FAST PITCH

Fast Pitch is Columbia University’s longest running pitch competition on campus since 2013. The finalist teams of Columbia’s brightest entrepreneurs, undergraduate and graduate students will be able to pitch their idea in 60 seconds to a panel of judges and win up to $5,000. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite pitch of the night and select the winner of the audience choice prize. Join us to celebrate Columbia’s future startups!

*THIS IS AN APPLICATION BASED PROCESS, TO PITCH AT FAST PITCH, PLEASE FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW!*

A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 FAST PITCH JUDGES AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

Jamie Palmer, SEAS ’25

Jamie Palmer, SEAS ’25, is the co-founder and CTO of Icarus Robotics, a New York–based company building the robotic labor force for space. Icarus develops free-flying, dexterous robots designed to take on the routine, manual, and mission-critical tasks astronauts perform today - unlocking scalable labor for the next generation of commercial space stations. The company recently raised a $6.1M seed round led by Soma Capital, Xtal, Nebular, and Massive Tech Ventures, and has been secured a contract for an ISS demonstration mission in 2027. Before founding Icarus, Jamie helped build and deploy autonomous mobile robots in live hospitals during the pandemic in robotics startup Akara, gaining firsthand experience with high-stakes, real-world robotics deployments. Earlier in his career, he also worked in Formula One with the Mercedes Peronas AMG F1 Team, contributing to rapid hardware development cycles and high-performance engineering teams. Jamie graduated from Columbia Engineering in 2025 with a MS in Mechanical Engineering (Robotics and Control) and conducted research in dexterous manipulation at the ROAM Lab. Originally from Ireland, he is passionate about ambitious frontier-tech companies and building robotics systems that push the boundary of what’s possible in space.

Nicholas DeGiacomo

Nicholas DeGiacomo is an applied AI researcher, founder, and data leader with experience across Amazon’s global supply chain organization, the Bloomberg presidential campaign, and multiple early-stage startups. He built Bucephalus, a Techstars and Columbia Startup Lab company focused on AI-driven supply chain planning, and now works across retail, logistics, defense, and high-growth tech on forecasting, optimization, and emerging multi-agent AI systems. Nick is currently focused on the Model Context Protocol and on building safer ways for agents to coordinate and share context through the Pylee platform. He serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Columbia Startup Lab, where he mentors founders on fundraising, technical architecture, and go-to-market strategy, and is known for being a thought partner on turning ambiguous technical problems into practical, scalable systems.

Jennifer Horton

Jennifer Horton, SEAS '02 and CBS VCPE '23, is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive forging her own path through music, entertainment, and finance. Horton is the founder and CEO of JRH Entertainment Group Inc, a Los Angeles based entertainment consulting and multi-media company for all aspects of intellectual property monetization, touring stage design and production, and brand management since 2009. She has worked hand in hand with her clients to develop, vet, and launch multiple brands and business ventures, as well as to run operations and source capital. Resulting accomplishments span from #1 streaming hits, to Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, to multi-platinum singles and albums, award-winning videos with over 100M+ views, and sold out arena tours all over the world.

Avani Kadakia

Avani Kadakia, SEAS IEOR’02, is a business executive with over 15+ years of experience in consulting, financial services and most recently online education. She has a passion for helping businesses position themselves for growth, think through how to best leverage their strengths and build an organization to succeed. Most recently, through her work with UpThink, Avani helped transform the business from one that was struggling financially to one with tremendous bottom- and top-line growth and more importantly, to one that now celebrates a positive culture and motivated workforce. She now spends most of her time working with small business owners to help them achieve their goals and aspirations. Avani lives in Brooklyn with her two children and husband. In her free time, Avani and her family enjoy outdoor activities of all kinds, cooking together and playing board games. Avani holds an MBA from MIT Sloan and a BS from Columbia University in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research with a minor in Economics.

Digvijay Makwana, CBS ’25, SEAS ’25

Digvijay Makwana, CBS ’25, SEAS ’25, is an experienced product and engineering leader with a background spanning cloud infrastructure and consumer marketplaces. He began his career at Microsoft, where he worked on Azure Cosmos DB, the planet-scale database underpinning applications like ChatGPT, focusing on distributed systems at massive scale. Looking to broaden his impact and build in more consumer-facing environments, Digvijay joined Airbnb. There, he contributed to fast-growing initiatives such as Airbnb Plus and later took on a leadership role within the Messaging Platform team, driving significant product and technical improvements for one of the company’s highest-traffic systems. After four years at Airbnb, he pursued an MBA at Columbia Business School to expand his strategic and entrepreneurial toolkit, while simultaneously completing an MS in Engineering at Columbia SEAS. Immersed in the university’s startup community, he is now building an AI startup out of the Columbia Startup Lab focused on applying generative intelligence to complex industry workflows. Digvijay also holds a BASc in Mechatronics Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Derrick Chien, CBS ’25, SEAS ’25

Derrick Chien, CBS ’25, SEAS ’25, is the CEO of Cadenova, a fashion tech startup using AI to help brands forecast trends, plan assortments, and reduce waste. Before starting Cadenova, he worked at Morgan Stanley as a technical product manager, building award-winning regulatory and trading platforms across engineering, analytics, and compliance systems. He also founded Bberri, an organic blueberry juice brand produced in Chile, developing its supply chain and U.S. growth strategy and securing retail placements including high-end grocers like Erewhon. He holds a BS in Commerce and a BA in Computer Science from the University of Virginia, and earned an MBA and an MS in Engineering at Columbia University.

Timeline

October 30, 11:59 PM: Application and pitch videos due

Video requirements (provide link to video on application form)

- - 60 seconds
  - 1 – 2 persons maximum
  - No slides (a custom zoom background with your team logo is encouraged)
  - Record in landscape on your phone or laptop
  - Use good quality lighting and audio

November 14 – 17: Feedback and final decisions on pitch applications released to applicants

Columbia alumni and members of the venture community will review your pitch and provide feedback.

Selected applicants will be allowed to pitch at the live event on November 19.

November 19, 5:00 – 8:00 PM: Live competition on campus

Attend the event, invite your peers and network with the entrepreneurship community.

Why Participate?

Connect with alumni and the venture community. Make connections with the panel of judges that includes notable Columbia alumni and members of New York City’s venture community.

Improve your skills. Your elevator pitch could be the most impactful way to convey your business to an outsider. Mastering the skill of the pitch to hook your investors, partners, or customers within the first minute is crucial.

No cost. Attendance and participation is free. As for the experience, it’s priceless

Recruit team members. Network with the entrepreneurship community at Columbia and find potential team members.

Win prize money. There will be a $2,000 prize pool solely for undergraduates and a $3,000 pool for the best overall pitches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Columbia alumni apply? Recently graduated alumni (no more than 2 years; i.e. 2023) can apply. Note preference will be given to current students and first time participants.

I have a blended team of Columbia and non-Columbia team members. Yes, however at least 50% of the team must be Columbia students or eligible alumni.

I am unable to pitch live at the event on November 19. Can another team member pitch for my team? Yes, team members can pitch at the event. I am unable to pitch live at the event on

Can i pitch if i RSVP’ed to the live event? In order to be a contestant and pitch your idea at the live event, teams MUST go through the application process and be selected as part of the final teams able to pitch!