Ignition Grants are financial grants to assist Columbia University students in launching new businesses, social and not-for-profit ventures. Ignition Grants support the initial stages of early venture development from formation, IP protection, and incubation to building prototypes and creating proofs of concept. Teams that have received Ignition Grants in the past will not be eligible for additional grants.
There are two levels of grants:
- Formation Level: Formation level grants will be awarded that allow ventures that have demonstrated sufficient seriousness and have well-defined teams to pay for incorporation, founders’ agreements, trademark searches, domain names, etc.
- Incubation Level: Incubation Level grants will be awarded for well-formed teams to offset incubation expenses including one year at Columbia Startup Lab facilities and non-salary operating expenses.
All grants are non-dilutive. Judges will decide the level of funding (ranging from $5k-$15k) for teams based on their applications.
Grants will be given to current Columbia Engineering students to support the development of prototypes and the initial stages of early venture development, specifically in the space of human performance and athletics
All project ideas are welcome – projects with an athletics/engineering/technology focus are highly encouraged, as well as collaborative projects with students outside of science and engineering.
Who can apply?
- Grants are available to current SEAS students (undergraduate and graduate). Teams must have at least one current SEAS student who plays a significant role on the team.
- Teams do not need to incorporate to apply or receive funding