Highlighting Tamer Center for Social Enterprise initiatives, ideas, alumni, and faculty members featured in the news.
August 2023
Educators Say They Are Working With, Not Against, AI in the Classroom
CBS News, August 29, 2023
Professor Dan Wang provides thoughts and a preview of what he has planned for his fall 2023 classes with AI integrated into many of the routine elements of course assignments, research, and group work. He suggests that it is the responsibility of educators to expose students to the potential for generative AI tools as an organic feature of their everyday lives. But, he argues, there is room for debate on what this responsibility looks like.
Three Entrepreneurs Turning the Tide with Water-wise Innovations
Columbia Business School, August 23, 2023
The founders of three Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio members — AdvanceH2O, Folia Materials, and microTERRA — discuss how their innovations are shaping a more water-conscious world.
Turning Trash Into Treasure: A CBS Alum Champions the Circular Economy, Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Columbia Business School, August 4, 2023
With investments in dozens of companies worldwide, Ron Gonen '04 closes the loop on sustainable economic practices. In this piece, he shares his thoughts on what makes for a good entrepreneur, what the future holds for the circular economy, and why there’s reason to be optimistic rather than cynical.
July 2023
Empowering Impact: Three CBS Innovators Changing Communities Through Social Entrepreneurship
Columbia Business School, July 31, 2023
Lacie Pierre ’23, co-founder of the Wash House (a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member), is an entrepreneur who has built a business that is already having an impact in her community. While at CBS, she developed her idea to help underserved communities by building a launderette that also offers development programs and co-working spaces for professionals.
Doritos and the PepsiCo Foundation Partner to Celebrate 16 Black Changemakers for Third Annual SOLID BLACK Initiative
BET, July 20, 2023
Quardean Lewis-Allen, founder of Youth Design Center, a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member, received $50K from the Solid Black Initiative. Quardean created the creative agency and innovation hub to help young people in his native Brooklyn neighborhood have access to a future in STEM professions.
Mayor Adams and Comptroller Lander Announce New Reforms to Cut Red Tape, Make it Easier for Nonprofits to Get Paid on Time
NYC.Gov July 20, 2023
“We applaud Mayor Adams, the administration, Speaker Adams, and the New York City Council and Comptroller Lander on this new initiative to streamline the discretionary awards process for hundreds of human services organizations that rely on this funding,” says Phoebe Boyer ’93, president and CEO of Children’s Aid, in response to the city's new reforms that make it easier for nonprofits to get paid on time.
Summer School 2: Competition and the Cheaper Sneaker
NPR, July 19, 2023
Professor Dan Wang summarizes all of the amazing takeaways of the core Strategy MBA class on NPR's Planet Money podcast.
New York City Faces Climate Risks Like Air Quality and Flooding
City and State, July 17, 2023
In this Q&A, Rohit Aggarwala '00, New York City Chief Climate Officer, discusses how the city is preparing to handle a variety of challenges, including flood-prevention projects, air pollution mitigation efforts, and reshaping the city’s climate change policy.
Entrepreneurship Program Empowers Prisoners
AACSB, July 17, 2023
Damon Phillips, senior lecturer at Columbia Business School, writes about how a business education can help incarcerated individuals avoid recidivism and poverty.
What the Climate Fight Is Really About
Project Syndicate, July 17, 2023
Gernot Wagner, senior lecturer and climate economist, writes about how the climate fight is really about the risks and endemic uncertainties. He says that managing the problem well requires that we cut off the tail end of the extreme-weather distribution.
Weeks of Extreme Heat Strain Small Businesses and Economy
The Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2023
Gernot Wagner, senior lecturer and climate economist, says extreme heat can trigger irrational behavior that can add up economically.
Google Awards Over $1M to 7 Local Minority-run Startups
Crain's NY, July 14, 2023
Local Civics, a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio venture founded by Beverly Leon ’20, is one of seven New York City-based companies that will receive just over $1M in cash from two programs run by Google's parent company Alphabet. The programs support founders from underrepresented backgrounds. The $150K award will help the venture continue to streamline educational resources around citizenship, social impact, and visionary leadership for schools at every level.
AI Is Already Linked to Layoffs in the Industry That Created It
CNN, July 4, 2023
In response to tech companies laying off workers and rethinking new hires as AI rapidly develops, Professor Dan Wang comments that AI “will cause organizations to restructure,” but he doesn’t neccessarily see machines replacing humans just yet.
June 2023
EcoPlum Spotlights New York, New York With Women-owned Business Certification From New York State and New York City
PR Cision Newswire, June 29, 2023
EcoPlum, a sustainable promotional products company where Gia Machlin, '91BUS, '87SEAS, is president and CEO, recently received certifications as a women-owned business by both New York State and New York City. "We are thrilled to receive women-owned business certification from both New York State and New York City, highlighting our active participation within an amazing and powerful community of women entrepreneurs in New York who are making a difference and doing good with their successful businesses,” says Gia.
Gambling, Literally, on Climate Change
NPR, June 27, 2023
In a recent study, researchers from Columbia Business School and Northwestern University found that betting money on weather increases concerns about the effects of climate change. Professor Sandra Matz, one of the authors, discusses lessons from the study and their idea for a scaled-up "climate prediction market."
Black Women-owned Impact America Closes $112 Million Third Fund
Impact Alpha, June 21, 2023
Impact America Fund has raised $112 million for its third fund, bringing their total AUM to $177M. This fund will invest in 30 new companies from Seed through Series A stages. The Black women-owned venture capital investor "[works] to build massively profitable and purposeful companies that can uplift Black and Brown workers, families and small businesses," says Kesha Cash '10, founder and general partner.
Can Carbon Markets Accelerate Progress Towards Net Zero?
Financial Times, June 15, 2023
“There are really good reasons for having carbon markets [...] The problem is that implementing them is extraordinarily difficult to do in a way that actually reduces emissions,” says Professor Bruce Usher, who is quoted in this detailed report on carbon credits, net zero, and tackling climate change.
Meet the Health Tech Founder Using Algorithms to Tackle Mental Illness
Forbes, June 14, 2023
Morgan Hewett, ’15CC, co-founder of Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member Options MD, saw an opportunity to use ad technology to address treatment-resistant depression. The telehealth platform uses algorithms to help people with treatment-resistant illnesses find a treatment that works.
Killer Snails Launches Immersive Environmental Science Curriculum Supplement for Grades 3-5
Yahoo!, June 13, 2023
Killer Snails, where Jessica Ochoa Hendrix '09 is CEO and founder, recently launched WaterWays, an innovative 3rd to 5th grade science curriculum supplement focused on water ecology and environmental health. Developed with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Hudson River Park, and Mount Sinai, WaterWays aims to cultivate a generation of informed, passionate students committed to preserving our planet's health.
Horton Award Winner S. Mona Sinha ’93 Harnesses Business Acumen to Drive Change for Gender Equality
Columbia Business School, June 9, 2023
S. Mona Sinha ’93, center advisory board member, recently reflected on how she came to realize that her business acumen could be valuable to purpose-focused organizations. In her work today as global executive director of Equality Now — a large legal nonprofit that works to change laws that enshrine equality for women and girls — she is focused on the importance of putting equality and equity at the center of business to create a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and full enjoyment of their human rights. At our annual Awards Breakfast in May, we were thrilled to honor Mona with the Horton Award for her dedication to the social enterprise community at Columbia University, and for her extraordinary strategic and philanthropic leadership to elevate women’s issues worldwide.
CBS Honors Andrea Turner Moffitt ’07 With the Social Enterprise Leadership Award for Advancing Gender Equity and Intentional Investing
Columbia Business School, June 9, 2023
After seeing the lack of diversity in the asset class of venture investing, center advisory board member Andrea Turner Moffitt ’07 wanted to find a way to open doors for women and other underrepresented investors. As part of a call to women (and men) to invest in women innovators, she launched Plum Alley Investments. The venture firm looks for companies that stand to improve society and the planet via new technologies or medical breakthroughs. It also stipulates that its portfolio companies have at least one woman in the founding team. At our annual Awards Breakfast in May, we were thrilled to honor Andrea with the Social Enterprise Leadership Award for her support of women-led businesses and social ventures, and her commitment to expanding social enterprise at Columbia Business School.
At Awards Breakfast, Tamer Center Recognizes Alumni and Students Who Embody Its Mission
Columbia Business School, June 7, 2023
We were thrilled to recognize Columbia Business School alumni and students who embody our mission to shape the next generation of business leaders committed to an equitable and sustainable future. Supporters gathered to celebrate the achievements and impact of honorees S. Mona Sinha ’93 and Andrea Turner Moffitt ’07, alongside the Carson Family Changemaker Award student winners Wilburt Carpenter ’23, Silvia Gelonch Fernandez ’23, Kyle Finck ’20, Natasha Gabbay ’21, and Meg Johnson ’20, who were active champions of social enterprise while at CBS. Thank you to center advisory board member Tony Tamer and Professors Bruce Usher and Dan Wang for presenting these important awards.
May 2023
Meet the MBA Class of 2024: M.A. Miller, Columbia Business School
Poets & Quants, May 19, 2023
"At Columbia, I found a dedicated academic space where I can engage my interest in environmental sustainability while growing my financial expertise through the courses and learning opportunities organized through the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise," says M.A. Miller '24, on how the center's curriculum programming led her to ultimately choose CBS.
More Female Founders And Investors Are Needed To Ensure A Greener Future
Forbes, May 17, 2023
The center is mentioned for providing programs that support a deeper pipeline of female founders in the field of investing to scale companies to take meaningful climate action.
Kinnos Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer Jason Kang Named a Notable Leader in Health Care by Crain’s New York Business
Business Wire, May 15, 2023
Entrepreneur Jason Kang, ’16SEAS, was honored for the creation of the venture's Highlight technology, which colorizes disinfectants, and for his pioneering work improving health care cleaning and infection prevention standards globally.
How Business School Research Can Serve The World Today
Forbes, May 9, 2023
Professor Vanessa Burbano's research on how CEOs taking a stance on social-political issues has "virtually no positive impacts on employee motivation whatsoever" is mentioned in this article on how sustainability has become increasingly more important to prospective business school students.
35. BlocPower
CNBC, May 9, 2023
Cleantech company BlocPower, where Donnel Baird '13 is founder and CEO, is included in CNBC’s annual Disruptor 50 list, which "highlights private companies that are chasing some of the market’s biggest opportunities, and growing despite a tough capital markets environment and slowing economy."
Making the Business Case for Second-Chance Employment
Columbia Business School, May 3, 2023
Here are five takeaways from the inaugural "Charting a Path Forward With Business Schools and Corporations" conference, which was designed to draw greater attention to the employment barriers formerly incarcerated people face—and the steps necessary to remove them.
People Who Help Other People Must Be Paid More: Higher Wages Are Needed for Nonprofit Employees in NYC
NY Daily News, May 3, 2023
Phoebe Boyer ’93, president and CEO of Children’s Aid, makes the case that higher wages are needed for nonprofit employees in NYC.
Kinnos Raises Another $15M to Ensure Hospital Surfaces Are Properly Disinfected
AlleyWatch, May 1, 2023
In its latest round of funding, Kinnos (a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member) raised $15M, bringing the company’s total funding raised to $22.8M and helping establish Highlight — a colorizing technology for mission-critical disinfectants that helps prevent the spread of surface-borne pathogens — as a global standard of care and practice.
April 2023
Su Sanni, Dollaride: From Dollar-van Commuter to Urban-mobility Entrepreneur
Impact Alpha, April 28, 2023
Co-founder Su Sanni says that he "often found [himself] as young as seven years old walking a mile just to get to the nearest subway station,” which is what inspired him to start Dollaride, a Brooklyn-based tech startup (and a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member) that digitalizes payments and transit routes for dollar van drivers and their customers.
Immigrant-run Catering Company Finds a New Life in Retail
Crain's NY, April 27, 2023
After losing 100 percent of its business in the beginning of the pandemic, Eat Offbeat (a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member) pivoted by repackaging their "catering best-sellers into individual portions for customers to order online, then by launching a subscription business, and finally by adding a line of shelf-stable goods and treats they could ship nationally."
What Can Companies Do to Take on Climate Change?
Columbia Business School: Executive Education, April 20, 2023
Companies across the globe will be impacted either by climate change directly or by the policies implemented to mitigate or adapt to it. Professor Geoffrey Heal shares insights into how climate change and its related policies will influence businesses worldwide.
Investors Play a Crucial Role in Solving Climate Change
Columbia Climate School: State of the Planet, April 17, 2023
Professor Bruce Usher spoke on the role of investors in the climate crisis.
Business Leaders, Employees Talk Benefits of Second-Chance Hiring
SHRM, April 11, 2023
SHRM covered how the "Charting a Path Forward With Business Schools and Corporations" conference explored how organizations and business schools can educate leaders on the benefits of second-chance employment for people with criminal records — particularly those who are formerly incarcerated.
Ithaca’s Crazy Plan to Be Our First All-Electric City
Rolling Stone, April 10, 2023
The city of Ithaca has a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. The city teamed up with cleantech startup BlocPower, where Donnel Baird '13 is founder and CEO, to manage the program.
8 Sustainability Experts on the Front Lines Share Concrete Reasons to be Hopeful About the Climate Crisis
Business Insider, April 6, 2023
"We have all the hardware, software, and data we need to reduce about 30 to 35 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions generated by buildings. It just requires focus and will — and a lot of funding," says Donnel Baird '13, founder and CEO of Blocpower.
ICYMI: Business Leaders Make the Case for Second Chance Employment at Columbia Business School
Business Roundtable, April 6, 2023
Business Roundtable recapped the "Charting a Path Forward With Business Schools and Corporations" conference, where attendees learned more about the shared benefits of second chance hiring, what academia and government can do to support these efforts, and how to maximize employee retention.
Columbia Business School Hosts Event on Second Chance Employment
Columbia Spectator, April 4, 2023
"Charting a Path Forward With Business Schools and Corporations" was highlighted for its focus on discussing the benefits of second-chance employment, bringing together titans of industry, affiliates of the School, and business and justice coalitions to address barriers to employment access for those with a criminal record.
Post-Roe, Unlikely Businesses Are Giving Away Emergency Contraceptives. How They're Doing It
Inc., April 1, 2023
Dr. Caroline Weinberg, MD ’12PH, founder of Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member Plan A Health, notes that "a history of reproductive injustice has led to a mistrust in the medical system. Businesses can help bridge this reproductive care gap by providing educational information or products around reproductive health." The nonprofit venture provides mobile reproductive and sexual health clinics to underserved rural areas.
March 2023
Recast Power List 2023
Politico, March 30, 2023
Diana Hwang '17, founder and executive director of Asian-American Women's Political Initiative (AAWPI), was an audience's pick on Politico's National Power List: 40 Most Powerful People on Race and Politics for her work creating a political infrastructure so AAPI women can lead.
Listening to the Spaces in Between
Equality Now, March 7, 2023
"Listening can be a radical act because it involves learning to trust each other, and as we all know, wherever there is trust, there is risk. But I believe that it is a risk worth taking. Because to listen — to cultivate trust — is to redistribute power: and that is how we change the world," says center advisory board member S. Mona Sinha '93, global executive director of Equality Now.
Diverge Health Launched to Build Upon a Decade of Experience Serving Underserved Patients in New York
Newswire, March 5, 2023
City Health Works, where Manmeet Kaur '12 was CEO, announced the formation of Diverge Health — a new health care company that comprehensively supports primary care providers to better serve patients on Medicaid.
Why Big Oil’s Record Profits Sparked a Backlash
CNBC, March 2, 2023
In this CNBC video, Professor Bruce Usher argues that there are two ways to de-carbonize: go after supply or go after demand.
BlocPower Raises Funding to Expand Green Building Retrofits
Bloomberg, March 1, 2023
Climate tech startup BlocPower, founded by Donnel Baird '13, raised nearly $150 million in its latest round of fundraising — including over $24 million in equity funding and $130 million in debt financing — to retrofit tens of thousands of apartments with climate-friendly appliances in NYC. The venture focuses on greening America's buildings by building decarbonization in low-income communities.
Black Women in Tech: Guava Founder Kelly Ifill on How Black Women Can Increase Wealth Through Entrepreneurship
Ebony, March 1, 2023
“I watched family members build profitable businesses, but also heard conversations about the challenges that they're facing, like getting denied for a loan when you've had a 20-year relationship with the bank.” In this interview, Kelly Ifill '17, discusses how she is closing the racial wealth gap through digital bank Guava, a community platform designed to serve Black entrepreneurs and small business owners by providing them with equitable financial products.
February 2023
NYC’s Shadow Transit Network Seeks a Greener Future
Bloomberg, February 28, 2023
A $10 million grant will help the rideshare app Dollaride — a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member — "electrify its fleet of dollar vans, which shuttle thousands of commuters living far from bus or subway stops."
Erica Ford Curbs Gun Violence in NYC with Her Big Orange Peacemobile: 'We're There Before the 911 Calls'
People Magazine, February 24, 2023
Erica Ford, Senior Leaders for Nonprofit Professionals participant in 2023, is profiled for her impactful work creating LIFE Camp Inc, a nonprofit in Queens that provides youth and families that have been impacted by violence the valuable tools they need to stay in school and out of the criminal justice system.
Bill Gates and Professors at Top Universities Agree: The Future Belongs to Those Who Master AI Like ChatGPT
Business Insider, February 23, 2023
Professor Dan Wang told Business Insider that he believes that "a familiarity with AI will be an essential skill in the future." He encourages his students to "use ChatGPT to do their homework. I have one requirement: they just tell me that they use it, and specifically how they use it."
Laidlaw Scholars Ventures Invests $650K in Guava to Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap
Cision PR Newswire, February 21, 2023
Laidlaw Scholars Ventures invested $650K in Guava, a digital banking and networking platform founded by Kelly Ifill '17. The digital bank, created by and for Black entrepreneurs, helps narrow the racial wealth gap in the United States.
Private Equity Firms Seek Piece of the Impact Investment Action
Financial Times, February 20, 2023
"The returns on renewable energy projects [such as wind and solar] are pretty low these days, partly because they are very low risk [...] Some of these sectors, like renewable energy, have become so successful that it becomes challenging to get those returns," says Professor Bruce Usher, as he weighs in on how interest in impact investing has increased, posing a challenge for private equity firms seeking to deliver outsized returns.
‘Climate Tech Is in a Boom Right Now,’ Says NGO Leader
Columbia Business School, February 10, 2023
Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), visited Columbia Business School for a discussion on climate change policy and action as part of the first installment of “A Climate of Change: Stories from Climate Leaders on the Front Lines” series. While on campus, Keohane discussed with Danny Wagemans '23 the technicalities behind how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law in 2022, the future of nuclear power, and what is ahead for young people entering the climate and sustainability field.
Our City Could Become One of the World’s Greenest, But It Won’t Be Easy
The New York Times, February 7, 2023
New York City’s buildings are responsible for over 70 percent of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, most generated on site. Gernot Wagner, senior lecturer and climate economist, writes in this guest essay about how other cities will be closely watching the city's aggressive transition to cut emissions and achieve net-zero by 2050.
MBA Students Chose CARE’s HerSkills as Recipient of $110,000 in Unique Partnership with Lever for Change: More to Come in 2023
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, February 1, 2023
In a unique partnership between Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, MacArthur Foundation-affiliate Lever for Change, and the center, MBA students will apply classroom learning to award over $100,000 to a nonprofit. The Global Philanthropy course — taught by adjunct professor Melissa Berman, advisory board member of the center and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors — teaches students how to assess contenders from top proposals submitted for 100&Change and other global competition prizes.
January 2023
These Building Materials Are Made out of Grass
Fast Company, January 30, 2023
Instead of wood, the sustainable furniture company Plantd (a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member) uses fibers from fast-growing grasses that absorb as much as 30 tons of carbon. Their vision is to take carbon out of the atmosphere as fast as possible.
Academic Research Award: Tipping Point for Action
Financial Times, January 15, 2023
Professor Vanessa Burbano's paper — on the effect an employer's stance about a social/political issue has on employee motivation — was included in the highly commended section of the Responsible Business Education Awards.
At Columbia’s $600 Million Business School, Time to Rethink Capitalism
The New York Times, January 5, 2023
"The broader concern with the world is well integrated into core courses, and we have six electives on climate change alone... students are more desirable hires with this background.” Professor Bruce Usher weighs in on how the architecture of our new Manhattanville campus reflects the School's integration of social concerns like climate change, the role of business in society, and its community commitments.
Electrifying ‘Dollar Vans’ to Boost Livelihoods and Cut Carbon in New York’s Transit Deserts
ImpactAlpha, January 5, 2023
“We want the drivers in the industry to have the best equipment and technology because oftentimes our communities don’t get what is the best,” says Su Sanni, co-founder of Dollaride, a Tamer fund for Social Ventures rideshare tech startup. Dollaride is spearheading the Clean Transit Access Program with a $10M grant from NYSERDA to electrify at least 100 dollar vans across NYC neighborhoods neglected by mass transit. Climate tech company BlocPower, founded by Donnel Baird '13, will finance the program.
MBA Programs Must Adapt to Navigate American Culture Wars
Worth, January 3, 2023
"Coursework on Corporate Strategy used to be very much finance-focused, but here at Columbia, we have added non-quantifiable issues to the mix," says Professor Dan Wang, on how the School has altered its curriculum to address social and political issues.