MBA student Joshua Noronha spent the summer between his first and second years at Columbia Business School developing a new business idea.
The veteran entrepreneur, who started running hostels, cafes, and other hospitality businesses in Goa, India, at age 24, had enrolled at CBS to enhance his skills, and the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center’s Summer Startup Track (SST) offered a multitude of resources to support his startup work and the time to use those skills.
SST, developed in the Lang Center for students who have completed the first year of their MBA, provides one-on-one coaching and mentorship, presentations from founders of successful startups, and a lifeline of support from peers on similar entrepreneurial journeys. This year, a record 130 students were accepted into the program.
For Noronha, the program provided precious time to focus exclusively on his venture.
Most students who apply for SST are at an early stage in their business development, but the reality is “SST is industry and stage-agnostic,” says Lara Hejtmanek ’99, managing director of the Lang Center.
“We are committed to supporting student founders regardless of whether they are in their entrepreneurial journey, whether they’re still in ideation, have already developed a minimal viable product, or are already in the market,” Hejtmanek says.
At the end of the summer, SST sponsors a final pitch competition for students to vie for grants of $2,500 to $10,000. This year, 33 students or teams were invited to pitch ideas, including Noronha, who won a $10,000 grant.
A Draw for Students
For Brooklyn-born Carlissa King, who also participated in the 2023 SST program, the pitch at the end of the program was invaluable. “It forces you to come up with a plan and a clear model— and you get such valuable feedback,” she says. In last summer’s competition, King won $2,500.
Like Noronha, King also has been an entrepreneur since high school. Back then, she and her twin sister, Laken, dreamed up Worldgirls, a doll company developed in response to the narrow scope of female images they saw in fashion and the media. Each of their dolls embodies an archetypal trait—Warrior, Healer, Explorer, Rebel, and Scholar—so that children can identify with the dolls’ identities rather than their looks.
The sisters launched their line of dolls in college when they won a pitch competition, but as time went on, King realized they could use support in growing the business. “I found out about Summer Startup Track before I applied to CBS, and I hoped to participate,” King says. “I wrote about it in my application essay. When I got into the program, I was super-excited.”
The sisters’ next step? “A media blaze to set the world afire on International Day of the Girl,” says King, helping to get the dolls into as many. households as possible.
A Resource-Rich Environment
Avery Schonberger, president of the all-student executive board of the Columbia Build Lab, a program that matches MBA student founders with Columbia undergraduate and graduate engineering talent, also won a grant in the 2023 Summer Startup Track program.
His winning venture, Rubicon Robotics, is developing robots that autonomously film swimmers and other athletes looking to improve their performances.
SST was an amazing counterpart to the Build Lab, Schonberger says: “I got so much out of it. I literally changed my go-to-market strategy because of the insights I got, particularly from one-on-one coaching. I feel much more certain in my direction and have a more mindful approach to developing my business.”
Now, with access to Columbia manufacturing capabilities and permission to test alpha versions in Columbia’s pool, Schonberger wants to have 10 production-level robots in customer hands by the start of 2024.
“I feel very fortunate,” he says. “Being a solo founder can be very lonely, so having a lot of other people in the same boat, who are going through a similar experience and can advise you on things that they have seen—that’s really awesome.”
2023 Summer Startup Track Grant Winners
3Wise Gifts Maya Jones '24
A gifting company for the mind, body, and soul inspired by the biblical Three Wise Men who gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
AirLobby Joshua Noronha '24
A platform for hotels to sell tours.
CashBack Party Eugene Lee '24
A B2C platform that helps save customers time and money through discount stacking and educates them on how to become savvy shoppers.
Karika Republic Karika Yonreme '24
A digital platform that empowers women for professional growth through intentional relationships, partnerships, and personal branding.
Network Tree Carly Doyle '24
A network management platform to optimize and strategically leverage your network with note-taking, reminder, and organization features.
Off Peak Jitesh Shahani '24
A company that connects consumers with business during downtime by incentivizing with discounts.
Rubicon Robotics Avery Schonberger '24
A company that developes autonomous robots for filming athletes and a complementary AI-powered platform for analyzing the footage.
Tango Jordan DeTar '24
A fun and proactive couples care app that repositions couples care as routine rather than reactive.
Trialingo June Hou '23 and Alexandra Lewis '23
A platform that reduces healthcare disparities in cancer research by matching non-English speaking cancer patients with clinical trials.
Tumo Lucas Martinez '24
A one-stop payment platform for Latin American remote workers.
Worldgirls Carlissa King '24
A doll and lifestyle company for girls on a mission to change the world.