Columbia Entrepreneurship announces Innovation Grants for Columbia College and School of General Studies students

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Columbia Entrepreneurship has announced new Innovation Grants for Columbia College and School of General Studies students. The grants aim to incentivize and support the creation of novel products and unique business models. Teams at any stage of growth, including the ideation phase, will be welcome to apply.  

“Our students are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship, and about creating, organizing, and managing new and innovative ventures,” said James J. Valentini, dean of Columbia College and vice president for undergraduate education. “We are excited about this new opportunity to support their entrepreneurial endeavors on campus.”

The competition, judged by members of Columbia's alumni community from a range of diverse backgrounds and wide-ranging expertise, will be open to teams of current students from across the current Columbia University student body, where at least one group founder is a Columbia College or School of General Studies student. The top teams with the most innovative products or business models will be awarded prizes that will include grants of $5,000-$15,000, as well as one year of mentorship, consultation with the Columbia Entrepreneurship Startup Law Studio, a personalized Design Studio workshop, preferential admission’s consideration to the Design Leaders Program, and a preferential application process to the Columbia Startup Lab once the students have graduated.

Richard Witten CC’75, special advisor to the president, said he is happy that Columbia College and School of General Studies students will have this opportunity since the ideals of entrepreneurship are reflected in the Core Curriculum. “Supporting entrepreneurship at Columbia College is fully consistent with the history and values of the Core Curriculum: to approach complex ideas and issues in an unconstrained and innovative way.”

Information sessions about the Innovation Grants will be held beginning in early February, and applications will open on Wednesday, March 15. For more information about the Innovation Grants, or to learn how to apply, visit entrepreneurship.columbia.edu/2016/11/30/announcing-innovation-grants-cc-gs-students.