Athena Entrepreneurs

The Athena Center for Leadership is a hub for changemakers at Barnard College and entrepreneurship is one of the many powerful ways to lead change that students can explore and practice here.

We envision a world where women and non-binary entrepreneurs have the confidence, support, and resources they need to build sustainable, equitable, and socially responsible businesses — and we welcome current Barnard and Columbia student entrepreneurs at any stage in their journey.

Get Inspired

Are you curious about entrepreneurship but unsure if it’s for you? Join us in the CoLab in the Athena Center every other Thursday night for community and conversation.

This semester, we’re talking about some of the *big* questions: Can you build businesses that align with your values? If you have a problem in mind, how do you know if a business solution is the right one? Do you have to quit everything to be an entrepreneur? How do you even get a job at a startup, let alone start one?

Upcoming conversations, all 6:30-8 pm in the CoLab (in the Athena Center, 4th floor Milstein)

January 26, 2023

February 9, 2023

February 23, 2023

March 9, 2023

April 25, 2023 (Entrepreneurship Celebration)

You might also enjoy SPARK, our event series about changemaking. And be sure to join our listserv so you can be in the know about events and opportunities on campus and in New York City.

Activate

Are you ready to go from idea to action? Almost ready? Let us help you do it in one of our monthly Activation sessions. Just bring your idea to the CoLab in the Athena Center and our Entrepreneur in Residence and community of experienced entrepreneurs will help you begin to build it out — or take it further, if you’ve already begun. Bonus: you’ll build your confidence too.

Upcoming Activation sessions, all 6:30-8 pm in the CoLab (in the Athena Center, 4th floor Milstein)

March 23, 2023 (cancelled)

April 6, 2023

April 25, 2023 (Entrepreneurship Celebration)

If you can’t make an Activation session, don’t worry. You can still access support from our Entrepreneur in Residence and the Athena team. Sign up for office hours with our Entrepreneur in Residence Deepti Sharma here and with our Director of Applied Learning Chriss Sneed here.

You can also access support through our partners at Columbia Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Design — we can help you navigate the many resources available to you.

And don’t forget to catch our other Thursday night meetups as well, and join our listserv!

Incubate

Are you a founder or cofounder of a business? We have a hot opportunity for you: the Athena Incubator.

The Athena Incubator is for Barnard students who are ready to advance their business. Led by our Entrepreneur in Residence Deepti Sharma, this cohort-based program runs from September to April and offers participants a stipend, personalized guidance, and the support of the Athena community as they take their ventures to the next level. Wherever you are — validating a customer need, branding your product or service, figuring out how to price it, building or refining your business model, or pitching investors — the Incubator can help.

Applications for the 2022-2023 cohort are now closed. Please check back mid-summer for the 2023-2024 application.