2026 Venture Competition Information Session

Join us for snacks and coffee to learn about the 2026 Startup Columbia Venture Competition! At this information session, we’ll give an overview of the program, answer your questions, and give you a chance to meet other folks thinking about applying.

For the past five years, the Brown Institute has sponsored the “Media Track” of Startup Columbia, a campus-wide competition offering non-dilutive cash prizes to winning teams. The Media Track is designed for students, recent alumni, and faculty interested in starting a venture—for-profit or non-profit—involving journalism, media, and technology. Maybe you’ve been thinking about how AI can help reporters in small newsrooms, or you want to build tools for image verification, or make it easier for journalists to work with data. Maybe you’re imagining a single-subject news site, a platform, or a consultancy. We want to hear it.

The competition includes two rounds of pitch sessions where you’ll refine your idea with feedback from judges. Winners receive cash prizes, scholarships to the Brown Institute’s 2026 Summer Entrepreneurship Program, and a shot at a grant of up to $100,000.

Applications are due February 3. Apply at entrepreneurship.columbia.edu/startupcolumbia (select Media Track). Questions? Reach out to browninstitute@columbia.edu?