Genoa’s Leading companies and Institutions united to Bridge acaDemia and the start up world
Genoa Entrepreneurship School is a school born from the synergies between Genoa’s institutions and leading companies, connecting talent, experts, and organizations through dynamic learning experiences.
American academic body
Columbia Business School
Founded in 1754, Columbia University shares Genoa ES’ passion for fostering entrepreneurial innovation. As a global hub for business and engineering, Columbia excels in empowering students to build and scale start-ups, with a strong emphasis on sustainable entrepreneurship. Located in the dynamic environment of New York City, Columbia offers Genoa ES students unparalleled access to thriving start-up ecosystems, industry leaders, and one of the most influential academic and professional networks in the world.
Financial Times’ MBA Ranking in 2023
#1 World MBA Business School
Murray Low
Founder Columbia Entrepreneurship
Columbia’s program director
Professor Low is an experienced entrepreneur and a leading authority on entrepreneurship in independent, corporate and not-for-profit settings. As the founder of the Columbia Entrepreneurship Program, he has worked to make entrepreneurship a viable career option for MBA graduates. As the Co-Director of IE@Columbia, he has worked with faculty, students and staff across the University to spread innovation and entrepreneurship. He has also lead initiatives to improve business education in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Low consults to both small and large companies, family businesses and not-for-profits. He teaches executive seminars in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation and makes frequent presentations to academic and industry groups. He has published widely in academic and practitioner journals and is a regular commentator in the media. He is an active advisor, board member and angel investor.
Additional Columbia Professors
Robert Buontempo
Professor of Organisational Behaviour
Jerry Kim
Professor of Business Management
Oded Netzer
Professor of Data Analytics
Joann Baney
Professor of International Affairs
European academic body
Sapienza University
Founded in 1303, La Sapienza University shares Genoa ES’ passion for innovative education. Recognized as one of the top universities in Italy, La Sapienza is particularly renowned for its excellence in law, along with its strong presence in business.
Center for world university rankings
#2 University in Italian academia ecosystem
Alumni that
shape the world
$6.9B
Raised by Columbia student startups in the last 12 months
+3000
Startups born at of Columbia Entrepreneurship
Mentors who believe in our philosophy, mission, and students.
Douglas Leone
Global Managing Partner at Sequoia
$88B under management
Genoa ES’ Mentor
Douglas Leone, a visionary in the venture capital industry. Under Doug Leone’s leadership, Sequoia Capital became one of the most influential venture capital firms in the world, making early investments in groundbreaking companies that reshaped entire industries. Under his management, Sequoia backed WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, among others—businesses that went on to dominate the global digital landscape and redefine communication, entertainment, and social interaction. Leone’s ability to identify and support transformative startups before they became household names cemented his reputation as a visionary leader in the venture capital industry. His strategic insights, enabled Sequoia to not only generate immense financial returns but also play a pivotal role in shaping the modern tech ecosystem.
Bei Zhang
Marketing Head A. at Grammarly
$13B valuation
Alessandro Cannas
Product manager at Google
$1.65T valuation
Guido Torrini
CFO at OneTrust
$5B valuation
Prasanna Sankar
Co-Founder of Rippling.com
$11.3B valuation
Sauraj Gambhir
Principal at ING
$450M asset management
Andrea Esposito
Program Manager at Tesla
$738B valuation
Eric Feunteun
COO Software République
Renault Group - $55B valuation
Danielle Strachman
Founder and General Partner at
1517 Backed by Peter Thiel
Flavia Oliveira
Enterprise Account Executive
$65B valuation
Vittorio Viarengo
VP Cross-Cloud at VMware
$85B valuation
Ugo Di Girolamo
Software Engineer & Co-founder
$7B valuation
Edoardo Serra
Co-founder and CTO at Stepful
$100M valuation
Thaddeus Anim-Somuah
Global Se. Ma. Sustainability
$19B valuation
Francisco Ruiz
Partner
Head of Energy & Utilities at Metyis
John Berger
Founder & CEO Sunnova Energy
$1.5B valuation
Geoff Heddle
CDO at Tinka and CPO at Cinch
$5B valuation
Bei Zhang
Marketing Head A. at Grammarly
$13B valuation
Alessandro Cannas
Product manager at Google
$1.65T valuation
With Students for Lifelong Success
After the program ends, 85% of our mentors continue to provide monthly advice to graduates.
“Meeting the Genoa ES founders has been one of the most energising experiences of my life. I can’t wait to work with the next batch.”
Edoardo Serra
Eng. Manager at Apple
Genoa ES mentor
Genoa’s leading companies and institutions Creating Genoa ES
Marco Bucci
Major at Genoa & President Region
Alessandro Garrone
Vice President at ERG
Maurizio Caviglia
GS at Chamber of Commerce
Carlo Calavarino
Executive President at AON
Andres Blasquez
CEO at Genoa CFC
Anna Malacalza
Hofima Board Member
Other supporters
What we believe in
1
Global Approach
Scaling across the Atlantic is challenging, as seen with Uber among others. Insights from leading experts and institutions in the US and EU help early-stage founders understand opportunities and challenges, leading to stronger company and product designs for successful expansion.
2
Personal Guidance
Mentors provide practical advice, feedback, and introductions which are crucial for solving startup challenges. This is the reason why Genoa ES mentors are industry leaders who are always available to support students from idea to scaling.
3
Real World experience
Real-world experience for founders is essential for being competitive. At Genoa ES, a tailored schedule and immersion in world’s best ecosystems allow students to rapidly apply what they learn, fuelling with real world experience their startup growth before graduation.
4
Solid HARD Skills
Solid hard skills are vital for startup founders because they provide the technical expertise necessary to execute tasks fast and effectively. Genoa ES’ global leading academic partners prepare students to execute as they had years of experience through workshops and tailored 1:1 meetings.
Learn how Genoa ES helps students achieve their academic, entrepreneurial, and career goals simultaneously.