Columbia Business School In the News

Professor Takatoshi Ito, director of CJEB's Program on Public Pension and Sovereign Funds, and professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, wrote the Project Syndicate article "The Will, but Not the Way, to Increase Japan’s Defense Budget " Professor Ito states in the article, “Sensing that there are growing threats to Japan and its neighbors, the Japanese public recognizes the need to develop a greater capacity for deterrence. If the world really is entering a new era of hard power, Japan’s “peace constitution” and soft power may no longer be sufficient to ensure national security.”

EcoPlum, a sustainable promotional products company where Gia Machlin, '91BUS, '87SEAS, is president and CEO, recently received certifications as a women-owned business by both New York State and New York City. "We are thrilled to receive women-owned business certification from both New York State and New York City, highlighting our active participation within an amazing and powerful community of women entrepreneurs in New York who are making a difference and doing good with their successful businesses,” says Gia.

In this episode, Alan and Oded discuss “Decisions Over Decimals,” Oded’s latest co-authored book with Christopher Frank, Vice President of the Global Advertising and Brand Management team at American Express, and Paul Magnone, Head of Global Strategic Alliances at Google, who are also professors at Columbia. Having worked on the front lines and taught future executives, they identified two data myths that served as the inspiration for this book. Oded presents these myths and explores the three core pillars of quantitative intuition covered in the book, highlighting how marketers can improve decision-making by understanding these concepts. Oded advises against the inclination to rush to find a solution and instead encourages spending more time understanding the problem. According to Oded, a well-thought-out problem is already half-solved. This interview and the book emphasize the significance of asking insightful questions and properly defining the problem. This approach is evident in the emergence of Prompt Engineers for tools like ChatGPT, where precise questioning leverages quantitative intuition to achieve desired outcomes. The conversation also touches upon unstructured data and its implications for marketers in terms of analysis, decision-making, customer listening, and demonstrating that marketing is not just a cost but can also drive revenue. In this episode, you’ll learn: “Decisions Over Decimals”: Why this book and why now? What we should be thinking about in terms of good data-based decision-making How quantitative intuition is relevant to Prompt Engineers using tools like ChatGPT

In a recent study, researchers from Columbia Business School and Northwestern University found that betting money on weather increases concerns about the effects of climate change. Professor Sandra Matz, one of the authors, discusses lessons from the study and their idea for a scaled-up "climate prediction market."

Impact America Fund has raised $112 million for its third fund, bringing their total AUM to $177M. This fund will invest in 30 new companies from Seed through Series A stages. The Black women-owned venture capital investor "[works] to build massively profitable and purposeful companies that can uplift Black and Brown workers, families and small businesses," says Kesha Cash '10, founder and general partner.

“There are really good reasons for having carbon markets [...] The problem is that implementing them is extraordinarily difficult to do in a way that actually reduces emissions,” says Professor Bruce Usher, who is quoted in this detailed report on carbon credits, net zero, and tackling climate change.

They will be focused on strengthening their balance sheets and trying to keep depositors and regulators happy for a long time to come.

Morgan Hewett, ’15CC, co-founder of Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member Options MD, saw an opportunity to use ad technology to address treatment-resistant depression. The telehealth platform uses algorithms to help people with treatment-resistant illnesses find a treatment that works.

Killer Snails, where Jessica Ochoa Hendrix '09 is CEO and founder, recently launched WaterWays, an innovative 3rd to 5th grade science curriculum supplement focused on water ecology and environmental health. Developed with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Hudson River Park, and Mount Sinai, WaterWays aims to cultivate a generation of informed, passionate students committed to preserving our planet's health.

Professor Takatoshi Ito, Director of CJEB’s Program on Public Pension and Sovereign Funds, appeared on Bloomberg and discussed his outlook for Bank of Japan policy ahead of the central bank's meeting.

Professor Takatoshi Ito, Director of CJEB’s Program on Public Pension and Sovereign Funds, appeared on Bloomberg and discussed his outlook for Bank of Japan policy ahead of the central bank's meeting.

After seeing the lack of diversity in the asset class of venture investing, center advisory board member Andrea Turner Moffitt ’07 wanted to find a way to open doors for women and other underrepresented investors. As part of a call to women (and men) to invest in women innovators, she launched Plum Alley Investments. The venture firm looks for companies that stand to improve society and the planet via new technologies or medical breakthroughs. It also stipulates that its portfolio companies have at least one woman in the founding team. At our annual Awards Breakfast in May, we were thrilled to honor Andrea with the Social Enterprise Leadership Award for her support of women-led businesses and social ventures, and her commitment to expanding social enterprise at Columbia Business School.

S. Mona Sinha ’93, center advisory board member, recently reflected on how she came to realize that her business acumen could be valuable to purpose-focused organizations. In her work today as global executive director of Equality Now — a large legal nonprofit that works to change laws that enshrine equality for women and girls — she is focused on the importance of putting equality and equity at the center of business to create a world in which women and men have equal rights under the law and full enjoyment of their human rights. At our annual Awards Breakfast in May, we were thrilled to honor Mona with the Horton Award for her dedication to the social enterprise community at Columbia University, and for her extraordinary strategic and philanthropic leadership to elevate women’s issues worldwide.

We were thrilled to recognize Columbia Business School alumni and students who embody our mission to shape the next generation of business leaders committed to an equitable and sustainable future. Supporters gathered to celebrate the achievements and impact of honorees S. Mona Sinha ’93 and Andrea Turner Moffitt ’07, alongside the Carson Family Changemaker Award student winners Wilburt Carpenter ’23, Silvia Gelonch Fernandez ’23, Kyle Finck ’20, Natasha Gabbay ’21, and Meg Johnson ’20, who were active champions of social enterprise while at CBS. Thank you to center advisory board member Tony Tamer and Professors Bruce Usher and Dan Wang for presenting these important awards.

Professor Takatoshi Ito, director of CJEB's Program on Public Pension and Sovereign Funds, professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, wrote the Project Syndicate article " What Did the Hiroshima G7 Summit Accomplish?" Professor Ito states in the article, “Three clear winners emerged from the Hiroshima G7 Summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a powerful demonstration of the continuing solidarity between the G7 and Ukraine; the G7's determination to punish Russia was reaffirmed; and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida strengthened his support among the Japanese public.