Entrepreneurs of New York (ENY) Fund

The ENY Fund was established to grow and advance the ventures of Colgate student and alumni entrepreneurs who are solving big problems and demonstrating an ability to execute. The fund is open to both for-profit and not-for-profit ventures.

Scenic view of the Colgate Memorial Chapel steeple, looking down at the rest of campus.

About the Fund

Through funding from ENY, action-oriented teams will bring their ventures to commercial viability. Applicants and recipients will retain the intellectual property rights for their projects.

The fund was created and initially funded by Dan Rosensweig P'15, '17.

Apply

Applicants must complete the application form by March 15, 2013. Applicants will need to submit both written responses as well as submit a video pitching their project. Requirements and prompts for the video are outlined in the application.

APPLY NOW

(Note: The application site is not affiliated with Colgate University. Read its terms and conditions.)

Awards

Two awards are available through the ENY Fund. The application for the short-term award of up to $15,000 is currently open. An additional long-term award of up to $45,000 will be available to potential applicants after the incubator. Teams who receive short-term awards and participate in the incubator will receive preference for long-term awards.

Awards will be announced on April 6th @ Colgate's Entrepreneur Weekend

Short-term award:

Capped at $15,000
Ten-week summer incubator program beginning in early May
To be used to address top priorities for commercialization of the venture (e.g., prototype development, branding, marketing, legal considerations)
To prepare the venture for future evaluation of viability (customer development, additional capital investment, etc.)

Long-term award:

Capped at $45,000
To run for 6-9 months
To be used to supplement investment capital for full commercialization of venture, customer development, additional hires, sales team, and to bring third parties in house
Teams who receive short-term awards will receive preference for long-term awards after participating in the incubator, however it is not a requirement

Eligibility Requirements

Those receiving awards from the ENY Fund must meet the following requirements:

The fund is open to both for-profit and not-for-profit teams with at least one Colgate student or alumnus on the founding team
Recipients must reside in the Village of Hamilton, New York during the course of the program

Additional Award Benefits

In addition to funding, award recipients will receive the following aids and benefits:

Maintain intellectual property rights.
Receive office space in Hamilton.
Earn an opportunity to present at the end of the award term for the chance to seek additional funding sources.
Access to the Colgate alumni network.
Access to the Syracuse startup eco-system through CenterStateCEO.