Competition Grant Champion”
DEADLINE is Feb 12th.

Deadline: Columbia-Corning Advanced Materials Prize
2021-02-15
APPLY HERE
Open to all researchers at Columbia University (faculty, PhD students, postdocs, undergraduates) developing translational research projects in the advanced materials space. Learn more about eligible projects in the areas of life sciences, ceramics, quantum, battery technologies, photonics and display technologies, advanced coatings and paints, and more here.

Are you working on translational research/a startup in the advanced materials space? Apply by February 15 for the inaugural Columbia-Corning Advanced Materials Prize. Winners will receive up to $50,000 and mentorship from Corning and CTV’s entrepreneurial teams.

Deadline: Tamer Fund for Social Ventures
2021-02-15
Open to Columbia University students, alumni, faculty or researchers, or be advised and have significant involvement by Columbia University faculty or researchers (including Barnard and Teachers College affiliates).
APPLY HERE

The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise at Columbia Business School is now accepting applications for the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures.
This fund provides seed grants of up to $25,000 to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures. Ventures must be led by Columbia University students, alumni, faculty or researchers, or be advised and have significant involvement by Columbia University faculty or researchers. Tamer Fund seed grants will be made to approximately seven ventures each year.
Normally, application deadlines are the same dates every year, August 15 and March 1. Due to the pandemic, we have shifted the spring application deadline to February 15.
