The Summer Entrepreneurship Immersive (SEI)
The Summer Entrepreneurship Immersive (SEI) is a stage-agnostic incubator program designed to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship for MBAxMS students who are dedicated to advancing their ventures over the summer. The program provides workshops with industry experts (SEI Speaker Series), tailored advisory, networking with other CBS students working on their ventures, and an opportunity to pitch at the end of the summer.
Eligibility & Program Description
The primary applicant on the team must be a rising MBAxMS second-year student who will be enrolled in CBS through the fall term. All MBAxMS students, regardless of their intended degree concentration, are welcome to participate in the program.
The Summer Entrepreneurship Immersive is designed to accommodate full-time or part-time work/internships and summer coursework. However, only MBAxMS students who sign up in the full-time track and are fully committed to working on their venture over the summer are eligible for the summer stipend.
Full-time SEI summer requirements:
- Attendance of the kick-off event
- Attendance of at least 10 of the Speaker Series events (more info below)
- Attendance of at least 5 one-to-one advisory meetings
- Attendance of at least 3 of the MBAxMS roundtables
- Attendance of at least 2 peer group meetings
- Submission of weekly status reports to the Lang Center
- Participation in the Mandatory SEI Pitch Day (which will be held online)
Note: Students who fulfill the SEI full-time attendance requirements are also eligible to pitch at the end of the summer for a chance to win a grant of up to $5K
Part-time Track requirements:
- Attendance of the kick-off event
- Attendance of at least 5 of the weekly Speaker Series events (details below)
- Attendance of at least 2 of the MBAxMS roundtables
- Participation in the Mandatory SEI Pitch Day (which will be held online)
Note: Events will be a mix of in-person and virtual. There is no requirement that you need to be in the NYC area.
Program Components
SEI Speaker Series
The program will feature weekly talks from successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, faculty, and others within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Events will be a mix of in-person and virtual. There is no requirement that you need to be in the NYC area.
Tentative workshop topics include:
- Customer Discovery
- Startup Legal 101
- Fundraising
- Growth Hacking
- Financial Modeling
- Pitch Deck Formation
- Storytelling & Presentation
Tailored advisory
The Summer Entrepreneurship Immersive supports aspiring entrepreneurs at every stage of their startup journey. Whether you just came up with a concept in Foundations of Entrepreneurship or have thought about it for years, the program gives you access to a network of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to help your venture launch and scale.
The Summer Entrepreneurship Immersive provides two types of tailored advisory:
- 1:1 advisory: Meet with coaches from inside and outside Columbia Business School to get the guidance you need to take your venture to the next level
- Peer advisory: Under the guidance of an advisor, connect with your peers (MBAxMS and MBA) to discuss any challenges or wins you’re experiencing as you work on your venture.
Stipend
The SEI stipend is available to students who commit fully to working on their ventures over the summer. To be eligible, participants must meet the full-time track requirements and refrain from taking on any major obligations during this period.
The stipend will be distributed in three payments: the first at the start of the program, the second in late June, and the final payment after the mandatory SEI Pitch Day at the end of July. Any or all of the stipend payments may be withheld if a student fails to demonstrate adequate progress, as evidenced by their engagement with the program requirements, following the start date of the program.
Application and Program Timelines
- Applications are open from March 17 to April 27
- Mandatory Virtual Orientation: Thurs, May 15, 6:00pm
- Program dates: Mon, May 19 through Fri, Aug 1
- Mandatory MBAxMS Pitch Day: Fri, Jul 25 (Time TBD)
- Virtual Pitch Day: Fri, Aug 1 (Time TBD)