Focusing on Economic Development the Office of Community Partnerships supports an integrative approach of Columbia Business School’s community programming, leading to measurably improve lives in the neighborhoods surrounding the Business Schools’ campus.
The Office engages the Columbia Community and our neighbors in different ways:
Partnering with existing local CBOs to provide educational support from our content experts, reducing the need for those organizations to use their own limited resources.
Piloting Programs which are temporary initiatives intended to test solutions to community economic challenges. If the activities show positive results, the methodology can be shared with similarly situated communities.
Impact Measurements of CBS community engagement projects, including our research centers, clubs, interdisciplinary classes, and programs.
Columbia University Small Business Development Center
The Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) helps entrepreneurs build and grow their companies. Located within Columbia Business School, the center is committed to supporting the economic sustainability of New Yorkers—one business at a time.
Columbia Business School’s Innovation Lab (“I-Lab”)
The I-Lab, located on the second floor of David Geffen Hall, is a dedicated space for nurturing new business ventures conceived of and led by members of the Columbia Entrepreneurial Community. This flexible space provides configurable co-working tables for group and individual projects, and can also serve as a multi-function area for presentations, meetings, brainstorming, workshops, group discussions, and more.