Career Center

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

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 Columbia Lab-to-Market (L2M) Accelerator Network serves as a framework to successfully develop, launch, and execute initiatives that help commercialize academic research. Since 2008, Columbia University has founded or co?founded multiple accelerator programs encompassing medical (therapeutics, diagnostics, devices, etc.), clean energy, advanced materials, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, pathogen surveillance, blockchain, smart cities, and digital media technologies, providing $51.5M to early-stage deep-tech teams. L2M is a collective model for providing core infrastructure and resources to programs which support early-stage university teams as they move technologies forward. By building on industry-specific core competencies through their participation in the network, programs are able to prioritize focus on the provision of domain expertise to scientific teams.

L2M plays a key role in facilitating the process of bringing scientific research from the lab to the marketplace. Collectively, the accelerators have led to very impressive results which have grown exponentially over a short time: 1000+ applications received, 672 teams run through educational bootcamps on product development and entrepreneurship, over 356 cash awards issued totaling over $51.6M, with over $86M in external follow-on funding raised by those teams. While executing its programs and vision, L2M collaborates with multiple stakeholders in academic, corporate, investor, and public sector communities. L2M is adding a small number of team members who will play a key role in strengthening its ability to administer existing programs and onboard new ones. The opportunity is intended to enhance L2M?s ability to guide its accelerator cohort teams on the path to commercialization and validation, while providing Columbia University and Barnard College students with a valuable hands-on educational experience.

The L2M 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.

More information on L2M can be found at https://labtomarket.columbia.edu/.

Responsibilities

Student Venture Associates will:

• Have an opportunity to work closely with L2M accelerator and alliance administrator teams, as well as individual startup teams that are part of program cohorts. They will provide operational, marketing, and strategic support to L2M and its accelerators and alliances, as well as other L2M-related projects as needed.
• Be expected to join the L2M team in person at the CTV office on Wednesdays.
• Design and help promote program marketing materials including 1-page flyers, request for proposal documents, digital/website assets, program reports and social media posts.
• Lead the creation and design of the L2M Annual Report documenting new initiatives, success stories/metrics, and opportunities to get involved.
• Lead the creation and design of digital assets for newly launched programs and alliances, including creation of packets, flyers, and info sheets detailing program components.
• Collate accelerator applications for review from external steering committees.
• Support the L2M and accelerator operations teams, working directly to run the day-to-day operations of individual accelerator programs.
• Collate scoring committee quantitative and qualitative feedback to provide foundation for award decisions.
• Attend end of program Pitch/Demo Days to run event logistics and take notes during award deliberation. Have an opportunity to help facilitate and join mentor office hours, CTV Executive in Residence meetings, and additional partnership discussions with L2M.
• Assist with recruitment & selection operations for accelerators, attending accelerator sessions to get to know the startup 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 L2M?s entrepreneurial activities; representing L2M 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 specific programs.
• Organize periodic (usually, once per semester) Business Operations Intensives, coordinating external experts covering a variety of topic areas to an audience of program alumni.
• Update L2M website and LinkedIn weekly with program updates, upcoming opportunities, and success stories.
• Track and update program statistics across the network, including application numbers, award financials, and additional metrics.
• Continuously update the L2M template library and operating procedures with content and processes from new programs within and outside the L2M portfolio.
• Continuously update the L2M Knowledge Bank on the website with recorded content from programs and workshops.
• Associates may also be asked to support Columbia Technology Ventures (CTV) with similar activities related to CTV?s startups, even if those startups are not part of one of the L2M accelerators.

Minimum Qualifications

• All current 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.
• Exceptional copy writing, editing, and digital content creation skills.
• Proficiency in marketing tools such as Canva, Mailchimp, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar programs is required.
• Familiarity and experience marketing events and programs within Columbia or Barnard ecosystem.
• Strong interest in entrepreneurship and the innovation ecosystem.
• Collaborative, honest, open, and friendly demeanor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong preference will be given to candidates to candidates with professional experience in digital marketing.
• 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.
• Experience managing social media platforms for professional and academic purposes.
• Ability to commit to at least two consecutive semesters (flexible for single semester upon evaluation).

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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

About Columbia University

Columbia University is one of the world's most important centers of research and at the same time a distinctive and distinguished learning environment for undergraduates and graduate students in many scholarly and professional fields. The University recognizes the importance of its location in New York City and seeks to link its research and teaching to the vast resources of a great metropolis. It seeks to attract a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research and teaching on global issues, and to create academic relationships with many countries and regions. It expects all areas of the university to advance knowledge and learning at the highest level and to convey the products of its efforts to the world.

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