Columbia Venture Competition

Calling all Columbia entrepreneurs! The Columbia Venture Competition offers all Columbia students and affiliates a chance to express their entrepreneurial creativity and innovation as well as win financial support for start-up ventures. Individuals or teams with business plans are encouraged to participate in this competition. The deadline to submit business plans is Friday, April 3. Finalists will be notified by Friday, April 17, and the judging and awarding of prizes will take place on Friday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As a warm up, CTICE held a Business-Technology Demo event on March 11. Teams who have completed an executive summary, and have registered in advance, may participate in the demo. Participating teams will be expected to make a five-minute presentation of their business idea or concept. A panel of experts will provide  feedback on both summaries and presentations.

At the Columbia Venture Competition in April, the top three business plans will share $25,000 in prize money, along with in-kind legal, financial, and strategic services that will support the launch of a new venture. Winners will be able to participate in other  business plan competitions, and may participate in launch of Summer Building Ideas Program.

A team of judges will evaluate business plans in three tracks:

  1. Technology/IT: including alternative energy, software and environment
  2. Social Entrepreneurship: technological innovations which provide a positive impact to the community as well as ventures primarily focused on economic development solutions to high-need communities
  3. General Products and Services: including non-technical products and services

The Columbia Venture Competition is sponsored by CTICE's Engaged Entrepreneurship Program and the Engineering School Office of the Dean with support from Science and Technology Ventures (STV).

Register your team here.

Looking for a team or ideas? Click here.

Promote your team and build peer support! Click here.

Guidelines:

  • At least one member of the team should be a current SEAS student (see below for matching details)
  • Submissions must fall under one of the three tracks: Technology, Social Entrepreneurship, and General Products and Services. (Submitters should self-select into the category that relates to the business.)
  • Acceptable business plans include (a) early stage or new ventures, (b) joint venture, alliance, or network-based businesses (e.g., creating a new entity from an existing enterprise), (c) licensing arrangements, and (d) search funds
  • Businesses are NOT eligible if they have received investor funding in excess of $25,000


Matching Process

Eligible ventures looking to match with engineers, or engineering students looking to join a new venture can participate in a self-selecting match process. Click here (will open new window) and fill out your information (limited character space available). This information will be uploaded to the CTICE entrepreneurship page daily. Interested parties should check on the CTICE site for updates on the venture matching process.

Prize Distribution:

  1. First Place: $15,000 with in-kind legal, financial, and strategic services
  2. Second Place: $7,000 with in-kind legal, financial, and strategic services
  3. Third Place: $3,000 with in-kind legal, financial, and strategic services

Deadlines:

  • Friday, April 3: Submission of business plans
  • Friday, April 17: Notification of finalists
  • Friday, April 24th: Columbia Venture Competition judging and awarding of prizes         

For more information, please contact Rebecca Rodriguez, Senior Associate Director for Engaged Entrepreneurship, at rr2037@columbia.edu.