About the Summer Startup Track
Summer Startup Track (SST) fosters a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship for rising second-year Columbia Business School students who are dedicated to advancing their ventures over the summer. The program provides tailored advisory, a network of peers, talks with industry leaders, and a pitch competition for a limited number of grants (taxable*) up to $10k at the end of the summer.
Summer Startup Track is stage agnostic and committed to supporting student founders regardless of whether they are in ideation, MVP, or post-launch stages. The program is designed to create an active and engaged community of aspiring entrepreneurs, meeting founders where they are to help them reach the next stage in their startup journeys.
See the Summer 2023 Grant Winners
Important Dates
- Applications will open on March 8, 2024 and close on Apr 28, 2024.
- The program will run from May 29 (mandatory virtual kick-off) until Aug 2 (Pitch Day).
Eligibility & Program Description
The primary applicant on the team must be a rising second-year student who is:
- Enrolled in CBS through the fall term, including J-Term, EMBA, and MS students
- Dedicated to advancing their startup over the summer
- Note that students on leave of absence are not eligible
SST is designed to accommodate full-time or part-time work/internships and summer coursework.
Startups of all stages are welcome to apply.
One application per team. Solo founders welcome.
Preference is given to founders who have not participated in the program previously.
Students may apply to the Pitch Track or Audit track Track. Only students who fulfill all requirements for the PitchFull-time Track may pitch for a grant at the end of the program. Audit Track students have fewer requirements but must maintain a minimum amount of participation to remain part of the community.
Please review the following carefully before applying.
Pitch Track requirements for eligibility to pitch:
- Attendance of the kick-off event
- Attendance of at least 5 of the Speaker Series events (more info below)
- Attendance of at least 3 one-to-one advisory meetings
- Attendance of at least 3 peer group meetings
- Attendance of at least 2 community-building events
- Planning and hosting of at least 1 community-building event (which can be planned in teams of up to 4 participants)
- Submission of weekly status reports to the Lang Center
- Participation in the closing event pitch for grant awards
Audit Track requirements:
- Attendance of the kick-off event
- Attendance of at least 4 of the weekly Speaker Series events (details below)
- Attendance of at least 1 one-to-one advisory meeting
- Attendance of at least 1 community-building event
- Peer groups are optional and can be formed upon request
- Ineligible to pitch for grants, although attendance at the closing event is encouraged
SST 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, and will accommodate work/class schedules as much as possible. There is no requirement that you need to be in the NYC area.
Example topics include:
- Customer Discovery
- Financial Modeling
- Startup Legal 101
- Pitch Deck Formation
- How to Raise Capital
- Growth Hacking Tools for Startups
Apply
Applications will open on March 8, 2024, and close on Apr 28, 2024.
Grant Process and Closing Pitch Events
Students in the Pitch Track who meet all criteria are eligible to apply for a grant at the end of the program (typically the first week of August). The grant will be awarded as a business expense reimbursement.
Grant eligibility requirements:
- Fulfillment of requirements for the Pitch Track program
- Recommendation from a Summer Startup Track advisor
- Personal statement outlining your progress over the summer and intent for using these funds to further venture beyond SST program (up to two pages)
- Presentation at the closing pitch event. Every venture team member should participate in the presentation to the extent possible.
All materials outlined above will be due one week before the closing pitch event.
*Any payments (including, but not limited to prizes, awards, non-qualified scholarships, grants, fellowships, stipends, etc.) to U.S. and international students are potentially subject to withholding. Please contact your tax advisor regarding individual tax implications.
Questions? Contact [email protected].