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AcceleratorDirect fundingNo equityVerified

Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program

Also known as: Columbia Business School Greenhouse, Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Master Class

Columbia University · New York City, NY

The Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program (B8598-099) is a highly selective, application-based, accelerator-type master class at Columbia Business School. Over two decades, 300+ companies have completed the program. Greenhouse alumni have generated in excess of $10 billion in market value and created thousands of jobs.

Notable alumni companies: Flexport, Happy Family Organics, Sharebite, Bloc Power, Wandering Bear, Workrise (formerly RigUp), Otherland, AmperMusic, FSA Store.

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Quick fit check

  • Offers direct funding
  • No equity required
  • Currently active
  • Verified by research

Key numbers

Funding range

$5,000 – $10,000

Grant

Equity

None

Application

Annual

School Specific

Last activity

2026-05-01

High confidence

Application and Timing

Spring semester course. Selective screening and pitch process. Evaluation criteria include founder commitment, founder-product fit, coachability, customer discovery, market assessment, competitive differentiation.

Participants

Second-year CBS students and select Engineering/dual degree students. Must have completed significant customer discovery and MVP stage. Must be actively engaging with customers and post-launch or launching imminently.

Funding and Equity

Provides funding for startup-related expenses (amounts not specified publicly; Summer Startup Track grants $5K-$10K). No equity taken. Also helps students prepare for Lang Fund application.

Recent Activity

Spring 2026 cohort completed. Check back fall 2026 for next application cycle.

Known startups and winners

Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.

See every startup

BlocPower

Columbia University

Notable alumni outcome

Clean energy retrofit platform; Columbia Greenhouse alum recognized by Fast Company.

Flexport

Columbia University

Notable alumni outcome

Freight forwarding and logistics platform; Columbia Entrepreneurial Greenhouse alum valued in the billions.

Happy Family Organics

Columbia University

Notable alumni outcome

Organic baby food brand founded through Columbia's Greenhouse accelerator; later acquired.

Wandering Bear

Columbia University

Notable alumni outcome

Cold brew coffee brand; Columbia Entrepreneurial Greenhouse portfolio company.

Workrise

Columbia University

Notable alumni outcome

Workforce management platform for energy (formerly RigUp); Columbia Greenhouse alum.

Verification Gaps

  • Funding amount per venture not specified ($5K-$10K inferred from Summer Startup Track).
  • Selection rate not specified.
  • $10B market value is cumulative claim across all alumni companies since inception.

Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Program

Programming

  • Individualized support and mentorship throughout semester
  • Access to experts in key fields
  • Refinement of founder story and investment approach
  • Emphasis on peer learning and network leverage
  • Weekly master class sessions (Tue 2:20-5:35PM, spring semester)
Additional research notesShow