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.

Open Studio Hours
2020-02-11 16:00 - 19:00, 2020-02-18 04:00 - 19:00, 2020-02-25 04:00 - 19:00, 2020-03-03 04:00 - 19:00, 2020-03-10 04:00 - 19:00 UTC
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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

Space Angels Event
2020-02-21 17:30
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.

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.

Spark Workshop with Vngle
2020-02-25 18:00 - 19:30
Open to all Columbians
RSVP

Join the Tamer Center for a Spark Workshop with Vngle – Grassroots News for Transparency.
Vngle is a grassroots news organization founded to make cities more transparent and accurately represented via “various angles” of on-the-ground news coverage. It serves as a comprehensive outlet for credible hyper-local information regarding different cultures within and across cities.
This concept was born from a voter registration trip to Ferguson, Missouri. In going door-to-door, Blake, founder and CEO of Vngle, began asking locals of Ferguson what it was like to live in the city. He found many of their experiences shockingly divergent from televised and written news reports. Their stories revealed that the dismal conditions of the city had deeper roots than those to which the broader public had been exposed. Wondering why so many of these stories had gone unheard and if other local communities across America were equally underrepresented, Blake was motivated to do something about it by creating Vngle.
The key problems of today’s news sources are lack of representation and lack of transparency. Between the scope of local news today and the silos of social media, it remains a challenge to get different perspectives on what is actually happening across communities. Thus, local matters go underrepresented or not represented at all.
Leading up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election in November, Vngle seeks to highlight underrepresented perspectives and insights on major issues in each of the swing states. Vngle is interested in ideas on which issues to cover, which cities to focus on and the methods to achieve a diversity of voices. More accurate and representative information allows for better informed voters!
This workshop will be an opportunity to collaborate and ideate on issues to cover, ways to gain accurate information, and methods to provide that information to the public. Bring your experience, expertise, and curiosity!
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Blake Stoner, Founder and CEO of Vngle, is a storyteller, social entrepreneur, and tech enthusiast. With a history of community engagement since his childhood, Stoner uses his background as a basis to represent the culture and concerns of communities. Blake enjoys connecting with passionate people, cool opportunities, and general avenues to explore new terrain around culture in America. He earned a BA in Economics from Morehouse College and an MS in Strategic Communication from Columbia University. For his social initiatives, he has been the recipient of various entrepreneurial awards and grants. Blake currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Columbia Health Tech Assembly's Monthly Idea Lab
2020-02-27 18:00 - 20:00
Open to Columbia students
RSVP

HTA’s monthly Idea Lab provides an opportunity for students to pitch their projects/ideas so they can receive feedback and recruit new teammates or even pitch themselves as a future collaborator! This month, we are lucky to be joined by Dr. Arno Klein, the Director of the Matter Lab. The Matter Lab is a research non-profit that builds and applies technologies such as wearable devices, mobile apps, and online informatics and analysis tools to help track and improve learning and mental health. Focusing on initiatives in extending therapy through smartphone apps and a centralized mental health database, Dr. Klein is on the forefront of transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
When: Thursday, February 27th, 6-8pm
Where: William C. Warren Hall; 1125 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025

The Black Innovators Series: Kickoff Event with Chris Lyons
2020-02-27 19:30 - 21:30
RSVP Here

This Thursday, Chris Lyons, the incredible leader of the Cultural Leadership Fund at Andreessen Horowitz will kickoff the inaugural Black Innovators Speaker Series, hosted by the Columbia University Black Pre-Professional Society (CUBPS).
Throughout the Spring 2020 semester, CUBPS will be hosting industry leaders in Venture Capital, Entrepreneurship and Technology. In the kickoff event this Thursday, Chris Lyons will talk about his background, his motivations as well as his work with CLF at Andreessen Horowitz.
See you this Thursday for an engaging, intimate conversation and Q&A with Chris Lyons and CUBPS!

CBS Healthcare Conference
2020-02-28 08:00 - 18:30
Open to all Columbians.
RSVP here

This year’s conference will feature keynotes from George Yancopoulos (Founding Scientist, President, & Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron), Jason Gorevic (CEO of Teladoc Health), and Clifford Samuel (Senior Vice President of Access Operations and Emerging Markets at Gilead Sciences). Other featured companies include Capsule, Butterfly Network, Nomad Health, New York-Presbyterian, Welltower, Novartis, Pfizer, Huron, and more. RSVP here.

Deadline: Department of Defense X-Force Internship
2020-02-29
Open to the public
Apply

The Department of Defense (DoD) X-Force program will accept applications for its 2020 summer cohort of defense innovation fellows until Feb 29. They are looking for STEM, digital and design talent. This paid internship, students will join a team of graduate and undergraduate university students working together to develop prototypes or apps that solve real-world challenges, in close collaboration with a DoD sponsor. Past products have ranged from a soldier family readiness app, to an F/A-18E Super Hornet (jet fighter) predictive maintenance model, and even a software/hardware test bed for nuclear detection systems. Apply here, and learn more about the program here.

Applications are LIVE for the Columbia Startup Lab 2020-2021 Cohort
2020-03-02
Applications for the 2020-2021 cohort are LIVE.
RSVP for our Open House on March 26 to find out more about the space, meet the team, and hear from resident ventures!

Meet the current cohort on our CSL page.

Health Tech Career Fair
2020-03-05 18:45 - 20:45
Open to Columbians
RSVP Here

An informal networking event to match students from the business school, Mailman, CUMC, and engineering schools interested in HCIT with leading health tech firms offering internship and full-time hiring opportunities. RSVP here.

Data Science Day 2020
2020-03-13 08:00 - 17:00
Open to the Public
RSVP

The in-person conference will now be held on Monday, September 14, 2020 at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall (2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027).
If you are able to join us in September, you can now re-register for September’s Data Science Day via the new Eventbrite page here.

Online Sneak Peek for Data Science Day 2020
2020-03-31
Open to the public.
The in-person conference will now be held on Monday, September 14, 2020 at Columbia University’s Alfred Lerner Hall (2920 Broadway, New York, NY 10027).
If you have purchased a ticket for March 31, you will receive a full refund within the immediate future.
If you are able to join us in September, you can now re-register for September’s Data Science Day via the new Eventbrite page here.
Details for the online sneak peek are TBA

Social Impact Webinar: Feeding New York During COVID-19
2020-04-10 12:30 - 13:30
REGISTER
The Tamer Center hosts Emma Hulse, manager at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; Katherine Miller, vice president of impact at James Beard Foundation; and Greg Silverman, executive director of West Side Campaign Against Hunger.

Beyond the Headlines: Healthcare Industry Leaders on the Impact of COVID-19 (Panel 1)
2020-04-13 16:30 - 17:30
REGISTER
Columbia Health Policy & Management (in the Mailman School of Public Health) is hosting a special panel series separating fact from speculation.

Beyond the Headlines: Healthcare Industry Leaders on the Impact of COVID-19 (Panel 2)
2020-04-14 16:30 - 17:30

The Price of a Pandemic: The Financial Impact of COVID-19
2020-04-17 13:00 - 14:00
REGISTER
Hosted by Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Founders Managing the Crisis Series: Conversation with BRC.org
2020-04-17 13:00 - 14:00
REGISTER
SIPA Professor Sarah Holloway continues her founders series with Ester Fuchs interviewing Muzzy Rosenblatt — CEO of BRC.org, the largest homeless services organization in NYC.
