Columbia’s primary investment strategy involves partnering with previously identified executives to build new, valuable companies around unique assets or growth trends, driven by innovation/disruption in Columbia’s Focus Areas. As Columbia professionals collect and synthesize market insight into an investment idea, the Firm usually spends three to twelve months alongside management teams creating a business plan that can build scale quickly, often augmented by acquisitions, and that Columbia believes can achieve market leadership. By the time these platforms have launched, the collective team will have evaluated dozens of assets, business models, and, in many cases, built a pipeline of commercial business or partnership opportunities for inorganic growth. This involvement continues after the initial investment as Columbia transitions its efforts to company building activities, such as M&A, executive recruiting, and strategic partnerships.