The Columbia University School of Professional Studies M.S. in Technology Management (TMGT) program proudly celebrated National Entrepreneurship Month through a special partnership with NY Tech Meetup (NYTM), the largest and most influential gathering of New York’s tech community. Hosted at Civic Hall in Manhattan, the SPS Edition of the meetup invited students from across the School, including the TMGT program, to showcase their ventures and demo their concepts on a public stage. This collaboration reflects our program’s commitment to experiential learning and to empowering future founders as they engage directly with New York City’s thriving tech innovation ecosystem.
NYTM has long served as a launchpad for emerging innovators. Bringing together entrepreneurs, technologists, investors, civic leaders, and community builders, their monthly event is a cornerstone of the NYC tech landscape. Partnering with NYTM during Entrepreneurship Month allowed SPS students, many of whom are developing early-stage ventures, to step confidently into the role of future founders.
The event was co-hosted by Doug Binette of the New York Tech Alliance and Dawn Barber, the TMGT program’s industry liaison, whose leadership helped create a welcoming, inclusive environment for the SPS innovation community. Faculty, alumni, and industry partners joined in support, underscoring the strength of the program's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
During NY Tech Meetup – Columbia SPS Edition, students demoed their ventures and showcased their concepts to a full room of engaged attendees. Each demo reflected a unique blend of creativity, technical insight, and real-world problem-solving. Featured ventures included:
- AIVA TECH by Lucia Mari Sanguino
AIVA TECH is building the intelligent brain for hotels, a hospitality SaaS platform that unifies guest, operations, and revenue data so hotels can move from reactive firefighting to proactive, AI-driven decisions.
- 七分之二的探索 Twosevenths by Chien Hsun Chu
Twosevenths uses AI agents and mystery shoppers to design fast, affordable itineraries, helping travelers spend less time planning trips and more time actually enjoying their two precious weekend days.
- Civvy by Tyler Correawhite and Taylor Correawhite
Civvy is an AI civic-tech platform that turns dense policy and government jargon into simple, personalized text conversations, helping Gen Z and millennials understand how laws affect them and how to take action.
- Memento by Sebastian Santander and Juan Pablo Salazar
Memento pairs an AI assistant with smart glasses to provide real-time cues on people, places, and daily tasks, helping individuals with early-stage dementia age more independently and with dignity.
- Emporai by Takrit Mekpanuwat
Emporai creates a digital twin of retail stores, combining 3D layout, AR try-ons, and real-time sales analytics so owners can experiment virtually, optimize shelf space, and reduce costly build-out mistakes.
- Kasi AI by Kamsiyochukwu Arinze
Kasi AI is a one-stop co-pilot for creators, automatically clipping, editing, scheduling, and analyzing content so podcasters and influencers can stay focused on storytelling not manual video work.
- Qubiee by Liting Huang and Yushan Zhang
Qubiee is a personalized AI career development platform that blends structured question banks, performance analytics, and gamified learning to help job-seekers prepare smarter, not just harder, for competitive roles.
View the full recording of the student demos here.
The tech community provided thoughtful questions and actionable feedback, helping presenters refine their value propositions and envision the next steps in their entrepreneurial journeys. For many, this was their first time presenting on a public stage, an invaluable experience in becoming confident, capable innovation leaders and startup founders.
This experience underscored the creativity, ambition, and drive of SPS students and future founders who are already shaping the technologies and companies of tomorrow. Through the TMGT program’s partnership with NYTM, students went beyond the classroom, presenting live to New York’s tech community, receiving real-time feedback, and building meaningful connections with founders, investors, and operators across the ecosystem. The ventures showcased reflect the program’s emphasis on experiential learning and its mission to develop technology leaders who think boldly, act with purpose, and translate ideas into real-world impact.
About the Program
The Master of Science in Technology Management at Columbia University prepares graduates to lead digital transformation, and align technology and business strategy with an ethical lens. Through experiential learning, industry partnerships, and Columbia-supported research, students gain fluency in digital platforms and emerging technologies, and learn to design human-centered solutions that drive innovation and sustainable impact.
The program is available for part-time or full-time enrollment online or on campus in NYC. Learn more about the program here.
