Graduate with a funded startup and a master's.

Joined by students from

University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Imperial College London
UCL
Sorbonne
LSE

An 8-month program for under-23s, led by 50+ founders and investors that combines real startup execution with a degree.

87%

Of Genoa ES participants raised funding within 6 months of graduation

01

Roadmap

Studying at Columbia in New York

Studying at Columbia in New York

Workshops at firms in San Francisco

Workshops at firms in San Francisco

In the best ecosystems, participants refine their skills: over 70% acquire US clients.

02

Network

Our 50 industry experts care so much they're hands-on and can even invite students home.

SequoiaMetaAppleMicrosoftGoogleTesla
03

Reputation

Pitch to investors in Genoa

Pitch to investors in Genoa

Uni. Genoa graduate and Columbia alumnus

Uni. Genoa graduate and Columbia alumnus

Building full-time with recognition: over 78% received unsolicited job offers pre-graduation.

From Young Talent to Funded Founder

Kristian receiving award at Genoa ES
Bachelor dropout

Kristian aged 20, raised €500k thanks to Genoa.

Meet Kris
Ali - UCL Bachelor
AliBachelor - UCL

From few ideas to funding from Plug and Play

“I joined Genoa with no start up idea and no co-founder. Within the first month in New York, I found both. Genoa Mentors availability has been key.”

View Full Story
Ruben - UniGe PhD
RubenPhD - UniGe

From research to a €300k round during Genoa

“I joined Genool's with no idea and no co-founder. Within the first month in New York, I found both. The mentors didn't just advise-they introduced me to my first paying customer.”

View Full Story
Gianluca - UniGe Master
GianlucaMaster - UniGe

From €13k revenue to Apple angels at Genoa

“I had some initial revenue but wasn’t sure how to grow. Thanks to the program, we achieved five times our initial revenue to then close funding from strategic angels and leaders in our industry.”

View Full Story

Students Network and Gain Insights at Leading Companies

Student at StripeStudent LinkedIn postCompany visitNetworking eventStudent at StripeStudent LinkedIn postCompany visitNetworking event
Learn More

Those who have built and funded unicorns are the professors

Daily 1:1 reviews. Company visits. Personalised introductions.

Create the right team and product

Create the right team and product8Sleep

Unicorn Founders

Like Massimo Andrea Bassi | Founder at 8Sleep, $1.5B valuation

Unicorn founders share unique insights, like cofounder interview questions and the techniques they used to find product-market fit.

Understand the US mechanisms

Understand the US mechanismsColumbia Business School

Professor who are Founders or Investors

Like Murray Low | Founder of Columbia Entrepreneurship

Students learn topics such as marketplace dynamics, negotiations, and quantitative analysis to create a venture with solid foundations.

Master enterprise sales

Master enterprise salesApple

Executives of Leading Corporates

Like Luca Maestri | ex CFO at Apple, $3T valuation

Leaders who approve purchases inside companies explain their reasoning and how to sell to them, so students can close more deals.

Build the perfect pitch

Build the perfect pitchSequoia Capital

Market defining Investors

Like Douglas Leone | GMP at Sequoia Capital, $88B AUM

Professional investors share insider information on how to convince them on calls, show the best decks, and even review student pitches.

Eight months.
Two cities.
One degree.

October - November

Foundations

Columbia BS, New York

  • Working prototype
  • Classes at Columbia

Genoa ES students perfect the skills necessary to build successful startups at Columbia Business School.

December - January

Execution

WeWork, San Francisco

  • Closing customers
  • Sessions at firms

At Genoa ES in San Francisco, students learn techniques at top company HQs like Google and then apply them to their own ventures to acquire customers.

February - May

Launch

Columbia BS, Genoa

  • Growth and pitch to investors
  • Master's 60 ETS - University of Genoa
  • Columbia Alumni Status and Certificate

Upon arriving in Genoa, students grow their customer base and attend classes taught by Columbia professors and European mentors. Those who wish can also enroll at the University of Genoa and, with just 200 additional hours, obtain a Master's degree. At program's end qualified students pitch to investors at Demo Day.

See the full program structure
Genoa ES students

Master in International Business Creation

Pricing: €13,000
Idea stage:from no idea to pre seed
Duration:8 months, full-time, on campus
Intake:21/09/2025
Locations:New York, San Francisco, Genoa
Explore the Program