A WORD ABOUT THE SPIRIT OF THIS COMPETITION

The goal of the Startup Columbia competition is to provide funding for very early stage startups founded by Columbians. This is not, for example, for seasoned entrepreneurs; those startups with a lot of financial backing; or for those with a fleeting affiliation with Columbia. The competition aims to give students and recent alums the opportunity to pursue their project at a time when it might be difficult to do so without a bit of help. As you read the eligibility, rules, and regulations, please keep this in mind.

Composition of Eligible Teams

• Teams may only enter one Competition per year. (See descriptions of each competition above)
• Teams who have won or placed in the top three for any STARTUP COLUMBIA Competition in prior years may not enter the same Competition again with the same business. However, the same team can enter another Competition or enter with another completely distinct business. For example, a top-three team from the 2024 OPEN Competition may enter the 2025 Policy Competition with the same business or the 2025 OPEN Competition with a completely different business.
• STARTUP COLUMBIA is intended for early-stage ventures founded, managed, and owned by current Columbia students or by Columbia alumni within 5 years of their most recent Columbia degree. These Competitions are not meant for mature ventures.
• “Blended Teams”: Some teams founded by current Columbia students or Columbia alumni within 5 years of graduation may have a non-Columbia-affiliated co-founder. We will use the term “Blended Teams” to describe such applicants. To be eligible to compete and collect any awards, the founders of such Blended Teams must document the role all founders have had in the conception and development of the venture. To be eligible, such “Blended Teams” must have at least one current Columbia student or recent alumnus (within 5 years of graduation) who is a true founder who joined the team at the inception of the venture and has played a significant role in the company. The Columbia student or alumni founder should be the one to apply for the STARTUP COLUMBIA on behalf of the team. If there should be any question about this issue and/or if it is in dispute, the STARTUP COLUMBIA administrators’ rulings on eligibility will be final. To protect privacy, the outcomes of eligibility will not be shared beyond the impacted team.
• To be eligible for funding, Columbia founders must collectively hold ownership equal to or greater than any other individual founder in the proposed venture. For example, in instances where there are two co-founders, Columbia-affiliated founders must own at least 50% of the equity. All team members are required to state their university and school affiliation, including graduation degree and year. STARTUP COLUMBIA administrators may request proof of each founder’s duration of involvement and access to the venture’s cap table to verify equity ownership. Refusal to provide this information will result in disqualification.
• ** If the Administrators of any Competition within STARTUP COLUMBIA deem that a team has tried to circumvent the Rules & Regulations in any way, such teams will be disqualified. These Competitions are for real Columbia teams, with real Columbia founders. For example, any efforts to camouflage what are essentially non-Columbia teams as Columbia-founded teams (as has happened before unfortunately) will lead to immediate disqualification.

Amount of Dilutive Money Raised

• Teams that have raised $250K or more of dilutive and/or non-dilutive cumulative investment are NOT eligible to apply for these Competitions.

Intellectual Property

• Eligible applicants that are commercializing technologies or IP licensed from Columbia University are eligible to compete, but ownership of the IP must be clearly stated and documented in the application process.
• For all applicants, ownership of intellectual property and equity splits in the business must not be in dispute.

Number of Competitions a Team May Apply For

• Teams may only enter one Competition per year. (See descriptions of each competition above)
• Teams who have won or placed in the top three for any STARTUP COLUMBIA Competition in prior years may not enter the same Competition again with the same business. However, the same team can enter another Competition or enter with another completely distinct business. For example, a top-three team from the 2024 OPEN Competition may enter the 2025 Policy Competition with the same business or the 2025 OPEN Competition with a completely different business.

Lastly, certain Competitions further restrict the eligibility requirements for teams. It is up to the team to fully review all eligibility requirements before entering a particular Competition. Teams that enter a Competition for which they are not eligible may be disqualified or asked to join another Competition. Where possible and practical, disqualifications are not publicly announced.

• Teams can apply to only one Competition. Applicant name can ONLY appear on one application to one track, multiple applications by the same applicant is not permitted.
• If accepted into a Competition, each team will be contacted with their pitch schedule.
• Unless otherwise announced, most pitches teams make will be held via Zoom, although most finals may be live and in person.
• Once the judging is complete, three winners will be announced for each Competition (1st place, 2nd Place, 3rd Place). It is possible that two teams will tie for a given finishing place, in these cases, the award is split.
• Winners will be announced shortly after the Finals.
• To be eligible to receive any prize, you need to have an incorporated company and provide a W-8 or W-9. Winners must respond to all requests for information within 30 days of the inquiry, or else they forfeit their winnings. Please note that it may take a few months to process payment of the prize.
• By competing in this competition, you agree to adhere to the rules and regulations outlined here with no exceptions. Submitting an application indicates willing participation under these rules.

Winning Teams

• These cash grants will only be awarded to winning teams that have incorporated their startup. If a winning team is not yet an incorporated entity, Columbia Entrepreneurship administrators can direct them to third party service providers but in such cases winning teams will use their award money to pay for such legal expenses..

• Winning teams must be incorporated within 6 months of the Finals and must have completed all Columbia award documentation within 12 months of the Finals.
• These awards are solely intended and will only be awarded to the actual company/team that has entered the competition. These monies will not be awarded to a different venture/team after the fact.
• It may take up to four months after Columbia award documentation is submitted by the winners to disburse the award monies. 

STARTUP COLUMBIA does not support non-disclosure agreements. Teams should be aware that STARTUP COLUMBIA administrators will not require judges to sign non-disclosure agreements. Participants’ executive summaries, videos, and pitch decks will only be seen by the STARTUP COLUMBIA administrators and the judging panel. Neither of those documents will be distributed more broadly unless explicit permission is received from the participating team. We advise that teams provide as much detail as possible without disclosing proprietary information or unprotected IP.