Bridging Borders: V-Lab and Columbia Business School Collaboration

A Global Immersion in Entrepreneurship 

AUC Venture Lab (V-Lab), Egypt’s first university-based startup accelerator, has once again partnered with Columbia Business School for the “Global Immersion: Business and Entrepreneurship in Egypt” program. This collaboration allows V-Lab entrepreneurs to gain insights from top international talent while introducing Columbia’s MBA students to Egypt’s vibrant entrepreneurship scene.

Innovative Startups Leading the Way

This semester, eight V-Lab alumni startups participated in the program:

• Palm, Spring ’24, a digital wealth management company. 
• Funder, Spring ’24, a real estate fractional ownership, financing and management platform. 
• Efika, Spring ’24, Egyptian manufacturer in the solar energy industry.
• 2oolameme, Fall ’22, Egypt’s first social gaming company. 
• Layn, Fall ’23, 3D concrete printing startup. 
• Ultimate Battle Royale, Fall ’23, a free-roaming VR gaming and location-based entertainment business.
• Hanbee3, Fall ’24, a hiring and monitoring platform for telesales agents.
• Stakpak, Fall ‘23,  an AI-powered platform for building developer tools.

Virtual Collaborations and In-Person Insights

The program began in September 2024 when Columbia’s MBA students were virtually paired up with entrepreneurs from each startup to enhance business development, product development, and user experience. This virtual collaboration laid the groundwork for a study tour and the closing ceremony in Egypt.

Ahmed Ashour, co-founder of Palm, expressed his view from an entrepreneurial stance, “The team was incredibly collaborative, bringing in diverse perspectives. It felt like engaging with consumers we truly valued, offering insights into what we’re building and why. Their fresh viewpoints challenged and inspired us”.

Cultural Exchange and Learning

Marco Viola, adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and managing partner and founder of Nexus Partners, highlighted the program’s goal, “The idea is to bring people from the US and Egypt together to understand cultures and ecosystems. We are also trying to build a bridge between the two universities while we foster integration and communication between the two different parts of the world. When you get people together, the results can be amazing”.

Ayman Ismail, Abdul Latif Jameel endowed chair of entrepreneurship and AUC Venture Lab director, added, “Columbia MBA students bring extensive experience in the financial sector and international markets, along with diverse backgrounds. The collaboration enriches our entrepreneurs’ fresh knowledge and perspectives”.

Celebrating Success

The closing event on October 17, 2024, featured welcoming remarks from Dean Sherif Kamel followed by panel discussions with entrepreneurs Ahmed Ashour, co-founder of Palm, and Abdelrahman Selim, co-founder and CEO of 2oolameme, and presentations from each startup on how to improve their particular startup’s performance before a lively networking session took place.  

Columbia MBA student Franco Oneglia remarked, “I don’t think a lot of us expected the richness in culture and offerings of the people here. The startups were super gracious in lending us their time, opening their doors, and showing how they’re operating specifically for a market different to what we’re used to in the US. Learning how it’s all different in Egypt and emerging markets was the biggest takeaway”.

Paige Prieto, another Columbia MBA student, noted, “I had the most fun here! It’s been so great to see Efika’s impact as a small business in an emerging market and wonderful to really understand the challenges and opportunities they face. They’ve been able to create something and it’s very inspiring. As for Egypt, being able to get exposure to not only the business side, but to experience a lot of the cultural aspects has been very rewarding”.

A Testament to Global Learning

This collaboration is a testament to the School of Business’ commitment to internationalization, providing vital opportunities for global learning, entrepreneurial growth, and knowledge dissemination. It paves the way for the development of global business leaders who can make a lasting impact.