About the Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund
Established in 1996 with a $1 million gift from Eugene M. Lang, MS '40, the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund ("The Lang Fund") fosters an entrepreneurial environment at Columbia Business School by providing early-stage investing opportunities to qualifying student and alumni ventures. It also allows the School to share in the success of funded ventures through negotiated equity or other participation.
Learn about our past Lang Fund recipients.
Spring Cycle: For Graduating Students
Applications for the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund ("The Lang Fund") for early-stage, CBS graduating student-founded startups open in the spring term.
Winning companies will receive an immediate investment of $25K and will be fast tracked to the Screening Day of the Fall Alumni cycle of that calendar year for the chance to receive an additional investment of up to $50K.
Eligibility & Requirements
The Lang Fund is looking for CBS student-founded ventures that fit the following criteria:
- Traction: Applications are accepted from ventures of all stages, though preference may be given to companies that have shown initial traction and/or other types of market validation.
- Team: At least one member of the founding team must be a second-year Columbia Business School student who has graduated or will be graduating in the current academic year. Founding team members must intend to work on their ventures full-time after graduation.
- Other: Founders must complete the application highlighting their venture’s accomplishments and their intent to work on the venture full-time. The application must include a pitch deck with a minimum of five slides of content. We are geographically- and sector- agnostic.
Application Period: Applications for graduating students are closed. If you are a rising second year student, please check back in spring 2026 for the next cycle.
For Columbia Business School Degree-Holding Alumni
The Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund ("The Lang Fund") has two cycles for early-stage, CBS alumni-founded startups: during the fall and spring terms. Winning companies typically receive $50k-$100k investments.
- Applications for the Fall cycle open in mid-August, with investment decisions made by mid-November.
- Applications for the Spring cycle open in mid-January, with investment decisions made by mid-May. Please note that the Spring cycle is reserved for recent alumni founders (e.g. those who have graduated within 3 years).
Please note that the main applicant and primary contact must be a founder/co-founder, and a Columbia Business School degree holding alum.
Eligibility & Requirements
The Lang Fund is looking for ventures that fit the following criteria:
- Traction: Ideally post-revenue companies with at least 6 months of customer data (exceptions can be made)
- Team: At least one member of the founding team must be a degree holding CBS alum (MBA, EMBA, and MS graduates from CBS are eligible. Sorry, Executive Education participants and certificate holders are not eligible). The founding team must be working full-time on their venture or be actively working toward a full-time commitment
- Stage: We look for early-stage companies raising or looking to raise capital within the next 12 months. Typically, we invest in companies raising between $500k and $3M, though ventures in all stages are welcome to apply during this cycle.
Other: We are geographically- and sector- agnostic.
Application Period: Applications for the alumni are closed. Please check back mid-august for the fall cycle.
Conditions of Investment
While graduating student ventures will receive an immediate investment of $25K, alumni Lang Fund recipients will be awarded up to a $100k commitment to invest, to be executed within one year as part of an existing capital fundraise. The same terms will also apply to the potential additional investment that graduating student recipients from the Spring may be eligible for in the Fall cycle following the initial investment.
The format of the investment is to be on the exact same terms as existing investors in the same round, commonly taking the form a SAFE, convertible note, or preferred stock investment, subject to an additional side-letter addressing Columbia-specific program requirements. The full investment criteria is outlined below:
- Funds must be raised within one year of being awarded Lang Fund investment as part of a capital raise from institutional and/or accredited angel investors
- The term sheet agreed to by the lead investor(s) must be priced or have a valuation cap set - we do not invest on uncapped notes
- The company must be raising at least $500k, with at least half of the round hard circled
The Lang Fund Board retains sole discretion for deciding which businesses it will fund each year and may decide in a given year to forgo the funding of any projects if none of the ventures presented meet its investment criteria.
Questions? Contact [email protected].