DevFest, a collaboration between student groups, VC firms, startups, and Columbia departments, was the first week-long hacking event at Columbia. It distinguished itself by welcoming non-technologically inclined team members as integral parts of the development process. MBA students and other non-engineers worked on customer development and strategies to make the developed applications sustainable in the market.
The results, as judged by a panel of prominent VCs and startups, spoke for themselves. Fred Wilson, principal of Union Square Ventures, said that he liked what he saw far more than anything at typical business plan competitions.
The collaboration between Columbia schools and the startup community is the start of a more ambitious project: a long-term partnership between the business and engineering schools, led by the Application Development Initiative, an engineering organization, and the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, an MBA student group. The two organizations are planning a number of joint events in the near future.
A true entrepreneurial community in New York will need university involvement, development talent, and viable business models. Columbia is quickly developing the groundwork for these foundational elements to work together.
Leave Your Comments