2023-2024 Events

Students interested in learning about social entrepreneurship, impact and ESG investing, climate change and CSR, renewable energy, board service, and international development joined the Green Business Club, Financial Literacy Club, and Social Enterprise Club to hear from club leaders and learn about club initiatives and the social impact community on campus. Green Business Club (GBC), Financial Literacy Club (FLC), Social Enterprise Club (SEC), and institute.

CBS alumni and students interested in joining a nonprofit board connected with mission-driven organizations looking for high-impact volunteers and board members. This year’s event showcased the impact of the Tamer Institute network, including organizations led by alumni board members and nonprofit executives from the Senior Leaders Program in Executive Education. Attendees networked with fellow alumni and students while learning how to deepen their impact on the issues that matter most — from global equality to local housing access, economic and workforce equity, access to education and the arts.

The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants of $25K to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures. Funding is made available to around seven ventures each year. Karen Hasher, program manager, hosted an information session for students, researchers, and alumni of Columbia University to learn and ask questions about the fund, application process, upcoming deadlines, and qualifications to apply.

Social and environmental nonprofit founders joined Alaa Albarghuthi, director of social impact at GLG, to learn how to access GLG's network of experts for free through GLG Partners.

Kickoff meeting for current project teams to discuss spring Pangea projects, deadlines, resources, and travel.
Organized by Pangea Advisors, a part of the SEC.

Club leaders, faculty, researchers, and staff gathered at Olivia’s Tapas for an end of the year celebration.sustainability-themed

The GBC’s new Educational Dinner Pods for members is focused on key topics in green business. Dinners are held throughout the year and centered around different themes.
Organized by GBC.

Sonia Panigrahy, human-centered design consultant, guided entrepreneurs into getting first-hand user insights to shape their business and social venture strategy, and improve their user adoption success.

Alumni attending COP28 in Dubai were invited to join Dean Costis Maglaras and Professor Bruce Usher for an alumni dinner, where they spoke about Columbia Business School's Business and Climate Change initiative and updates from COP28.
This event was hosted by Marwan Dalloul ’08.

During COP28 in Dubai, faculty and staff from universities and business schools around the globe, and business leaders interested in education, were invited for a lunch conversation with Dean Costis Maglaras and Professor Bruce Usher on preparing future business leaders for climate change. During the event, Dean Maglaras and Professor Usher demonstrated the new Open Climate Curriculum initiative website, an open resource for business school faculty that shares teaching materials and expertise to expedite the mission of expanding business teaching that addresses climate change.

Pivotal 180 came to campus for a two-day in-person bootcamp to prepare students with the necessary skills to recruit for clean energy roles. There was minor pre-work and homework with access to all materials for 12 months. Pivotal 180 provides industry-leading training to teams at many employers such as Apollo, Barclays, EDF Renewables, Global Infrastructure Partners, Lendlease, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Shell.
Organized by the Energy & Infrastructure Club and GBC.

MBA students interested in a social impact career attended this career workshop led by Emily Lamia, founder and CEO of Pivot Journeys. Emily helped students identify and define their future career in social enterprise; zero in on what they enjoy about work; clarify the skills they want to use in their next position; create a more refined pitch to communicate their value and what they are looking for; and nail potential interview questions. Pivot Journeys is passionate about helping people grow and develop in their careers. Emily has been helping people grow and develop in their careers for over a decade.

Filip Vanden Bulcke, consul general of Belgium in New York; Tijs Delaere, VP of US offshore operations for DEME Group (a Belgium-headquartered leading offshore energy contractor with US operations); and Sanjay Shrestha, chief strategy officer of Plug Power (a US-headquartered green hydrogen firm) discussed the opportunities and challenges — market, regulatory, diplomatic, and otherwise — of conducting climate tech business on both sides of the Atlantic.
Organized by the GBC and ExBo, and supported by the institute.

Alumni working in the green business space, including APG Asset Management, joined students in the Green Business Club for a networking event downtown.
Organized by GBC.

Panelists Dev Banerjee (Ambient Fuels), David Medoff (Generate Capital), and moderator Daniel Ioselevich ’24 discussed Generate Capital's May 2023 investment in Ambient Fuels to scale green hydrogen projects and accelerate the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors. This case study event was open to all students interested in climate tech, energy transition finance, and startups. The panelists walked through the Ambient Fuels-Generate Capital $250 million transaction, from sourcing to execution, including the critical considerations and risks each party considered throughout, and answered students’ questions.
Organized by GBC.

Participants of NBLP gathered to discuss progress on their projects and the resources available to them.
Organized by NBLP, within the SEC, and institute.

Pangea Advisors is the pro bono international consulting arm of SEC. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life in the developing world by addressing critical challenges encountered by nonprofits and for-profit social enterprises. All students are encouraged to apply to join a project team. Attendees discovered what it takes to make a difference abroad, tackling the most pressing issues in the developing world.
Organized by Pangea Advisors, a part of the Social Enterprise Club.

In this webinar and Q&A, Don Weiss, former professor at Columbia Business School and owner of Boright Realty, W&B Holdings, and White Home Products, provided the ins and outs of choosing a partnership for your venture.

Columbia's climate community met for our first cross-school social of the year.
Organized by the Green Business Club at Columbia Business School; the Circular Economy Club and Columbia Sustainable Finance Professionals Network at the School of Professional Studies; Columbia Climate School; the Corporate Responsibility Association at Columbia Law School; the Electric Vehicles Organization; GreenSAPP at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; SUMASA and SUMA Net Impact at Columbia University; and the Sustainable Business Working Group at the School of International and Public Affairs.

Attendees deepened their understanding of climate tech recruiting norms and expectations from a range of experts. Speakers included Shara Mohtadi, co-founder of S2 Strategies Advisory Firm, former advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Newlab, and the Department of Energy; Silas Mahner, climate tech recruitment lead for Nextwave Partners, and host of CleanTechies podcast; and Anne Downing, senior recruiter for Climatebase.
Organized by the GBC, Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO), and CBS Tech Club.

This demo-day connected early-stage investors with passionate and talented entrepreneurs innovating and building impactful solutions in the broader climate space. Selected founders pitched their startup to a panel of top-tier climate-driven venture capital funds and MBA students highly compelled to tackle the climate crisis. These early-stage climate entrepreneurs received live feedback and discussion from top climate VCs. All presenting companies had solutions related to mitigating or increasing resilience to climate change.
Organized by the Venture Capital Club (VCC) and GBC.

We all depend heavily on nonprofits — for education, health care, social services, spiritual fulfillment, and much more. Unfortunately, too many nonprofits are hobbled by inefficiency, infighting, and inertia. In his new book, "How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps: Bringing Out the Best in Nonprofits," David Schizer, Harvey R. Miller Professor of Law and Economics and Dean Emeritus of Columbia Law School, exposes the root causes of these problems and explains how to solve them. He also highlights impressive achievements by distinguished nonprofits, including 92NY's launch of Giving Tuesday. In this session, David was joined by key players ‒ including Henry Timms, president and CEO of Lincoln Center; Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday; and Stuart Elman, founder and general partner of RRE Ventures; in conversation with Sandra Navalli OAM ’03, adjunct faculty and managing director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change — in the launch of GivingTuesday to reflect on the secrets of its success.

Club members traveled to Lucid Motor's Meatpacking District flagship location to chat with their team about marketing, branding, and future products with Andrea Soriani, VP of marketing.
Organized by the Automotive and Transportation Club, GBC, and Retail and Luxury Goods Club (RLG).

Club members interested in careers in green business traveled to Boulder, Colorado for a sustainability themed career trek. Students learned about the different sustainable business opportunities, and explored Colorado’s beautiful outdoors.
Organized by the GBC.

Hosted by Livia Fry, program officer for North America and the Caribbean at TrustLaw, provided information about the range of pro bono legal support TrustLaw provides, common legal issues, and how to make the most of their services.

Wendy De Wolf ’18 is co-founder of East Light Partners and is involved in all aspects of finance, operations, and development activities. Prior to East Light Partners, Wendy was a project manager at Energy Management, Inc., where she applied broad ranging expertise across commercial, engineering, and permitting disciplines on the Cape Wind project and the successful development of over 35 MW of distributed and utility scale solar projects in the Northeast. Recently, Vitol’s Americas renewables platform, VC Renewables, acquired East Light Partners, its 520MW pipeline, and management team to expand into greenfield solar and storage development. Wendy holds a BS from Yale and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Organized by the GBC.

Faculty and PhD students gathered at the event to hear from Parinitha Sastry, assistant professor of business, about her recently published joint paper (with Emil Verner, associate professor of finance at MIT, and David Marquez-Ibanez, team lead - economist at the European Central Park). The paper studies the impact of voluntary climate commitments by banks on their lending activity and on borrowing firms. The authors used administrative data on the universe of bank lending from 19 European countries. There is strong selection into commitments, with increased participation by the largest banks and banks with the most pre-existing exposure to high-polluting industries. Climate-aligned banks do not change their lending volumes or interest rates to firms in high-polluting sectors after making voluntary commitments. However, firms in high-polluting sectors are more likely to set climate targets after their lender sets a climate target, potentially consistent with an engagement approach to reducing financed emissions.
Organized by Professors Geoffrey Heal and Gernot Wagner.

The conference provides a unique opportunity for attendees to tap into the vibrant ecosystem of capital for impact through the lens of philanthropy, impact investing, ESG, and social venture and business examples. Sessions included: “Ethical AI: Balancing Innovation and Social Responsibility,” “Unleashing the Power of Technology and Data Analytics in ESG Investing,” “Climate & Social Impact Pitch Mix & Match and Networking Session,” “Unleashing Economic Mobility: Evaluating Venture Impact and Sustainability,” “Financial Inclusion in the Digital Age: How Fintech is Connecting Underserved People,” “Scaling Climate Technology: Unlocking Innovation for a Greener Future,” “Carbon Credits: The Future of Climate Finance,” “Investing for Water Equity: How Impact driven Investments are Solving the Global Water Crisis,” and “The Future of Sustainable Cities: Paving the Path to Carbon-free Cities.” More information on the 2023 Social Enterprise Conference, Capital for Good can be found here: https://www.columbiasocialenterprise.org/conference/.
Organized by the institute, SEC, and GBC.

This session surveyed climate opportunities across the economy and introduced frameworks for organizing your climate learning journey. The aim of this series is to equip members with a baseline level of climate knowledge to be able to speak intelligently about climate work and recruit effectively for climate jobs. Later sessions included deeper dives in different areas based on member interests.
Organized by GBC.

The Inclusive Entrepreneurship Fellowship, led by Professor Dan Wang, facilitates partner projects between CBS student teams and local business or community leaders to create positive local impact by bridging divides in local entrepreneurial ecosystems. Projects explore areas such as social investing, inclusive financing, community development, and entrepreneurial consulting and advising. In this kickoff, 2023–24 fellows met with faculty, staff, and other student teams; and also discussed projects, deliverables, and deadlines.

Participants learned about the Cynefin framework from Professor Jeffrey Golde. In his introduction, Professor Golde discussed how the framework is an essential tool for leaders in identifying the type of problem they are working on and learning the principles and methods for approaching decision-making in complexity.

The Silfen Leadership Series brings world-renowned leaders to campus to speak to students, and was set up by David ’68 and Lyn Silfen. In this session Ron Gonen ’04 discussed how to build a circular economy business and the importance of regenerative materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally-friendly way. Ron is the founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm focused on building the circular economy. Closed Loop Partners manages capital for leading consumer goods companies, technology companies, retailers, financial institutions, family offices, and endowments focused on investments that seek strong financial returns and tangible social impact. Ron is the author of a number of patents in the areas of technology and environmental science.
Organized by the Silfen Leadership Series and co-hosted by the Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership, and the institute.

Club members joined the Social Enterprise Club for a career panel featuring second-year students who spent their summer working in impact investing. Panelists covered how impact investing differs from traditional investing, what kinds of projects or businesses impact investing typically supports, what recruiting looks like, and what skills or qualities impact investment firms look for in new hires. Panelists included Ray Lu ’24 (Impact America Fund), Maggie Monahan ’24 (GoodLight Capital), and Sarah Zhukovsky ’24 (Developing World Markets).
Organized by the SEC.

Students and partner organization staff and board members participating in the program gathered online for the program’s orientation session to learn about their nonprofit board projects for the academic year and to discuss initiatives and best practices.
Organized by NBLP, within the SEC, and institute.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest and most ambitious climate legislation ever passed in the United States. After just one year, the IRA has impacted the American economy by encouraging private sector investment in domestic clean energy and electric vehicle manufacturing, creating new jobs and business opportunities. Participants joined Brian Deese, MIT Innovation Fellow and former director of the National Economic Council in the Biden White House, and principal architect of the Inflation Reduction Act, in conversation with Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, global energy and climate innovation editor at The Economist, for a discussion on how the IRA is meeting America's climate goals while reshaping the economy. Brian’s remarks are available online.

Over the weekend, more than 100 hackers worked on tech solutions to climate change by partnering with local nonprofits in NYC and the Center’s new Open Climate Curriculum Initiative. Hacking teams consisted of a range of participants including students, marketers, technologists, strategists, creatives, and humanists from the local community. Participants used their problem-solving, analytical, and design-thinking skills to come up with solutions for change.
Organized by Girls in Tech NYC and supported by the institute.

The institute and the 2023 SESF cross-campus participants celebrated the current cohort of fellows. This networking event served as an opportunity for students to learn about the program first-hand from the institute's most recent cohort of fellows, listen to summer project presentations, and get to know social enterprise students from across Columbia University's campus. This year’s fellows interned across social enterprise sectors including international development, health care, arts, conservation, and beyond.
Organized by the institute and hosted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Participants joined Liz Bazini, president and founder of Bazini Hopp, to learn methods for entrepreneurs seeking to generate press for their ventures. Bazini Hopp is a NYC-based public relations agency helping small businesses increase their visibility and elevate executives as thought leaders to attract target audiences.

Students interested in securing internships in green business attended this student-led panel discussion to hear from second-year students about their internship recruiting experience for green business roles at tech startups, industry, investment firms, and more! Following the 30-minute moderated discussion, students had breakout discussions by recruiting path.
Organized by the GBC.

The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants of $25K to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures. Funding is made available to around seven ventures each year. Karen Hasher, program manager, hosted an information session for Columbia University students, alumni, and researchers to learn and ask questions about the fund, application process, upcoming deadlines, and qualifications to apply.

REAP and JTC students and advisors gathered virtually for an introduction and orientation for the semester’s advising program. Students met their advisors at virtual tables and outlined their goals for working together for the duration of their program.
Organized by Columbia University’s Justice Through Code (JTC) and the institute.

How can AI be used as a tool to drive financial inclusion in emerging and frontier markets? Students joined Azizjon Azimi, the visionary founder of zypl.ai and TajRupt, as he shared his groundbreaking journey of creating and managing two social enterprises focused on delivering economic empowerment and tech education. Azizjon dove into the power of synthetically generated AI models and machine learning-based credit scoring software that have revolutionized micro-lending in Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East. In addition, he talked about his work at TajRupt, where he is transforming Tajikistan into a regional hub for machine learning. Azizjon shared what it's like to launch and manage two social enterprise startups, his current work in financial inclusion, and the role of AI in transforming economies.

Kicking off right before New York’s Climate Week, the 2023 Brazil Climate Summit brought together business leaders, entrepreneurs, academia, experts, policy-makers, NGOs, and multilateral organizations to discuss Brazil’s opportunities and responsibilities in a world where environmental and social impacts are the pillars of a new capitalism. Participants learned from industry experts about the crucial role that concrete business opportunities can play in combating climate change. The combined power of academia, civil society, and the private sector in Brazil has established Brazil as a hub for climate-focused global business solutions. Summit participants examined the real opportunities that will shape the future of climate-related business in Brazil and around the world. Distinguished speakers from business and academia included Rich Lesser, Bruce Usher, Luciana Ribeiro, Patricia Ellen, Arminio Fraga, Pedro Parente, Marina Cançado, Nizan Guanaes, Luciano Huck, Guilherme Leal, Ana Cabral Gardner, Paula Kovarsky, among many others. Featured speakers discussed key sustainability topics crucial for the future of the planet and drawing the lessons for Brazil.
Presented by Columbia Global Centers, Rio de Janeiro; the Brazil Club at Columbia Business School; Columbia Alumni Association, Brazil; and Brazil Talk; and supported by the institute.

Students interested in learning about social entrepreneurship, impact and ESG investing, climate change and CSR, renewable energy, board service, and international development joined the Green Business Club, Financial Literacy Club, and Social Enterprise Club to hear from club leaders and learn about club initiatives and the social impact community on campus.
Green Business Club (GBC), Financial Literacy Club (FLC), Social Enterprise Club (SEC), and institute.

Interested students attended the Green Business Club's kickoff meeting to learn about careers in sustainability across industries.
Organized by the GBC.

Karen Hasher, program manager, discussed the Three Cairns Climate Fellowship at Columbia Business School which provides support to MBA and EMBA students who complete semester- or year-long projects at the intersection of climate change and business.

Students interested in taking on an independent consulting project for a nonprofit learned more about the NBLP, application process, and nonprofit board service.
Organized by NBLP, within the SEC, and institute.

Students heard from club leadership about Pangea Advisors, Columbia Business School’s pro bono international consulting organization that strives to improve lives in the developing world by helping nonprofit and for-profit social enterprises address business challenges. Club leaders discussed how Pangea operates, its impact to-date, a summary of past projects, the opportunities for first-year students to join the board, and the potential for travel this year.
Organized by Pangea Advisors, within the SEC.

In this workshop, Michelle Arrazcaeta discussed what makes a 30-second pitch strong, and participants had the opportunity to create their own personal pitch. Michelle used coaching and strategy methods to help attendees articulate who they are in a way that lights them. It's not just what you say, but the energy you bring when saying it.

The Nand and Jeet Khemka Distinguished Speaker Forum, established in May 2008 by CBS board member Nand L. Khemka '56 and his wife, Jeet, brings leaders in industry, commerce, finance, and government from India and around the globe to New York to share their perspective on India's growing economy and business policies. This lecture featured Namita Vikas, founder and managing director of auctusESG, and Professor Bruce Usher, co-director of the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change. Participants learned about sustainable finance in India: what's working well, what's not, and lessons for the United States; what financing solutions/structures work for climate change when capital is very limited; and how blended finance can improve local livelihoods.
Organized by the Jerome A. Chazen Institute for Global Business and co-sponsored by the institute and the South Asia Business Association (SABA) at Columbia Business School.

MBA students were invited to join the Green Business Club members for a social event at the Baylander. Participants met GBC members and connected with the climate community on campus.
Organized by the GBC.

Technologies from wind and solar power to robotics and artificial intelligence are paving the way for innovative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint. Attendees joined Washington Post Live for a dynamic conversation with Professor Gernot Wagner and Reina Otsuka, United Nations Development Program’s Digital Innovation for Nature, Climate and Energy lead, about the role of technology in finding solutions to address climate change.
Organized by the Washington Post, presenting sponsor by esri | The Science of Where

Managing director Sandra Navalli OAM ’03 and the Office of Financial Aid hosted an information session for students and alumni interested in applying for Columbia Business School’s Loan Assistance Program, which enables MBAs to take management and leadership positions in the public and nonprofit sectors, and with social ventures. The program is designed to help alleviate the financial burden associated with repaying education loans while pursuing a career in these sectors, which typically pay lower salaries but have unmet needs that Columbia Business School graduates are able to address.

The Inclusive Entrepreneurship Fellowship facilitates partner projects between MBA/EMBA student teams and local business and community leaders to create positive local impact by bridging divides in entrepreneurial ecosystems. Projects explore areas such as social investing, inclusive financing, community development, and entrepreneurial consulting and advising. Over the course of the program, student participants can expect to expand their experience and apply their training; work with an accelerator or VC on challenging projects and areas of need within their organization; explore the ways business may address major social and economic challenges faced by overlooked and marginalized communities in New York City and around the world; and earn Independent study credit and fellowship funding. During this info session, the institute discussed team formation and how to apply, shared the program opportunities, and reviewed the partner portfolios for 2023–2024.

The Amazon Forest plays a pivotal role in regulating global climate patterns. With an estimated 150-200 billion tons of carbon stored in the Amazon, the deforestation of the Amazon Forest presents both a major problem and a great opportunity. This two-part event comprised an academic session that discussed the role of the Amazon and how reforestation can be a cost-effective solution to capturing significant carbon emissions, and a policy session that uncovered innovative solutions through public policy to combat deforestation and protect the native vegetation of the Amazon Forest to reduce its tipping point. Academic speakers included: Jose Scheinkman, Charles and Lynn Zhang Professor of Economics at Columbia University; and Elena Shevliakova, physical scientist at Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) at Princeton University Forrestal Campus; and was moderated by Juliano Assuncao, executive director at the Climate Policy Initiative and associate professor of economics at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). Policy speakers featured Kevin Conrad, executive director of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations; André Corrêa do Lago, Secretary for Climate, Energy, and Environment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Juliana Santiago, managing director of Emergent-LEAF Coalition; and moderated by Gernot Wagner, Senior Lecturer in Discipline of Economics in the Faculty of Business at Columbia Business School.

Patrick Lin ’24, VP of community for Green Business Club, led a trip to Newlab's Climate Week event. The event featured high-level speakers from Revel, Orsted, and BoA; ventures from Activate, CTVC, and New System Ventures; and government representatives from ARPA-E, Michigan Central, and InvestPR. Following the event, participants networked with speakers and attendees.
Organized by the GBC.

Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence & Physics (LEAP) is an NSF-funded Science and Technology Center (STC) launched in 2021 with the mission to increase the reliability, utility, and reach of climate projections through the integration of climate and data sciences. Driven by a collaboration between Columbia University, NYU, University of California Irvine, Teachers College, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, NCAR, and NASA-GISS, LEAP works with the nation’s top climate research laboratories and major computing organizations to optimally use the wealth of data available for climate modeling in order to better predict the future and positively impact society’s ability to adapt to climate change.

Together with the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and CarbonPlan, LEAP presented this workshop to introduce the LEAP Center, its research and vision, and to invite participants into an exploration of the suite of climate modeling and data visualization tools and resources currently being developed by the LEAP team. During the workshop, participants: learned about climate data and modeling, engaged in hands-on demonstrations, and began to identify how LEAP’s resources can address their needs.

The LEAP team also created space for feedback that assisted in refining these tools and resources for the most effective and vital application by financial institutions, government entities, and community organizations. The workshop included UNEP FI facilitators and a post-workshop write-up for participants.

Speakers included: Vanessa Burbano, corporate engagement director of LEAP and Sidney Taurel Associate Professor of Management at Columbia Business School; Julius Busecke, manager of data and computing at LEAP and senior staff associate at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO); and Jeremy Freeman, executive director at CarbonPlan.
Organized by Columbia University LEAP Science & Technology Center and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative.

First- and second-year students interested in climate change and social enterprise gathered at Talea Beer Co. — a female-founded taproom — in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. The event serves as an opportunity for like-minded students to come together and mingle with the climate and social impact communities at CBS. Students got to know the Tamer Institute Clubs, such as the Green Business Club and Social Enterprise Club; met institute faculty and staff; played a round of trivia with the New York City Trivia League; and enjoyed drinks and appetizers.

The series hosts preeminent business and legal executives from various industries to highlight their effective leadership styles in congruence with their companies’ strong organizational cultures. In this discussion, Cole Riley shared his drive to disrupt the country's current approach to food insecurity, as well as his ability — as a team of one — to instill Wellfare's mission-driven culture among the company's volunteers, corporate partners, donors, and families.
Organized by the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics, and supported by the institute and the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center.

Entrepreneurs joined Benjamin Friedman, president and founder of Build Scale Grow, for a one-hour webinar and Q&A to learn how to scale their venture. Build Scale Grow is a consulting and fractional COO organization helping small businesses.

The institute and the 2023 SESF MBA participants celebrated the current cohort of fellows. This networking event served as an opportunity for interested students to learn about the program first-hand from the institute's most recent cohort of fellows, listen to summer project presentations, and get to know social enterprise students at the Business School. This year’s fellows interned across social enterprise sectors including education, health care, philanthropy, impact investing, sustainability, real estate, and beyond.

Over the course of six workshops, justice-impacted and Columbia-affiliated teams participated in a series focused on team formation and practical startup skills development. Sessions addressed foundational topics including values-based team building; understanding customers and their "jobs to be done"; building a minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more. Participants presented their progress and pitched their startups at the Showcase Day for an audience of peers, startup team advisors, Columbia MBA/EMBA REAP instructors & advisors and friends of REAP (ReEntry Acceleration Program).
Organized by the institute, in partnership with the Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America.

Startup Works and JTC participants had the opportunity to attend the Grow With Google workshop hosted by Sandra Garcia, digital coach for Grow with Google at Google. The first half, entitled “Launch Your Business With Customer-Focused Marketing,” focused on how to create a compelling brand, define your audience, convert customers, and build loyalty and advocacy. The second half, entitled “Learn the Basics of Google Ads,” focused on how to reach more customers and grow startups with Google Ads, how to create an account and set up an ad campaign, how to improve ad performance, and how to measure success.
Organized by Grow with Google, Justice Through Code at Columbia University, and the institute.

The Tamer Fund for Social Ventures provides seed grants of $25K to nonprofit, for-profit, and hybrid early-stage social and environmental ventures. Funding is made available to around seven ventures each year. Karen Hasher, program manager, hosted an information session for students and alumni of Columbia University to learn and ask questions about the fund, application process, upcoming deadlines, and qualifications to apply.

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the sixth session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America. 

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the fifth session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America. 

The Nonprofit Board Leadership Program (NBLP) and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts hosted MBA and EMBA students for an exclusive pre-show reception before the “Summer for the City'' live performance. The show featured five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies — Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem — together on one stage as the BAAND Together Dance Festival at Damrosch Park. In addition to the performance, students interested in engaging with New York’s vibrant nonprofit arts sector had the opportunity to learn more about the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program (NBLP) and see some of our terrific NBLP partner organizations in action. 
Organized by the Nonprofit Board Leadership Program (NBLP) and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the fourth session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America.

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the third session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America. 

Over 100 high school students from the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem gathered at the Forum for a half-day Climate Summit. The event was in partnership with the Climate School and the Double Discovery Center. Students heard from a speaker from the Climate Museum about climate change and how they are raising awareness and engaging youth in activism. Young Leadership Council members from the Audubon Society and Brotherhood Sister Sol shared their experiences and enthusiasm for activism to encourage their peers from the Boys and Girls club to take action. Gerald Cotiangco from the Climate School held a career panel with two recent graduates highlighting less traditional careers in the climate sector.
Organized by the Double Discovery Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, with support from the institute. 

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the second session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America. 

A cohort of local community members, CU-affiliated participants, and justice impacted individuals participated in the first session of Startup Works, a workshop series focused on practical startup skills development. Over the course of six weeks, sessions addressed foundational entrepreneurship skills including values-based team building and resiliency; knowing customers and their problems; building minimum viable product with no-code tools; measuring impact; and more.
Organized by the institute, Center for Justice at Columbia University, and Communitas America.