CORE (Columbia Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs) was founded in late 1999 by students with the desire to become entrepreneurs. CORE's leading objective is to provide educational and professional resources for students at Columbia University with an interest in entrepreneurship. CORE has successfully organized university-wide business plan competitions, awarded both graduate and undergraduate students over $100,000 dollars in seed capital, and sponsored numerous events featuring successful entrepreneurs as speakers. There are currently over 900 members in CORE.