The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures, a Columbia Business School program that provides $25,000 grants to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures, has awarded funding to three new startups. After 20 funding cycles, over 70 ventures led by Columbia University students, alumni, faculty or researchers, or are advised by Columbia University faculty or researchers, have received funding.
The most recent funding cycle represents four Columbia University schools, adding to the portfolio founding teams that represent over 15 schools across the University. Upon selection, these entrepreneurs gain funding and access to a wide variety of connections and resources available through the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change at Columbia Business School.
The following awardees were selected after their participation in an application screening round, a due diligence process with student teams from the Columbia Business School course Investing in Social Ventures, and a final pitch to the fund’s investment board.
Spring 2025
- Carbon Infuse, co-founded by Diandian Zhao, ’24SEAS, and Shiho Kawashima, eliminates the need for CO2 purification and transport using a single-step carbon capture utilization and storage.
- Giraffe Bio, co-founded by Alejandro Buffo Sempe, ’19BUS, and Juan Pablo Fernandez, develops AI-designed biomolecules to improve the extraction of critical minerals like copper and lithium.
- Kriash, founded by Neetika Ashwani, ’22PH, provides a wearable device to monitor skin-to-skin contact, vital signs, and maternal well-being for babies and mothers in neonatal intensive care.
- RenewVerse, co-founded by Vijay Krishnan, ’25BUS ’25SEAS, and Akash Venkatraman, transforms waste-derived feedstocks into sustainable biosurfactants and enzymes to replace petrochemical-based ingredients in industries like personal care, home cleaning, and agriculture.