She Opened the Door… to Entrepreneurship

Saturday, April 30
9 a.m.–3 p.m. EDT

Deadline to register: Monday, April 25

Since 2018, the She Opened the Door initiative has aimed to enlighten, educate, elevate, and empower self-identifying women from across the University. We’re excited to announce a new all-day in-person event for those interested in learning from Columbia entrepreneurs.

The day will kick off with a keynote address from Barbara B. Roberts, Former Entrepreneur in Residence (now Advisor) at the Eugene Lang Center for Entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School, followed by two sets of panels on the topics:

• Deciding on the Next Investment: What are investors looking for?
• Making the Pitch: What does it take to make a successful pitch?
• How to Turn Your Vision Into a Thriving Business
• Gaffes to Avoid—Recipes for Success

The afternoon will include a luncheon as well as a session where attendees will have the opportunity to network with the panelists as well as other program participants.

Deciding on the Next Investment: What are investors looking for?

This panel will focus on the critical information investors need to know, about ventures and founders, to make investment decisions.

Making the Pitch: What does it take to make a successful pitch?

Let’s take a deep dive into the elements of a successful pitch with entrepreneurs who have made successful pitches and experts who have evaluated thousands of pitches and invested in countless entrepreneurs.

How to Turn your Vision into a Thriving Business

Starting your own business means following your dreams. Becoming a successful entrepreneur doesn’t happen overnight. Maybe you have a great business concept, but you don’t know where to start. Bringing an idea to life isn't easy. It requires passion, patience, and, most importantly, the ability to execute. The key thing is to get started, so you can move from the idea stage to creating a profitable and scalable business. Learn from some amazingly talented Columbia alumni on how they went from idea to execution to success.

Gaffes to Avoid – Recipes for Success

Starting and running a business is challenging especially for early venture entrepreneurs. There is often a misconception that being a successful entrepreneur follows a straight and ascending line. In fact, entrepreneurship is riddled with detours, pitfalls, and surprises. Come listen to successful entrepreneurs to learn from their experiences. Discover how they have built on their networks and have pivoted their way to growth. Prepare to walk away with solutions to make your business more trouble-free.

Tickets for the full conference, including lunch, are $95 for alumni; $50 for recent alumni (graduates from the classes of 2011-2019); and $105 for guests. Students and recent alumni of the Columbia classes of 2020 and 2021 are invited to attend this event, compliments of the Columbia Alumni Association. Students and classes of 2020 and 2021 can register here.

All non-CUID holders will be required to show proof of vaccination and photo ID to access this event. For more information on our current safety protocols for guests, please review our visitor policies. All event attendees must adhere fully to the Community Health Compact.