Hollywood would have you believe that every startup begins in a basement or garage with caffeine fueled all-nighters and frantic bursts of coding. Whiteboards loom large like empty canvases, eager for the strokes of genius that will define the Next Big Thing. In reality, these scenes are a far cry from what it takes to build a viable venture. The early stages of a startup are typically less chaotic and more calculated. There are tested methodologies for determining product-market fit, and fundraising is more about preparation and strategic planning than chance encounters or simple luck.
The Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center at Columbia Business School guides students through a structured version of the entrepreneurial journey, with a wide range of resources that focus on three core stages: launch, invest, and scale. Our aim is to give all CBS students an opportunity to innovate—and that means thinking and acting like an entrepreneur,” says Lara Hejtmanek ’99, managing director of the Lang Center. “We give them the tools, help them develop the mindset, and provide the coaching for them to have that experience.”
It’s not just entrepreneurs who stand to benefit from the Lang Center’s curriculum and programming. “Every student can take the problem-solving knowledge we teach anywhere they go, whether that’s to a bigger company, someone else’s startup, or starting a company of their own,” says Hejtmanek.
But many do ultimately opt for the entrepreneurial route. Since 2011, CBS students and alumni have launched more than 700 venture-backed companies and raised $23 billion in funding. Lang Center resources like the Summer Startup Track, the Columbia Build Lab, and one-on-one coaching programs have played a role in many of these success stories. Here, we examine four elements of the Lang Center’s approach to entrepreneurship—and the realities of what building a startup actually entails.