Columbia Entrepreneurship

TechDay NYC
2020-02-23
Open to the public.
RSVP

Looking for the next big thing in tech? How about premier access to the startup everyone’s talking about? Or simply want to explore everything this startup scene has to offer? Whether you’re an investor, member of the press, user, developer, job seeker, corporate or someone in between, attending TechDay gives you an exclusive look into today’s latest and greatest tech with direct access to the startups & partners making it all happen.

Space Angels Event
2020-02-21 17:30 UTC
Open to all Columbians
RSVP here

The Columbia Space Initiative is hosting Justus Killian, partner at Space Angels (space industry VC based in NYC) on 2/21 at 5:30pm in CEPSR (Schapiro) 415. He will be talking about the state of the commercial space industry as well as Space Angels’ portfolio companies (including SpaceX, Planet Labs, and Made in Space). Those interested in the industry should note that Space Angels is currently hiring an analyst. RSVP here.

Third Thursday - Perfect Your Pitch
2020-02-20 18:00 - 20:00
Open to all Columbians
RSVP

Columbia Engineering‘s next Third Thursday will feature pitch coaches who are angel investors and venture capitalists. The audience will vote on a variety of criteria, including best engagement, best PPT, and best description of a complex concept. This is great practice for CVC 2020!

Innovation Talk Series: Lunch with KJ Singh '11, Managing Director at Techstars
2020-02-20 12:30 - 13:30
Open to all Columbians
RSVP Here

KJ Singh ’11 serves as the Managing Director of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator powered by Techstars, responsible for sourcing and screening hundreds of startups. During the program, he advises companies on product/market fit, growth tactics, fundraising strategies, and other strategic issues.
Before Techstars, KJ worked in management consulting with Booz & Company in NYC. Prior to that, he was an investment-banker with Redwood Capital Group where he focused on Media and Telecom verticals.
Lunch will be served. In an effort to reduce use of single use beverage containers, drinks will not be provided. Please bring your personal water bottle.
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The Lang Innovation Talk Series invites highly-accomplished industry professionals to speak with current students who are interested in topics within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The formats range from roundtable discussions to somewhat larger settings. Participating students are expected to arrive prepared with questions and topics for discussion.

Social Venture Pitch and Mix
2020-02-19 18:00 - 20:00
Open to all students working on social ventures
RSVP

The Tamer Center’s Pitch Mix and Matches offer social entrepreneurs at any stage a chance to pitch their ideas, seek experts, and network with the social venture community.

Open Studio Hours
2020-02-18 04:00 - 19:00, 2020-02-11 16:00 - 19:00, 2020-02-04 16:00 - 19:00
Open to the whole 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.

Deadline Extension! 2020 Columbia Venture Competition
2020-02-14
Learn more about eligibility and submit your application at StartupColumbia.org

THE 2020 VENTURE COMPETITION IS OPEN! AND SO IS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A PIECE OF THE $250,000 PRIZE POOL.
The 2020 Columbia Venture Competition (CVC) has five challenges but you may only enter one. The descriptions, rules, and eligibility guidelines are listed here. Each challenge will split $50,000 among the top three winners. Four of the challenges are open to students and recent alumni (five years or less from their most current Columbia degree) from any Columbia-affiliated school, including Barnard and Teachers College. The Undergraduate Challenge, sponsored by Columbia College, is open to all current Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, General Studies, and Barnard College undergrads. CVC judges will come from Columbia’s worldwide alumni community from Bordeaux to Beijing to Brooklyn and will represent diverse backgrounds and a wide-ranging set of expertise.

Circular City Open Call
2020-02-14
Open to the public.

Circular City (a collaboration between New Lab and EDCNYC) is seeking startups that are building frontier technologies and developing novel products that address urban challenges in transitioning to a circular economy and improving energy efficiency in buildings. Startups interested in piloting technology or a product in New York City should consider applying. Apply here

Cyber NYC Inventors to Founders Accelerator Kickoff
2020-02-12 18:00 - 20:00
Open to everyone.
RSVP here.

Cyber NYC Inventors to Founders, part of Columbia’s Lab-to-Market Accelerator Network, will have a kick-off event at the Global Cyber Center on Feb 12. This event is a great opportunity to hear startups deliver one-minute pitches, meet investors, CISOs, and leading cyber security companies in New York City. RSVP here.

Deadline: Almaworks Accelerator
2020-02-12
Join the Spring 2020 Cohort of Almaworks, Columbia’s student-run accelerator for NYC startups.
Almaworks takes no equity and aims to help early-stage startups run by NYC student entrepreneurs achieve significant, sustainable growth. Its 60+ student startups have collectively raised more than $14M in seed funding, enrolled in programs like TechStars, Y Combinator or Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, and awarded numerous Columbia Venture Competition grants and other prizes.
Structure
Almaworks is an intensive 8-week program. 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. A free catered dinner is also provided.
Testimonials
“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

Department of Defense Funding
2020-02-12
Open to the public

The application period for non-dilutive seed funding from the Department of Defense is now open through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer programs: sbir.defensebusiness.org. Deadline is Feb 12, and application tips can be found here.

Tamer Fund for Social Ventures Webinars (12pm & 7pm)
2020-02-11
Open to all Columbians

The next deadline to apply to the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures is March 1! Learn about the application process, and ask any questions you may have at one of two webinars on February 11: 12–1 p.m. (RSVP) or 7–8 p.m. (RSVP).
The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage Columbia University affiliated social and environmental ventures.

Fireside Chat: How to Start a Biotech Startup
2020-02-10 12:00
Open to undergraduates
RSVP here

Join us for a lunchtime fireside with Y Combinator partner Jared Friedman, Visiting Partner Dr. Uri Lopatin and YC alum Shara Ticku of C16 Biosciences.
Since 2014, YC has funded over 250 bio companies, which makes us one of the largest seed stage biotech funders in the world.
Learn what it takes to launch and scale a life sciences company and hear how and why biotech startup funding will change in the next 10 years. Food and drinks will be served. Hosted by CORE.

Application Deadline: GEC Inaugural Symposium
2020-02-10
Open to all Columbia students.
Apply here.

The Graduate Entrepreneurship Council (GEC) will host its inaugural Symposium, sponsored by WeWork, Techstars, Mintz Levin, Wolf & Company, P.C., which brings together the top venture capitalists and the brightest entrepreneurs from Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, and UPenn. Only 25 will be selected from each school. Learn more and apply by February 10 at www.the-gec.com/yearly-symposium.

TigerLaunch
2020-02-08 10:30
Open to students
RSVP

CORE is proud to be hosting the NYC Regional competition of TigerLaunch, the nation’s largest student-run startup competition, in conjunction with the Princeton Entrepreneurship Club.
This Saturday, February 8, you’ll hear pitches from the top 15 teams selected from around the East Coast. Throughout the day, you’ll also have the opportunity to meet with top collegiate founders, venture capitalists, and other students from universities throughout the region.
Lunch and snacks will be served.

Application Deadline: Design Your Future
2020-02-05 17:00
Open to all Columbia students (including Barnard and Teachers College)
Apply Here
Applications Close: February 5th at 5pm
Accepted Applicants Notified February 7th by 5pm

The future can feel uncertain, so we’ve created Design Your Future as a three-session program where students learn to apply human-centered design to their careers and to life after graduation. The goal of this program to help you to better navigate your career and life choices in the face of this uncertainty.
Design Your Future is for students who are nearing the end of their studies and preparing to launch out into the world. This can be both an exciting and unnerving time. What if you discover that your new job isn’t for you? What happens if you start to drift away from the things you feel passionate about? Many recent graduates feel stuck after leaving school.
Dates and Times:
February 13th — 11:00am to 1:00pm
February 20th — 11:00am to 1:00pm
February 27th — 11:00am to 1:00pm
Apply Here

Deadline: Columbia Venture Community Investor Matching
2020-02-01
Columbia Venture Community‘s investor matching is open again! Besides matching with top-tier VCs, there’s also several new acceleration resources available. You can see all the current and upcoming opportunities listed here. Companies whose founders, key employees, or investors are alumni or otherwise affiliated with Columbia can apply here before Feb 1st.

Impact Investing: A Fireside Chat Between Investor and Founder
2020-01-30 17:30 - 19:30
Open to all Columbians (including Barnard and Teachers College)
RSVP here

Get investors to back your social mission: Join us Jan 30 at the Columbia Startup Lab for a fireside chat on Impact Investing with serial entrepreneur, Prof Sarah Holloway ’03SIPA, and founder and investor Jolyne Caruso-Fitzgerald, ’81 Barnard. RSVP: http://ow.ly/RlrV50y1jxO

Application Deadline: Designing Solutions to Campus Hunger
2020-01-24 17:00
Open to the Barnard community.
Apply here.

Applications are due at 5pm for the Athena Center’s week-long Design Challenge on Hunger.

Mon, Feb 3, 6pm-8pm @ the Athena Center (screening of APATT Documentary)
Sat, Feb 15, 9am-5pm @ the Columbia Design Studio (lunch provided; note, during Presidents’ Day weekend)
Wed, Feb 19, 6pm-9pm @ the Athena Center (dinner provided)
Sat, Feb 22, 9:30am-6pm @ the Columbia Design Studio (presentation and reception at Craft)

More about the Hunger Challenge
Hunger is all around us, affecting an estimated 1 in 8 people in the U.S.— and it’s closer to home than we may realize. Research indicates that up to 41% of college students are food insecure.
In this week-long challenge, you’ll have the opportunity to develop ideas for sustainable solutions for NYC college students experiencing hunger. No previous experience or expertise is required — you’ll have the support of a team of design and hunger experts, including anti-hunger organization: A Place at the Table (APATT), founded by filmmaker Lori Silverbush, chef Tom Colicchio, and media executives Tim Castree and Kristen Castree on the heels of Lori’s documentary of the same name, as well as Barnard’s VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Ariana Gonzalez Stokas.
We’ll kick off the challenge with a screening of the documentary at Barnard, followed by a fireside chat with members of the APATT team. We’ll end it with a presentation to Tom Colicchio and team, followed by a reception at Colicchio’s Craft restaurant.

Third Thursday - Immigration and Entrepreneurship
2020-01-21 17:30 - 19:00
Open to all Columbians
RSVP here

Tuesday, January 21 (held on Tuesday due to scheduling constraints) 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.
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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.

Lean Launchpad with Steve Blank
2020-01-13 - 2020-01-17
Application information TBA.

Application Deadline: Inventrust Hackathon
2020-01-10
Learn more and apply here.

This hackathon invites those interested in the problem of empowering intention to submit applications and then to participate in developing solutions for a particularly important societal problem—medical clinical trials. Recruitment—of employees, donors, and supporters—is the lifeblood of businesses, philanthropic organizations, and political candidates. For example, it has been reported that a major U.S. Democratic Presidential primary candidate spent $7.5 million in three weeks on Google paid search ads. That works out to roughly $140 for each of the roughly 50,000 voters whose votes were decisive in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election—in just THREE WEEKS. Of course, there are U.S. laws against paying for votes, but might there be a better way of recruiting political support?
The hackathon asks applicants to submit ideas and/or build solutions applying digital incentives to the recruitment challenge. Blockchain could be relevant here. For example, for looking at ads, users can receive Basic Attention Tokens as rewards, which can then be used to support publishers.

Demo Day: Almaworks Cohort VIII
2019-12-06 16:30 - 17:00
Almaworks Demo Day is the culmination of an 8-week accelerator program of Columbia startups.
Almaworks is a student-run accelerator program that takes no equity and aims to help early-stage startups and run by NYC student entrepreneurs achieve significant, sustainable growth. Its student startups have collectively raised $14M in seed funding and enrolled in programs such as Y Combinator and TechStars.

Studio Hours at the Design Studio (Open Collaboration Time)
2019-12-03 16:00 - 19:00

Online Workshop: Startup Legal 101
2019-11-22 12:00 - 13:00
Open to the public.
Register here.

Startup Legal 101 is a free online workshop designed for alumni who want to learn the basics of startup legal framework. The workshop gives an overview of the key building blocks of early stage ventures, including entity formation, methods for raising capital (convertible debt, SAFEs, etc), equitizing employees, IP/Trademark protection, and more.
Scott Smedresman is a Lang Advisor, and partner in the VC/Startup group at McCarter & English, a top-10 ranked national VC practice. Scott and McCarter have served as general outside counsel to hundreds of high-growth startups throughout their full lifecycles — from formation, founder issuances, closing financings, IP strategy, developing and launching products, building customers and scale, acquiring technology assets, ultimately through exit.
RSVP

Columbia Fast Pitch Competition 2019
2019-11-21 17:30 - 20:30
OPEN TO ALL COLUMBIANS (Including Teachers College and Barnard)
APPLY HERE

Do you have a startup idea? Would you like feedback from CU alumni? Enter the Fast Pitch competition and win money to support your idea. (Or come watch other Columbians pitch!)
This is a great opportunity to practice and perfect a 60-second pitch of your business to a panel of judges that includes successful Columbia alumni and members of the NYC venture community. $5000 is at stake! There will be a $2000 prize pool solely for undergraduates and a $3000 pool for the best overall pitches. Find out more details here.
Register Here
Event timeline:
Nov 1: Video pitches (drafts) due at midnight, no professional editing required, just a pitch!
Submit online – we will share with a select group of CU alumni.
*Optional, teams who submit videos given feedback and priority to live pitch event
Nov 12: Feedback on videos
Nov 21: Fast Pitch Competition, 5:30PM Davis Auditorium
Video submissions are due by November 1 at midnight; those who submit a video will be given priority to pitch. Please contact Ivy Schultz (ischultz@columbia.edu) with questions.
Undergrads, grad students, and faculty from all schools and institutes across Columbia University are eligible to participate.

Studio Hours at the Design Studio (Open Collaboration Time)
2019-11-19 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.

CBS Faculty Entrepreneurship & Innovation Research Showcase
2019-11-18 12:30 - 14:00
Open to the public.
RSVP here.

Come for lunch at the Faculty Entrepreneurship & Innovation Research Showcase , stay to explore ideas around entrepreneurship and innovation featuring presentations by CBS Faculty Professors Asim Ansari, Tania Babina, and Adam Galinsky. Topics range from brand data insights from logo design to firm financing and organizational choice and how they affect economic activity to the low status groups’ use of commonly used jargon’s influence on high status individuals.

RSVP HERE
