Student Admin Worker

• Job Type: Short Term Casual
• Regular/Temporary: Temporary
• Hours Per Week: 10-20
• Salary Range: $18.46/hr -$18.46/hr

Position Summary

Columbia Technology Ventures is the technology transfer office for Columbia University and a central location for many of the technology development initiatives, entrepreneurial activities, external industry collaborations, and commercially-oriented multidisciplinary technology innovations across the university. CTV's core mission is to facilitate the transfer of inventions from academic research labs to the market for the benefit of society on a local, national, and global basis. Each year, CTV manages more than 350 invention disclosures, 100 license deals, and 20 new IP-backed start-ups, involving over 750 inventors across Columbia's campuses. CTV currently has over 1200 patent assets available for licensing, across research fields such as bio, IT, clean tech, devices, big data, nanotechnology, materials science, and more.

Over the years, CTV has been involved with launching well over 200 companies based on Columbia's technologies, and has also founded several technology initiatives to accelerate the path to market for promising technologies. CTV has also worked closely with Industry partnerships to develop collaborations and funding programs for translational research in the life sciences. CTV's efforts are backed by 45 full time staff and an additional 30+ graduate student interns (CTV Fellows), providing broad support to the Columbia community and other stakeholders. CTV also runs an Executive-in-Residence program, which brings seasoned industry executives, serial entrepreneurs, and investors to campus to support faculty and student entrepreneurial activities.

The Carbontech Development Initiative (CDI) at Columbia Technology Ventures is a first-of-its-kind, large-scale carbontech market transformation grant-seeding and commercialization initiative for carbontech science and technology. CDI aims to position New York State as a global carbontech hub by supporting research and development, facilitating technology transfer, and commercializing innovation. The program funds research and development (R&D) both within Columbia University and the broader carbontech space to create a technical ecosystem that can achieve durable market impacts. By leveraging the deep bench of technical expertise at Columbia University and the entrepreneurial dynamism of New York State, CDI will promote the decarbonization solutions required to address the climate crisis and catalyze economic development.

With support from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), CDI will encourage international participation from entrepreneurs and researchers, work to scale-up the demand-side market (investors, buyers, customers,) and enrich state, federal, and international policy ecosystems. CDI aims to catalyze decades-long carbontech market transformation, locking in an upward trajectory for the sector.

CDI aims to position New York State as a global carbontech hub, facilitating collaboration between academia, private businesses, and the public sector to create, validate, and launch cutting-edge solutions that capture, and convert different forms of waste carbon into a diverse array of valued products and services in a climate-beneficial way. The program solicits applications from teams in the following three topic areas:

• CO2 Capture Technology
• CO2-to-Building Materials
• CO2-to-Chemicals, Fuels, & Materials

The CDI Student Venture Associate Program offers a unique opportunity for Columbia University and Barnard College students to gain in-depth experience with university technology commercialization and entrepreneurship efforts.

This role is expected to be for up to 10 hours per week. More information on CDI can be found at https://labtomarket.columbia.edu/cdi

Responsibilities

Student Venture Associates will:

• Have an opportunity to work closely with a) CDI core team and individual research and startup teams that are part of accelerator cohorts. They will provide operational, marketing, and strategic support to the CDI program as needed
• Assist teams in accelerator cohorts with customer discovery, product-market fit, value proposition research, and other related assignments.
• Engage with individual cohort teams on specific tasks, ranging from market research, pitch deck editing, customer discovery and other activities related to that team's participation in the accelerator program.
• Be expected to join the CDI team in person at the CTV office on Wednesdays.
• Be expected to join virtual and in-person meetings with CDI core team.
• Be expected to attend all CDI Commercialization Program sessions.

Spring

Student Venture Associates will:

• Help design and promote program marketing materials including 1-page flyers, request for proposal documents, and social media posts.
• Help CDI and program partners with due diligence and team selection for program funding. Selected startups will receive entrepreneurial training, capital, and access to the deep networks of our academic partner institutions.
• Collate accelerator applications for review.
• Collate scoring committee quantitative and qualitative feedback to provide foundation for award decisions.
• Perform market research, facilitate and take notes during applicant interviews, staff campus info sessions, and attend selection committee meetings. The work of planning and supporting the various accelerator selection committees, comprised of city government leadership, venture investors and experts from industry, will be a critical component of the program.

Fall

Student Venture Associates will:

• Support the L2M and accelerator operations teams, working directly to run the day-to-day operations of individual accelerator programs.
• Subject to experience and capacity, associates would be encouraged to engage with startup ventures on their business plans and customer discovery efforts, help plan and execute accelerator events and speaker series, and serve as "utility players" for the team.
• to run day-of event logistics and assist with planning processes.

Responsibilities spanning both semesters

Student Venture Associates will:

• Assist with recruitment & selection operations for CDI, attending commercialization program sessions to get to know the teams to support their business model generation activities; researching opportunities for accelerators to expand and grow entrepreneurial partnerships and programs within and beyond New York; communicating CDI's entrepreneurial activities; representing CDI at events on our partner campuses; and additional duties, as assigned. Student Venture Associates will assist with marketing functions ranging from social media strategy, press releases, slide decks and collateral for CDI.
• Update and organize the CDI program tracker ensuring that all deliverables are tracked and accounted for.
• Help to organize skills labs and bootcamps coordinating external experts covering a variety of business and carbontech-related topic areas to an audience of cohort teams and alumni.
• Ideate and implement new opportunities for alumni team engagement and support.
• Support the industry consortium including: attending all meetings, keeping detailed notes, addressing membership changes and scheduling adjustments, strategizing opportunities for consortium growth, and producing regular reporting on outcomes.
• Update CDI website and LinkedIn regularly with program updates, upcoming opportunities, and success stories.
• Track and update program statistics including application numbers, award financials, and additional metrics.
• Collaborate to produce annual report documenting new initiatives, success stories/metrics, and opportunities to get involved.
• Attend all quarterly check in meetings with awardee teams.
• Support tracking of sponsored projects during quarterly check-ins with awardees by producing meeting guides and note-taking during meetings.
• Continuously update CDI template library and operating procedures with content and processes.
• Maintain network of carbontech entrepreneurs, investors, and policy makers who can provide critical guidance to cohort teams.
• Help coordinate and attend the CDI Summit.
• Maintain and update list of service providers and event venues relevant to CDI programming and cohort teams.

Minimum Qualifications

• All Columbia University and Barnard students are welcome to apply.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail in a high-volume, dynamic environment. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team-oriented setting. The candidate must be able to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem solving capabilities, and react to project adjustments and alterations promptly and efficiently. Ability to turn assignments on a short timeline, at times without them being defined completely. Capable of working within a small and growth-oriented team- a 'startup' mentality- no job is "too small" to get done.
• Ability to work for at least 2 consecutive semesters (applications for a single semester will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis)
• Have experience with, knowledge of, or strong interest in the carbontech related entrepreneurship ecosystem
• Collaborative, honest, open, and friendly demeanor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong preference will be given to candidates pursuing advanced degrees (Masters & PhD) in carbon management related programs.
• Experience or interest in creating financial models and performing startup due diligence.
• Experience with Lean Launchpad methodology, ICorp concepts, and related technology validation frameworks.
• Experience in creating high-level presentations and engaging content for communication channels (ex: email, website content, newsletters, and LinkedIn).
• Strong ability to create presentations and design materials for accelerator programs and cohort teams.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.