Project 2.8

An Accelerator.

A Community.

An Impact Driver.

CONGRATULATIONS, COHORT 5!

AmpVisions (Ting Li) |

Coffee Elf (Zihan (Jessica) Wang) |

Dotori AI (Kibaek Kim, Sally Park, Wendy Luu) |

Gobi Goji (Cong Cao) |

Gradis (Ansa Khan) |

MilkShaker (Valentina Marini Fichera) |

Mixta Re. (Dr. Jeanine A. DeFalco) |

Santé (Mirelle Pereira) |

ThunderGraph (Echo Wu) |

UMI (Esosa Edosomwan) |

For Women, By Women

12%

Only 12% of decision makers at venture capital firms are women. A majority of VC firms still don’t have a single female partner.

2.8%

In 2019, women-led startups received only 2.8% of venture capital funding. That number has since decreased.

2020

Since 2020, our mission has been to ensure female founders have equal access to capital as their male counterparts.

Big Ideas, Real Impact

Project 2.8: An Accelerator Celebrationg Excellence for Columbia University Women Founders!

Columbia Venture Community’s, Project 2.8's Cohort 5 came together late November to showcase Columbia University's exceptional women-led startups to the world. And what an experience it was... Our founders completed a 10-week accelerator with grace and brilliance that culminated in three days of events! These curated events displayed the innovation, grit, and community needed to propel women-led startups forward. Here’s how it unfolded:

🍽️ Michelman Robinson Kick-off Dinner: A stunning private dinner at Sarabeth's Restaurants NYC in Flatiron, hosted by Michelman & Robinson! Our founders connected with Ling Wu K. and his colleagues, whose dedication to women founders made this event possible. Michael Poster, Hannah Kang, Warren Koshofer, Omer Er, Vincent Melara, and Parul Aggarwa also joined us to celebrate, teach, and learn from our vibrant VC ecosystem.

🔺Project 2.8 x Interplay: Our founders then enjoyed an afternoon of deep dive connections at InterPlay's office in NoHo, where they connected with VCs in one-on-one pitch sessions. Thank you to Mark Peter Davis, Managing partner of Interplay and founder of Columbia Venture Community, Phuong Ireland, Stacy Berlin Greco, and Will Richardson for their commitment to Project 2.8.

🎤 Pitch Night Hosted by Brown Rudnick LLP: Project 2.8's Pitch Night was held at the impressive law office of Brown Rudnick in Times Square Manhattan! Our founders pitched to an esteemed panel of judges with poise, passion, and precision showcasing their growth. We are especially grateful to Scott Smedresman and Matthew Uretsky for this opportunity.

Our founders delivered incredible pitches! Special thanks to Steven Gerber, president of Zeta Global, who donated cash prizes to our Pitch Night winners!

🏆 A Celebration of Columbia Winners:

1st Place - $1,000: ☕ Coffee Elf Inc., founded by Zihan (Jessica) Wang and Helen Z.

2nd Place - $500: 🪇 MilkShaker Inc., founded by Valentina Marini Fichera

3rd Place - $250: 💊 Santē, founded by Mirelle Pereira

🍳 Rho Breakfast - A Reflective Finish: We wrapped up Cohort 5 with a breakfast at The Smith hosted by Rho! Thank you to Drew Parten, Olivia H., and Maya Simon for their support and sharing Rho's mission with our founders.

This wasn’t just a series of events...it continues to be a movement. Our heartfelt THANK YOU to every sponsor, partner, instructor, judge, volunteer, and believer who made this possible! Your commitment to leveling the venture capital playing field for women is changing the game - and the world! Our founders are now better equipped, connected, and ready to scale.

Project 2.8 - Columbia Venture Community Team Members:

Director: NanaYaa Mensah-Thomas

Sponsorship Co-Lead: Ramy Batth

Event Lead: Sergine Delma

Sponsorship Co-Lead: Heta Kariuki

Operations Lead: Marsha Murphy

Instructor and Workshop Lead: Amy Osorio

Founder Lead: Vinita Vijay

VC Ecosystem Lead: Lona Vincent

Board Advisors - Cohort 5:

Project 2.8 Co-Director 2021 -2023: Lisa Smith

Project 2.8 Co-Director 2021 -2023: Céline Gauchey

Project 2.8 Founder and Director 2020: Shashi Srikantan

Board of Directors:

CVC Global President: Grace Mammen

CVC Board Member: Chenjing Wang

Project 2.8 Program Director: NanaYaa Mensah-Thomas

Your commitment to leveling the venture capital playing field for women is changing the game - and the world! Our founders are now better equipped, connected, and ready to scale.

This is what happens when community, capital, and courage collide. 👉Follow Project 2.8 to support women-led startups. 👉Tag a founder, investor, or changemaker who needs to see this!

Our Mission

The name, Project 2.8, was chosen in 2020 because it represented the percentage of female founded companies funded by VC’s. That number has since diminished. Our mission is to ensure female founders have equal access to capital and the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Learn More

What We Offer
Founded through Columbia Venture Community in 2020, Project 2.8 is a startup accelerator serving early stage, pre-seed startups led by female founders who are current students or alumnae of Columbia University.
Each cohort is made up of 10 startups and is industry agnostic. We do not currently invest in, or take equity from, any participating startups. Our fifth cohort will begin in September 2025, and culminate in a pitch session to investors in October 2025.
All leadership, instructors and mentors are volunteers.
**Get Involved >**

Our Program

Instruction

From Growth Hacking to Lean Methodology, Fundraising to Navigating the Cofounder Relationships, our curriculum covers many topics that new founders will need to ensure success. Over the span of 8 weeks, the cohort virtually participates in a series of workshops and lectures led by subject matter experts. In addition, we provide pitch training sessions. The program culminates in a final pitch session to non-affiliated investors.
Mentorship

With the support of the Columbia Venture Community we have a wide network of investors, founders and startup enthusiasts within and outside of Columbia who are willing to give their time to our founders, serving as mentors throughout the accelerator and beyond. Founders who participate in the cohort will be given the opportunity to schedule one-on-one sessions with the mentors of their choosing.
Network

Without a doubt, the true strength of Project 2.8 is in its community and the network that it provides. Thirty strong and growing, we are a group of incredible women who are willing to share, engage, and develop strong relationships in and outside of the project space. Every founder struggles with isolation and feeling overwhelmed. We provide a community of support as founders work towards achieving success within their startups.