Distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist Eugene Lang MS ’40 — who helped launch the center at the School named in his honor — joined nearly 100 students, faculty members and alumni Tuesday night at Low Library for a panel discussion led by alumni entrepreneurs.
Panelists included Ron Gonen ’04, cofounder and managing director of RecycleBank, a recycling incentive program; Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi ’00 (EMBA), founder of Physique 57, a fitness center featuring a series of exercises that strengthens every muscle group in the body; Jamie Meiselman ’02, founder and managing partner of Surfpark Holdings, which develops wave-riding facilities; and Jon Mudder ’97, owner of Bellavitae, a wine bar and restaurant. The conversation was moderated by Murray Low, executive director of the School’s Eugene M. Lang Center for Entrepreneurship.
The panel discussion was followed by a bazaar featuring select alumni-launched products. Bruce Schneider ’99, owner of Schneider Vineyards, provided wine for the event, and many alumni distributed sample products and coupons. Bazaar participants included Ari Abramowitz ’00, founder of Music Guru, the company behind the Pockit Rockit music guide; Shazi Visram '04, founder of HappyBaby, which produces fresh frozen organic baby food; Richard Perl ’84, founder of Chocolat Michel Cluizel Paris; and Andrea Miller ’02, founder and CEO of Tango magazine.“
Columbia Entrepreneurs: Past, Present and Future” was hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations with support from the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, a student club, and the Lang Center. Over the past 10 years, the center has invested almost $2 million in student ventures via its Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurial Initiative Fund. Its increasingly popular Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program provides prelaunch funds to select projects and gives students the chance to pitch business plans to professional investors.
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