Our virtual TIA Incubator format this year preserves the core tenets and key components of TIA while engaging students virtually in innovative ways. We adapted the typical in-person monthly format to virtual, launched new pitch nights and advanced 200-level workshops, and recruited our largest cohort of mentors to-date. We kicked off the program in September with 58 ventures and 132 entrepreneurs across the 100- and 200-levels.
Highlights of the virtual format we adopted this fall include:
- All entrepreneurs and mentors come together monthly on Saturday mornings for mentoring breakouts, informal networking, and sharing successes and learnings.
- New mandatory 100-level orientation introduced ventures to the incubator and provided a hands-on dive into design thinking.
- Monthly pitch nights provide teams the opportunity to dedicate time to their pitches and receive feedback from a four-person panel of founders and funders.
- New monthly 200-level workshops feature insights from seasoned entrepreneurs, including David Fialkow '81, Jenny Olsen '91, and Cameron Cummins P'19,'21,'24.
- The TIA Slack workspace is the home of all program communication between students, mentors, and the TIA team.
Feedback about the Incubator Experience This Fall
We've received positive feedback about the virtual Incubator experience from teams during our mid-year check-in, including:
“I really value being able to connect with mentors who previously couldn’t come to campus.”
“I appreciate that it’s a lot more flexible.”
“I’m borrowing tactics from TIA for another virtual program I’m working on.”
By The Numbers
This year's Incubator is our largest program to date, with a record number of teams continuing at the 200-level. Here's a look at the numbers for the year.
100-level Entrepreneurs
- 90 entrepreneurs
- 40 ventures
- 76 students, 7 alumni, 1 staff member, 1 community member, and 8 non-Colgate team members
- Student class years: 5 first years, 33 sophomores, 26 juniors, and 12 seniors
- 28 businesses, 6 non-profits and social enterprises, and 6 campus initiatives
- Demographics: 50% women; 48% students of color, 14% international students, and 11% first-generation college students
200-level Entrepreneurs
- 42 entrepreneurs
- 18 ventures
- 4 sophomores, 16 juniors, 11 seniors, 10 alumni, 2 community members, and 2 non-Colgate team members
- 13 businesses, 6 non-profits and social enterprises, 2 campus initiatives, and 2 arts ventures
- 52% of teams who completed their first year in TIA in spring 2020 continued to the 200-level