Athena Incubator
Are you an entrepreneur actively working on your own business, venture, or startup? Do you want resources, mentorship, and opportunities to expand your network and reach? Apply to become a member of the Athena Incubator, a new, not-for-credit, cohort-based program for aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs at Barnard College.
Athena Incubator: What is it?
The Athena Incubator is led by Athena’s Entrepreneur in Residence, Deepti Sharma, and will run from Fall 2022 to Spring 2023. In the first semester, Incubator members will undertake important goal setting and action planning related to their ventures. During this time, they will be able to assess the stage of business, relevant timelines necessary to advance their start-up or develop product demos, and undertake internal organizational mapping. In the second semester, Incubator members will refine their products, learn strategic approaches to marketing and networking, and publicly share their ventures.
By the end, participants will:
- Advance their businesses from the stages they are at today, through personalized coaching and support from our EIR and broader community of experienced entrepreneurs
- Work to integrate principles of equity and sustainability in their company’s mission & vision, culture, internal systems and processes, external program, products, & services
- Build industry knowledge to become more competent, business-savvy changemakers
- Learn how to integrate principles of social equity in their organizational mission & vision, culture, internal systems and processes, external program, products, & services
- Deepen their community of entrepreneurs across BC/CU and NYC
Benefits:
Participants will also receive:
- A stipend
- Dinner each meeting (approximately four per semester)
- Personalized coaching from Athena’s EIR, throughout the year
Application:
The application for the 2022-2023 cohort is now closed. Please check back mid-summer for the 2023-2024 application.
Office Hours - Come Chat!
Deepti Sharma | Entrepreneur in Residence
Some things you can chat with Deepti about:
- Entrepreneurship
- Launching/building your idea or business
- Food tech
- Athena's Entrepreneurship Incubator
Deepti holds office hours Thursdays from 2:30-5:30 pm. To schedule an appointment to chat with Deepti, click here: bit.ly/MeetWithDeepti or email dsharma@barnard.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Athena Incubator is a year-long opportunity for student entrepreneurs to receive training and mentorship as they launch or refine their business ventures. This cohort-based program runs during the academic year from September to April.
Aspiring and emerging student entrepreneurs in the Barnard community ready to take their venture to the next level. Have a question about whether you're eligible? Just reach out to csneed@barnard.edu.
Athena Incubator members commit to participating in the year-long program. This includes:
- Attending a majority of Incubator sessions each semester
- Attending office hours with Entrepreneur in Residence, Deepti Sharma (at least 3 hours per semester)
- Making active progress on their venture
- Communicating with the Athena team if they need help
- Completing an exit survey at the conclusion of the program
Over the course of the year-long program, participants will receive:
- Personalized coaching and action planning support from Athena's Entrepreneur in Residence Deepti Sharma
- Community with their peers and fellow founders and co-founders
- The space to consider how they can integrate principles of equity and sustainability into their work, from their company’s mission & vision to its culture, internal systems and processes, and products & services
- A stipend, to help them dedicate the time to advancing their business
- Dinner each meeting (approximately four per semester)
Applications for the 2022-2023 cohort are now closed. Please check back mid-summer for the 2023-2024 application.