Entrepreneurship
At Cornell

The gateway to everything entrepreneurial at Cornell University

Entrepreneurship: A developing ecosystem of, through and beyond Cornell
May 24, 2017
It is not an exaggeration to say entrepreneurship is woven throughout Cornell’s academic culture. After all, the university’s co-founder and namesake, Ezra Cornell, was a 19th-century entrepreneur who made his fortune in the telegraph business. Today, entrepreneurship is fostered in numerous ways that reflect the university’s educational and public service mission and interdisciplinary ethos. Through research, coursework, fellowships, leadership initiatives, business incubators, community outreach, business plan competitions and more, an evolving entrepreneurial ecosystem has emerged at Cornell. Its reach extends throughout the university, from minds and hubs across the Ithaca campus and into the local community to the Continue reading...

An inside look at Ithaca’s business incubators
May 24, 2017
One of the more important challenges Ithaca faces in 2017 is business retention. Between Ithaca College, Cornell University and Tompkins Cortland Community College there’s certainly enough young brainpower and entrepreneurial energy to develop an intriguing and appealing start-up environment. The only problem, of course, is keeping that talent in-house and not losing it to the bright lights of New York City or other glamorous cities.  Enter Rev: Ithaca Startup Works and Cornell University’s eHub. Though both cater to different markets, both are essentially set up to achieve similar goals, namely providing resources and workspace that make it as Continue reading...

At NYC makeathon, students change lives with technology
May 18, 2017
Cornell students, faculty and volunteers teamed up at an April 21-23 makeathon in New York City to create technologies that can improve the lives of people with disabilities. The event was a collaboration among Cornell Tech, Entrepreneurship at Cornell, the ILR School’s K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, the New York City Mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities and TOM Tikkun Olam Makers.

Doing the Right Thing
May 10, 2017
Emerging businesses today are helping themselves by helping others as entrepreneurs respond to both society’s and customers’ demands to make a difference while making profits. Yve-Car Momperousse, MS ’14, and Katherine Herleman, MS ’17, are the women behind two companies that address concerns such as environmental protection, meaningful employment, global warming, and sustainable energy. And their businesses are rewarding on many levels. Momperousse and Herleman delivered their stories on April 28 at “The Power of Social Enterprise,” a discussion moderated by Monica Touesnard, associate director of Johnson’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise. The panel was sponsored by the Continue reading...

Ties that Bind, Lessons Learned
May 10, 2017
What do you do if you are next in line for joining your family business? Will you choose that route, and if so, when and how? Will you walk away to pursue something entirely different? People faced with that choice say they learned valuable lessons as they decided whether to accept the legacy left by their parents and other close relatives, launch a new business of their own, or gain experience elsewhere and then return to the fold. Four Johnson MBAs — three Johnson students and an alumnus — shared their personal experiences of growing up in family Continue reading...

Entrepreneurship Celebration is April 27-28
April 24, 2017
More than 200 alumni are expected to return to campus – along with a few humanoid robots – for Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration conference, April 27-28. Keynote speaker for the event will be Rodolphe Gelin, chief scientific officer of SoftBank Robotics Holdings, who will bring three versions of “Pepper” the robot with him. “We look forward to hosting Celebration each year, as it is a wonderful student-centric conference,” said Zach Shulman ’87, J.D. ’90, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell. “Each year brings new programming and tons of entrepreneurial energy.” Celebration public events Wednesday, April 26 5:30-7 p.m.: “Generation Continue reading...

How to Start a Startup @ Cornell
April 13, 2017
How to Start a Startup @ Cornell Want to understand the potential of starting a company while at Cornell? Look no further than John Zimmer (SHA ’06), Co-Founder of Lyft. John found the inspiration for Lyft from a city planning course he took as an undergraduate student in the School of Hotel Administration. From TechCrunch: “At Cornell John took a class called “Creating Green Cities and Sustainable Futures,” which was taught by Professor Robert Young. Over the course of the semester, Young walked students through changes in city infrastructure over the centuries and challenged them to imagine the future Continue reading...

Students from across campus pitch business ideas
April 6, 2017
Students representing 11 startup companies with products ranging from organic skin care products to concussion detection devices pitched their businesses to a panel of judges March 20, vying for the 2017 Student Business of the Year, given by Entrepreneurship at Cornell. The students, who represented many of Cornell’s schools and colleges, as well as graduate programs, were nominated by their respective school or college for the honor, which includes a $5,000 prize. The winner will be announced at a lunch during Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration conference April 27-28. Jason Guss, a doctoral student in engineering, said his product Continue reading...

CVM hosts first-ever animal health hackathon
April 4, 2017
The world’s first-ever hackathon dedicated to animal health took place last weekend–generating dozens of innovations and sparking unique collaborations. The event, co-hosted by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and Entrepreneurship at Cornell, partnered 130 Cornell students from across degrees, majors, and colleges (including  32 DVM students) with professional mentors to generate ideas for promoting animal health. The Hackathon was held at the eHub Collegetown, a flexible co-working space for budding Cornell entrepreneurs located just off the Ithaca, N.Y. campus. The first day began with presentations and panel discussions from innovators and leaders from a range of organizations, including clinics, startups Continue reading...

Water Sensor Moves from Basic Research to Promising Business
February 14, 2017
A water sensor technology that began as basic research at Cornell is blooming into a business that fills a vital need for grape, nut, apple, and other growers. While current water sensing tools are expensive, inaccurate, or labor intensive, the new sensor tells growers when their plants need irrigation with accurate, real-time readings at reasonable cost. Much like a blood pressure gauge for humans, the sensor reads the water pressure inside the plant. When plants are thirsty, their water pressure is low, sometimes even negative. The sensor reads this pressure inside the plant to help growers ensure plant health Continue reading...

Cornell Tech, eLab startup Datalogue raises $1.5 million
February 6, 2017
Datalogue, a Cornell startup with roots on the Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses, uses deep learning and artificial intelligence to automate data preparation. The company raised $1.5 million in seed funding from Bloomberg Beta, Flybridge, NVIDIA and other investors to support its work in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Founder and CEO Tim Delisle, M.H.A ’15, who is now pursuing an M.Sc. with a concentration in Health Tech at the Jacobs-Technion Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, calls the successful fundraising “a crazy ride,” noting the New York City-based Datalogue incorporated in February 2016 before they had graduated Cornell’s Continue reading...

Robert F. Smith is Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2017
February 3, 2017
Entrepreneurship at Cornell has announced that Robert F. Smith ’85 has been named the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2017. He will be honored Nov. 3 during Cornell’s annual Entrepreneurship Summit in New York City. Smith’s company, Vista Equity Partners, manages equity capital of more than $26 billion and oversees a portfolio of more than 35 software companies that employ more than 42,000 people worldwide. Under his leadership, Vista has exclusively focused on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled solutions. Smith earned his bachelor’s in chemical engineering at Cornell and his MBA from Columbia Business School. He worked at Continue reading...

Weill Cornell lab helps translate ideas into innovations
February 1, 2017
Weill Cornell Medicine has recently launched a dedicated program to foster an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the institution. The program, the Dean’s Entrepreneurship Lab, provides resources and educational opportunities to students and faculty who have ideas with commercial potential that they want to translate from the lab to the patient. This bench-to-bedside process is complicated, with a wide gap between what scientists typically pursue on their own – publishing research, developing a prototype – and later phases of development, like starting a company. The Dean’s Entrepreneurship Lab, or eLab, strives to bridge this divide, helping researchers Continue reading...

Cornell Tech postdoc program pushing scientists and engineers to start businesses
January 25, 2017
Can Entrepreneurship Revive The Troubled PhD? An innovative Cornell Tech postdoc program aims to keep research at its core while pushing scientists and engineers to start businesses. Cornell Tech’s graduate programs will start moving to a new campus on Roosevelt Island later this year.[Photos: Kyle Thompson for Fast Company] PhD students once dreamed of lifelong tenure, generous sabbaticals, and a closet full of jackets with elbow patches. Academic life, with its dusty-booked charm, ruled the day. No longer. Even in STEM fields, roughly 40% of PhDs are graduating without employment commitments. Could the solution be teaching postdocs to Continue reading...

Students win top prize in NYC financial hackathon
November 29, 2016
Students win top prize in NYC financial hackathon By Kathy Hovis Cornell undergraduate and graduate students took part in a financial technology hackathon organized by Entrepreneurship at Cornell Nov. 11 at Cornell Tech in New York City. The students were joined by graduate students from Cornell Tech, Howard University, New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a weekend of “coding, camaraderie and creativity” as they worked on solutions for problems in two categories – detecting money laundering and financial inclusion. “We wanted to take a weekend to get students thinking about ways their skills can be applied for the Continue reading...

Gift lets entrepreneurship faculty hire assistants
November 18, 2016
Gift lets entrepreneurship faculty hire assistants By Kathy Hovis Eight faculty members from five colleges, as well as Cornell Tech, were honored recently with awards from the Louis H. Zalaznick Teaching Assistantship program. The awards allow them to expand their courses or hire teaching assistants. The program, administered by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, was established in 1993 by David W. Zalaznick ’76, a current Cornell Trustee, and his wife, Barbara ’76, to honor David’s father, Louis. The awards allow faculty affiliated with Entrepreneurship at Cornell to extend their capacity to work with students by providing assistant(s) to help with Continue reading...

Entrepreneurs gather for Cornell-hosted summit in NYC
November 9, 2016
Entrepreneurs gather for Cornell-hosted summit in NYC By Kathy Hovis Jason Koski/University Photography Sendar Mizrakci, MBA ’17, second from left, and Ziad Jarjouhi, MBA ’17, founders of PureSpinach, talk to some of the attendees at Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Summit 2016 event Nov. 4 in New York City. PureSpinach won top honors in the summit’s pitch contest. From ways to improve company culture to strategies for recovering from a setback, entrepreneurial leaders shared their thoughts with an audience of more than 500 Nov. 4 at Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Summit 2016 in New York City. Sallie Krawcheck, CEO of Ellevest, Continue reading...

Sparking Ideas: ILR alum facilitates student entrepreneurial experiences
October 28, 2016
According to Peter Cortle ’10, “There hasn’t been a better time to get involved in entrepreneurship as a student at Cornell.” Cortle would know. He is the founding director of eHub, a community space for student entrepreneurs that opened this fall through a partnership between Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Student Agencies Foundation with the support of ILR and other schools on campus. He is also the founder of multiple startup organizations, including Life Changing Labs, a non-profit summer incubator and mentorship network for Cornell entrepreneurs, and Life Changing Summer, a program that teaches entrepreneurship and computer science to Continue reading...

Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines GCEC Award
October 11, 2016
On October 1st, Entrepreneurship at Cornell was  recognized for “Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines” by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC)  at the annual conference hosted University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology.   Directors, staff members and  faculty from entrepreneurship centers at academic institutions representing 16 countries were among the more than 400 attendees participating in the three-day conference.  The GCEC awards – in eight categories –  are designed to showcase and celebrate the very best of university entrepreneurship.  92 award applications were received, setting a record number of submissions,  for consideration by a Continue reading...

Entrepreneurs celebrate two new co-working spaces
September 30, 2016
Two newly renovated spaces – eHub Collegetown and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works – opened their doors last week to students and community members, offering many new resources for local entrepreneurs. The spaces allow students and members of the Ithaca entrepreneurial community to germinate ideas, receive mentorship, produce their services and products, and grow their businesses. “The entrepreneurial mindset has always been a core value in Ithaca. In recent years, however, our ecosystem has grown stronger, faster,” said Tom Schryver ’93, MBA ’02, executive director of Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement. “With the opening of eHub and the Continue reading...

Rosie: Johnson grads deliver with convenient shopping app
September 27, 2016
It is a familiar and often repeated story in business. Someone sees — and seizes — opportunity where others foresee failure or misfortune. “When we started this four years ago, everyone thought we were crazy,” says Jon Ambrose MBA ’14, chief operating officer and a co-founder of Rosie Applications Inc. “Technology in the grocery industry was the worst idea of all time, according to most people back then.” But Ambrose and his fellow co-founders, Chief Executive Officer Nick Nickitas MBA ’14, and Chief Technology Officer Michael Ryzewic, saw opportunity where others did not. They created their startup company, Rosie Applications Inc., in Continue reading...

Growing Entrepreneur Community Celebrates Two New Co-working Spaces
September 22, 2016
By Kathy Hovis,  staff writer, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Two newly renovated buildings — eHub Collegetown and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works  — are opening their doors this week to students and community members, offering a plethora of new resources for local entrepreneurs. The spaces will allow students and members of the larger Ithaca entrepreneurial community to germinate ideas, receive mentorship, produce their services and products and grow their businesses within Tompkins County. “The entrepreneurial mindset has always been a core value in Ithaca. In recent years, however, our ecosystem has grown stronger, faster,” said Tom Schryver Continue reading...

Entrepreneurial students share ideas at eHub opening
September 16, 2016
More than 300 students filled the eHub space in Kennedy Hall Aug. 31 for a grand opening celebration, a showcase of student businesses and a pitch contest. InvestMend, founded by Samuel Kramer ’18 took first place in the student pitch contest, winning $1,010 and entry into eLab, a student business accelerator run by Entrepreneurship at Cornell and the Student Agencies Foundation. Kramer’s company matches investors interested in renewable energy with small-project developers. “I’m currently recruiting one person with a background in finance who wants to save the world,” Kramer told the audience. Second place went to Vispio, an Continue reading...

The 10 Universities That Produce the Most Startup Founders
September 14, 2016
From Mark Zuckerberg to Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, some of the world’s most famous and successful founders are college dropouts. That might lead some people to believe that most startup entrepreneurs don’t bother to get a degree. But those people would be wrong. Despite the hype around a few incredible dropout success stories, the vast majority of startup founders complete college, and a whole host of tech scene veterans (with the notable exception of Peter Thiel) say that, given the huge uncertainty inherent in the startup game, it’s generally wise for aspiring founders to finish their degrees. Continue reading...

High schoolers create business ideas at summer boot camp
August 5, 2016
Eleven high school students from as far away as Romania and as close as Ithaca spent three weeks on campus creating new businesses with entrepreneurial Cornell student mentors this summer. The students were part of the “Life Changing Summer” program hosted by Life Changing Labs (LCL) and Entrepreneurship at Cornell in the new eHub space in Kennedy Hall. Ithaca high-schooler Freya Ryd’s idea for an app called “Commun” would allow people at social events or conferences to connect with like-minded folks in the same room. Asaru Turner of Atlanta has an idea for a “Detective” device that would Continue reading...

Venture Capitalist Fosters Student Entrepreneurship
July 18, 2016
Venture Capitalist Zach Shulman talks about his role as Director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell University and how he plans on continuing to help young entrepreneurs thrive. Nominations are open for the 2016 Upstate Venture Ecosystem Awards. Honor the leaders creating a new venture economy in Upstate New York, and plan on joining us at the celebration on September 16 at the Turning Stone Resort. In 2015, Zach Shulman won the Ecosystem Champion Award – an award reserved for an individual who is catalyzing and supporting startup activity across multiple Upstate communities. Zach has two dominant activities. He has been Director Continue reading...

eHub opens doors to first set of student entrepreneurs
June 29, 2016
The first floor of Kennedy Hall has been transformed from a lobby and waiting area to a humming incubator for entrepreneurial students. Even in summer, 10 teams of students are using the space to help move their businesses along without the pressures of classes. eHub opened earlier this month and houses the offices of Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Blackstone LaunchPad, as well as conference rooms and a large meeting area for groups and informal meetings. A second eHub location in Collegetown is set to open in early August. Students meeting in the Kennedy eHub space are part of Continue reading...

eHub Provides Space for Community, Collaboration to Cornell Entrepreneurs
June 28, 2016
Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Student Agencies Foundation, working in tandem with several Cornell colleges, has opened a 5,000 square foot workspace on campus for student entrepreneurs to collaborate and advance their ventures, according to Zach Shulman, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell. The workspace, located in Kennedy Hall, opened for student usage June 4, and a larger center will open at 409 College Avenue in August, Shulman said. The Kennedy Hall location provides “collaboration space” for students, lecture space for entrepreneurship programs and various staff offices, according to the Entrepreneurship at Cornell website. <iframe id=”74458bb90a” name=”74458bb90a” src=”http://oncampusweb-d.openx.net/w/1.0/afr?auid=538220187&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” Continue reading...

Cornell Tech “Project Runway” participant launches Nanit
June 20, 2016
What if a simple camera capturing data for machine learning could tell you the threat level of an individual approaching a fence? What if the same combination of camera and computer could classify the behavior of shoppers in a grocery store isle and judge things like intent to purchase, presence of decision paralysis, and ease of identifying desired products? Fueled by advances in image recognition and processing power, smart-cameras that can classify human behavior rather than simply observe it may be the next step for IoT. Nanit is one of the first companies in this space. Dr. Assaf Glazer, a parent Continue reading...

Students promote new entrepreneur resource
May 13, 2016
Students promote new entrepreneur resource By Kathy Hovis Jason Koski/University Photography Managing Director Felix Litvinsky with the 2016 Blackstone LaunchPad fellows Tiffany St. Bernard, left, Kenny Sang and Tatiana Cherne. Three student fellows recently joined the staff of Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP) and are already offering innovative programming for entrepreneurial Cornell students. Tiffany St. Bernard, a graduate student in the field of biomedical engineering, and undergrads Tatiana Cherne ’16 and Kenny Sang ’17, have been working to spread the word about BLP, which provides mentoring, coaching and resources for entrepreneurial students, faculty, staff and alumni. They helped organize the Continue reading...

Equine Design wins Student Business of the Year by a nose
April 19, 2016
Equine Design wins Student Business of the Year by a nose By Susan Kelley Jason Koski/University Photography Caitlin Parrucci ’15, M.Eng. ’16, discusses her business Equine Design at Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration. Equine Design was named winner of the 2016 Student Business of the Year. Equine Design, a company that keeps horses healthy by tracking their water intake, is the winner of the 2016 Student Business of the Year. Founder Caitlin Parrucci, ’15, M.Eng. ’16, accepted the $5,000 prize from Entrepreneurship at Cornell at an award ceremony April 15, part of the group’s annual entrepreneurship Celebration April 14-15. Continue reading...

Students pitch business ideas at Celebration events
April 19, 2016
Students pitch business ideas at Celebration events By Kathy Hovis Jason Koski/University Photography Mikayla Diesch ’16 and Hannah Gallovic ’16, founders of Wristbeat, pose with their check for $3,000 from Entrepreneurship at Cornell. Wristbeat was named co-winner of the Big Idea competition. Jason Koski/University Photography Beverly Wallenstein ’16, founder of Girls Rule Business, poses with her check for $3,000 from Entrepreneurship at Cornell. Girls Rule Business was named co-winner of the Big Idea competition. An easy-to-wear heart monitor and a nonprofit that encourages young girls to start their own business shared top honors April 15 in the Big Continue reading...

Pillsbury: Success for entrepreneurs stems from courage, balance
April 19, 2016
If anyone knows what it takes to be an entrepreneur, it’s Leland “Lee” Pillsbury ’69. The 2016 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year shared lessons learned during his illustrious career with the next generation of Cornell entrepreneurs April 15. “Most important, it’s the jockey, not the horse. It’s you as an individual and the management team that’s far more important than the business idea,” Pillsbury said. With serious moments and a sprinkling of jokes, he gave an animated keynote speech at a luncheon honoring 2016 Student Business of the Year nominees. The previous evening, Entrepreneurship at Cornell had presented Continue reading...

Entrepreneurship to play ‘essential’ role in College of Business
April 18, 2016
By Susan Kelley Jason Koski/University Photography The College of Business leaders speak at the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration conference April 14. From left: Dean Soumitra Dutta; Chris Barrett, deputy dean and dean designate of academic affairs; and Rohit Verma, dean designate for external relations. With entrepreneurship faculty and classes now scattered across campus, the nascent College of Business is poised to act as the focal point for entrepreneurship-related academics at Cornell, coordinating scholarship and teaching activities that will become an essential aspect of the college’s strength and coordinating them with activities in other colleges, administrators said. On a Continue reading...

Celebration draws Cornellian business leaders April 14-15
April 6, 2016
Being a successful entrepreneur is like surviving a Tough Mudder race pretty much every day. Adam Slutsky ’85 should know. Slutsky has fond memories of his Cornell days selling T-shirts as a Student Agencies entrepreneur. Today, he’s CEO of Tough Mudder, a company that hosts more than 60 obstacle course races each year across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany and Australia, attracting more than 2 million people. And he’s run a couple other companies between those two. He’ll be a keynote speaker during Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration event, April 14-15. Slutsky founded Moviefone in 1989, which offers Continue reading...

Business competitions highlight student ideas
April 6, 2016
Jason Koski/University Photography ILR student Beverly Wallenstein will enter her business idea, Girls Mean Business, in the 2016 Big Idea Competition. Would-be student entrepreneurs from across campus spent some of their spring break polishing their pitches for the Big Idea Competition, to be held Friday, April 15, at 4:30 p.m. in the Statler Ballroom during the 2016 Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration. Alyssa Holman ’18, a biology and society major in the College of Arts and Sciences, wants to create 3-D hearts that could be used in transplants. “Only 2,000 to 3,000 people get heart transplants every year, but there Continue reading...

Managing director named for Blackstone LaunchPad
February 25, 2016
Entrepreneurship at Cornell recently welcomed the first managing director for Blackstone LaunchPad (BLP) at Cornell, an initiative of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation that provides mentoring, coaching and resources for entrepreneurial students, faculty, staff and alumni. Felix Litvinsky, a seasoned international technology entrepreneur and a member of various angel investor groups, began the job Jan. 25. Blackstone LaunchPad offers free, confidential mentorship for individuals and startups at any stage in any industry, as well as access to a global network and other resources. It operates at 17 campuses across the country and in Ireland. Litvinsky has been speaking in Continue reading...

Leland Pillsbury named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2016
January 28, 2016
Entrepreneurship at Cornell has announced that Leland C. Pillsbury ’69 has been named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2016. He will be honored April 14-15 during Cornell’s annual entrepreneurship celebration conference in Ithaca. Pillsbury was CEO, founder and chairman of Thayer Lodging Group from 1991 until its sale to Brookfield Properties in 2014. He serves as a senior adviser to Brookfield and remains active in hotel real estate transactions and travel technology. Pillsbury has played a major role in the launch of more than 15 new companies and is a founding investor in Thayer Ventures, a venture capital fund Continue reading...

Cornell entrepreneurs make move for visibility
January 20, 2016
A Collegetown address could be getting a makeover to create a more “clear street presence” for the organizations that inhabit it. Cornell University and a student-run affiliate organization, Student Agencies Foundation, recently submitted a site plan review application to the City of Ithaca to renovate the facade of the nearly 30-year-old structure at 409 College Ave. in the hope of making the organization easier to find and to create a modern space for a new, entrepreneurial program the building will house. A rendering of the proposed renovations to 409 College Avenue in Collegetown. (Photo: STREAM Collaborative) eHub is the working name for the experimental Continue reading...

Meet Fifteen of the Brightest College Entrepreneurs and Their Innovative Startups (including 2 from Cornell)
January 20, 2016
We are hearing a ton of buzz from CES about the latest and greatest innovative products from some of the world’s top companies everything from the world’s first human flying drone, to refrigerators where you can buy groceries from fridge. All of these ideas had to start somewhere and today we are seeing the innovators behind these great products starting younger and younger. College students today are more interested than ever about entrepreneurship. Today one-third of all business incubators are housed on college campuses and the number of entrepreneurship courses has increased from 250 in 1985 to more than 5,000 recorded in Continue reading...

Entrepreneurial students pitch to alumni at NYC event
December 21, 2015
Students who are part of eLab pitched their start-up business ideas to a group of 54 alumni and other prospective advisers at a New York City event Dec. 4. Twelve teams – with ideas ranging from a system to monitor equine water intake to a platform to connect college students to charities they care about – shared their midyear progress. The midyear pitching event was new this year for eLab students, whose ideas span animal care, hardware, financial technology, biotech, food production, food science, philanthropy, Web platforms, data mining and distribution, said Jeremiah Cotman, eLab coordinator. Students presented Continue reading...

Videolicious’ Amanda Eilian on Healthy Pessimism in Entrepreneurship
November 19, 2015
Should more founders listen to their inner pessimist? Amanda Eilian, co-founder and president of New York-based Videolicious, said this trait is critical to success. “Pessimism is actually a positive thing as an entrepreneur,” she said. She spoke Friday at the Cornell Entrepreneurship Summit in New York, a daylong event that included Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick, and Brandon Steiner, an old-school Brooklynite who literally found a way to make a buck selling dirt as CEO of Steiner Sports Marketing & Memorabilia. Eilian’s message was more about not believing one’s own hype, and less about walking around grumbling that Continue reading...

Students Tackle Community Issues at 24 Hour Hackathon
November 17, 2015
Nearly 150 students participated in the University’s first Random Hacks of Kindness hackathon, coding for 24 hours straight from Saturday to Sunday morning to formulate solutions to community problems put forth by local organizations and nonprofits in Tompkins County. At the end of the hackathon, representatives from Accenture, the AFYA Foundation and the Cornell Public Service Center selected three winning teams out of the 25 participating teams, who were eligible to receive $2,000 to $3,000 to execute their proposed solution, according to the Random Hacks of Kindness website. The hackathon was sponsored by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, which hosts Continue reading...

Summit shows taking risks drives success for entrepreneurs
November 11, 2015
Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett made it clear Nov. 6 how excited the university and she are about Cornell’s expanding commitment to new business startups and entrepreneurship in Ithaca and in New York City. She spoke near the conclusion of a daylong “Erase the Edge” Cornell Entrepreneurship Summit at The TimesCenter Gallery in Manhattan at which CEOs presented and students pitched business ideas. Approximately 450 people attended the daylong event, hosted annually by Entrepreneurship at Cornell. Cornell was founded by an entrepreneur, and the university has always been entrepreneurial, Garrett said, citing more than a dozen active, collaborative and Continue reading...

Queen Elizabeth Prize Foundation 2015: Queen Elizabeth II Honors Dr Robert Langer
October 29, 2015
Queen Elizabeth II honored chemical engineer Dr Robert Langer with a one million pound award for his advances in engineering at the Throne Room in Buckingham Palace Monday. The British monarch was joined by her granddaughter Princess Eugenie at the special prize-giving event. Also present were Prince Philip, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne. Elizabeth presented the award in the presence of select guests and other members of the royal family. The 89-year-old monarch looked resplendent in a cream and gold dress at the award ceremony. She accessorized with a three-string pearl necklace, small pearl earrings and gold watch. Continue reading...

Alum Robert Langer wins Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
October 29, 2015
Robert Langer ’70 has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering for “revolutionary advances and leadership in engineering at the interface of chemistry and medicine.” The 1 million pound prize recognizes engineers responsible for innovations that benefit humanity. The queen will present Langer the prize at Buckingham Palace later this year. Langer, who has a chemical engineering bachelor’s degree from Cornell, is the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the largest biomedical engineering lab in the world. His research is in engineering polymers to control the delivery of drugs Continue reading...

Blackstone Charitable Foundation Announces Largest Expansion of Successful Campus Entrepreneurship Program “Blackstone LaunchPad” to Five Universities Across New York State
October 26, 2015
New York, New York, October 23rd, 2015 – The Blackstone Charitable Foundation today announced the largest expansion of its campus entrepreneurship program, Blackstone LaunchPad, to five universities across the state of New York. New York becomes the eighth Blackstone LaunchPad region, following Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Montana, California, and Ireland. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation’s three-year, $4.5 million grant will establish a partnership between Cornell University, New York University, Syracuse University, University at Albany (SUNY), and University at Buffalo (SUNY) to introduce entrepreneurship as a viable career option and provide over 180,000 students, regardless of major, with a network Continue reading...

Zalaznick awards support course expansion, TAs
October 13, 2015
Eight faculty members from four Cornell colleges were honored recently with awards from the Louis H. Zalaznick Teaching Assistantship program, allowing them to expand their courses or add teaching assistants. The program, administered by Entrepreneurship at Cornell, was established in 1993 by Cornell trustee David W. Zalaznick ’76 and his wife, Barbara ’76, to honor David’s father, Louis. The awards allow faculty affiliated with Entrepreneurship at Cornell to extend their capacity to work with students by providing one or more assistants to help with their courses or course development. Zalaznick award winners for 2015 and their projects: David Continue reading...

new eLab Project Coordinator named
October 8, 2015
New to the eLab Management Team this year is Jeremiah Cotman, taking on the role of Project Coordinator. He was chosen for his strengths in problem solving, written content, and ability to build strong relationships quickly. He is thrilled by the startup’s journey from idea to concept to something alive and working. After four years at eLab, starting as a volunteer and progressing to the management team, Peter Cortle is stepping down as Program Manager. When asked what he is going to miss most, Peter said, “Working with all of our startup teams on a week-to-week basis – I will continue Continue reading...

eHub grows space for student entrepreneurs
September 15, 2015
Cornell students need community entrepreneurship space that provides an effective environment to hatch ideas, work together, discuss problems, get mentorship and run actual businesses. In partnership with the Student Agencies Foundation, Cornell is addressing this need by creating eHub. eHub, slated to open in spring 2016, will be housed in two newly renovated facilities designed to foster entrepreneurism among Cornell students, faculty and staff. eHub will include 10,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the Student Agencies building at 409 College Ave. and 4,000 square feet on the first floor of Kennedy Hall on campus. Continue reading...

Horse water intake device takes entrepreneurship prize
September 10, 2015
The winner of the pitch contest during the Entrepreneurship Kickoff event Sept. 2 wants to solve a problem for horse owners all over the world. A competitive equestrian for 15 years, Caitlin Parrucci ’15, is creating a specialized drinking bucket called “Thirst Alert” that measures horse water intake and issues alerts when there’s been a change or when the bucket is low. Changes in water intake can be an early signal that a horse is suffering from colic, so these alerts could help owners prevent the disease. Parrucci was one of seven students who presented ideas during the Continue reading...

InvitedHome, founded by Cornell alumni Henry Parry-Okeden, ranked 28th fastest growing company in America by INC. Magazine
August 12, 2015
Inc. magazine names Colorado-based InvitedHome one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the U.S., and rates it first in the travel category   With a three-year sales growth of 8,000 percent, InvitedHome is transforming the way homeowners, investors and travelers think about vacation rentals     BOULDER, Colo. – Aug. 12, 2015 – A new leader in the bourgeoning vacation rental industry, InvitedHome has captured the attention – and trust – of home owners and travelers alike, earning it a spot on the coveted Inc. 500 list for fastest growing private companies in the U.S. InvitedHome’s impressive Continue reading...

Startup Schools: America’s Most Entrepreneurial Universities 2015
August 11, 2015
The usual suspects still rule our annual Most Entrepreneurial Research Universities this year, with Stanford University on top once again. Only 3 newcomers make it on top 20: Brigham Young University, Northeastern and University of San Francisco, while San Diego State, UC Santa Barbara and Syracuse fell behind.  

Which Universities Produce the Best Startup Talent?
July 22, 2015
It’s an ongoing debate just how much influence universities have over the startup landscape anymore. There’s an exhaustive list of entrepreneurs who never finished their degrees who actively speak out against the importance of higher ed in the tech industry, and accessing all the pertinent skills has never been easier. Meanwhile coding bootcamps churn out job-ready developers in a mere fraction of the time it would take to get a traditional degree (albeit, for about the same price tag). Image Credit: Flickr/COD Newsroom So what about those technically gifted students who want to work in tech and also Continue reading...

Student interns help stir growth at Ithaca Hummus
July 16, 2015
From making their production line more efficient to creating attractive displays in grocery stores and refining employee job descriptions, a trio of Cornell student interns are contributing their talents – and learning lots about food preparation – this summer at Ithaca Hummus. The company’s production facility is in a business park just outside of Groton, New York, where lines of gleaming stainless-steel kettles can hold more than 1,000 pounds of garbanzo beans, enough to fill the 4,000-5,000 containers Ithaca Hummus ships out weekly to retailers. It takes 8 to 10 hours to cook and cool the beans until Continue reading...

Students spend summer incubating their business ideas
July 9, 2015
While most Cornell students headed home for the summer – off to internships, work or play – a group of entrepreneurial undergrads and graduate students are staying in Ithaca for intensive business development as part of the new Life Changing Labs (LCL) summer incubator. Six student teams are working on their businesses in apartments and offices, meeting together at least three times a week in the PopShop space in Collegetown. They are supported by the LCL management team, internal mentors and a group of 10 student interns – so called “Life Changers,” who help with everything from customer Continue reading...

Students, alumni showcase innovation at South by Southwest
May 4, 2015
Students, alumni showcase innovation at South by Southwest By Kathy Hovis Cornell showcased a wide range of student and alumni innovation during this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, with more than 200 joining in a Cornell-sponsored reception during the film, music and interactive gathering in Austin, Texas in March. The reception, hosted by the Cornell Entrepreneur Network, Cornell Silicon Valley and Entrepreneurship at Cornell, gave alumni and Cornell-affiliated guests the chance to connect and share ideas. “Having [a] Cornell presence at SXSW has proven to be very beneficial to our alumni, parents and friends, and they expect Continue reading...

ILR helps local small businesses with ADA best practices
May 1, 2015
Which of the following businesses need to be accessible to people with disabilities: car dealership, private dentist office, take-out only eatery or hair salon in a private home? (Answer below.) Cook About a dozen employees from local small businesses and agencies attended “Accessibility and Your Small Business: Best Practices for a Limited Budget” April 23 to learn answers to these and other questions related to Title III regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The workshop was presented by LaWanda Cook, extension associate and training specialist for the Northeast ADA Center, which is one of 10 regional Continue reading...

Sprouting student startup wins $100,000 business contest
May 1, 2015
Germinating from a campus incubator, Uma Bioseed – a startup business developed by Cornell MBA students – has won the 2015 New York Business Plan Competition, besting more than 500 other student-led teams. Winning the competition carried a $100,000 grand prize. “Winning this competition harkens back to Cornell’s land-grant and ‘any study’ roots, arising from cross-discipline Cornell innovations and leveraged by the business school to help launch it,” said Brennan Whitaker Duty, MBA ’15. Duty, Abhijeet Bais, MBA ’15, and Margaret “Margo” Wu, MBA ‘15, serve as the management team of the new company. As a Cornell-based startup, Continue reading...

Jay Walker shares 10 ‘superforces’ of the business future
April 27, 2015
Jay Walker ’77 has founded 40 to 50 companies, and while most of them failed, he had several big hits along the way, namely priceline.com, Synapse and Walker Digital. He also is an owner of TEDMED, an annual healthcare innovation summit. He told a crowd of nearly 300 at the eLab Demo Day April 16 that he feels pretty comfortable giving advice to future entrepreneurs, and did just that as keynote speaker for the event, part of Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration two-day conference and a showcase for 10 student companies working at the student business accelerator. “Entrepreneurship is Continue reading...

Alumni, students share business ideas at Celebration
April 27, 2015
For alumni like Vijay Vashee, M.E.N. ‘75, coming back to campus for two days every April for Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration event is a treat. “I just love meeting talented, young, smart people and helping them see how they can change the world,” said Vashee, one of more than 200 alumni who returned to campus April 16-17 for the annual conference. “It’s only the young who are willing to take the risks we need.” Vashee talked while taking a break from judging the Big Idea Competition, one of several student contests held during the event. Vashee is a Continue reading...

Students honored for business plans and ideas
April 27, 2015
Three student teams took home prizes April 16-17 in contests held during Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s Celebration conference, while another 10 teams presented their final pitches at eLab’s Demo Day. In the undergraduate Big Idea competition, Alexis Osler ’17, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, won first prize in the for-profit category for his software idea, “Rheumatology,” a tool to help doctors provide better care for arthritis patients. Iyore N. Olaye ’16 and Noel Alexander ’16, both students in the College of Engineering, took home first prize in the nonprofit category for “GreenBack,” a scholarship management Continue reading...

Priceline.com Founder Jay Walker’s Ten Big Super Forces Changing the World
April 20, 2015
One of the greatest opportunities that an entrepreneur can have is for their venture to be aligned with great social or economic forces underway.  This may bring them an opportunity to achieve uniquely great success, as explained by Priceline.com founder Jay Walker in his keynote at Cornell University.  When Entrepreneurship@Cornell Celebration invited Walker to speak at their eLab Demo Day on April 16, they gained someone able to share their experiences of having accomplished just that.  Three of Walker’s 40 plus startups have individually gained over 50 million customers. While Walker is known for having founded Priceline.com, the Continue reading...

April Brings Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration; Priceline.com Founder Jay Walker Keynote Speaker
March 26, 2015
This April 16-17, Cornell University is holding its annual Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration, a two day conference that brings together multiple colleges and programs on the Ithaca campus with Cornell students, faculty, staff, and alumni.  The event is an immersive experience for all of the approximate 700 attendees, offering networking opportunities, expert advice on venture development, an eLab Demo Day, a special keynote speech by Priceline.com founder Jay Walker, and access to a range of resources helpful to entrepreneurs. Keynote speaker Jay Walker is best known as the founder of Priceline.com and now heads Walker Digital, a privately-held Continue reading...

8 steps to launching a successful business in college
March 18, 2015
Starting a business before you even graduate from college might seem like a risky move, but it’s actually the best time to do it. “Starting while in college is a great time, because failing has few consequences. They generally don’t have children, mortgages, or jobs to risk, so failing just makes them students,” says Eden S. Blair, an associate professor of entrepreneurship at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. Here’s how to start your own business in college while giving it the best chance of success: 1. Find a mentor Being in college gives you access to resources you won’t have in Continue reading...

Alumni entrepreneurs, investors to return for “Celebration”
March 17, 2015
Alumni entrepreneurs working in areas as diverse as app development and food product marketing will return to campus Thursday and Friday, April 16-17, to share their insights with students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered for Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s annual Celebration conference. Celebration events The following events are free and open to the public. Register here for the conference and Celebration banquet. Thursday, April 16 9:30 a.m. to noon: Cornell Venture Challenge Finalist Presentations, Amphitheater, Statler Hotel 4:15-6:15 p.m.: eLab Demo Day, with keynote by Jay Walker ’77, Statler Auditorium Friday, April 17 4:30-6 p.m.: “BIG Idea” Undergraduate Competition Continue reading...

Karpman takes up residence in entrepreneur program
March 5, 2015
Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s new entrepreneur in residence, Robert Karpman, has been on the job only two weeks. But he’s already heard from several students, including one with ideas for engineering medical tissue and an architecture student wanting advice on equipment needed for the development of a mobile clinic. An entrepreneur and orthopedic surgeon, Karpman has been teaching Business as a Second Language, a course that introduces business and managerial concepts to students in science, engineering and technology fields. Karpman said it’s important for students working on biomedical and healthcare innovations to know how doctors and health care workers Continue reading...

UPDATED: MEDIA ADVISORY: President Clinton to visit Clinton Foundation projects in Haiti
February 24, 2015
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will visit Kreyol Essence suppliers and farmers in Mirebalais, Haiti on Monday, February 23rd. Kreyòl Essence, founded by Haitian-American social entrepreneur Yve-Car Momperousse is the first agribusiness in Haiti to develop eco-luxury beauty products based on unrefined castor oil. During the 2013-2014 academic year, Yve- Car participated in Cornell’s eLab accelerator program.

Cornell Pitch Bootcamp
February 13, 2015
Cornell Pitch Bootcamp!

Ithaca incubator Rev helps push a GORGES deal
February 12, 2015
A software company buying another – it happens all the time in the business world. But the story of Ithaca’s GORGES Inc. acquiring Push Interactive runs deeper than the deal; it involves a network of public and private partners, among them Rev, Ithaca’s downtown business incubator. Over the last several months, Ithaca-based mobile application developer Push Interactive found its feet as a member of Rev: Ithaca Startup Works. A partnership among Cornell, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3), Rev helps startups navigate the complex challenges of being a young company by providing mentorship as well as Continue reading...

Students assess commercial viability of larva meal
February 12, 2015
With global meat consumption expected to climb 73 percent over current levels by 2050 and the appetite for seafood booming, Cornell graduate business students are looking further down the food chain to help meet the demand. Three students in Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management have examined the commercial viability of using housefly larva meal as a sustainable, less-expensive protein alternative to feeding stock and farm-raised fish. Fish meal, a protein staple in the aquaculture industry, has become economically, socially and environmentally expensive, according to Sara Davis, Brent Filson and Trevor Wirsig. The students have developed Continue reading...

Fly Labs (founded by Cornellian, Tim Novikoff) Recognized by FastCompany
February 10, 2015
The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in Video From a website that lets far-flung friends watch Netflix together to a white-hot YouTube sports network, the best in video innovation.               By                                                                                        Fast Company Staff             [Video Director: Everett Collection via Shutterstock] 1. Fly Labs For bringing video creativity to the mobile mainstream. Considering the massive amount of video we all shoot on our phones, there’s a surprising dearth of easy-to-use mobile video-editing tools. What if you want to craft and share something longer than the prescribed six or 15 seconds, without needing to learn a Continue reading...

Math alum combines tech, creativity with Fly app
January 30, 2015
If you hear Tim Novikoff, Ph.D. ’13, speak and you’re of a certain age, you might recognize him as the voice of Jeffy from MTV’s “Daria” animated series from the mid-1990s. Tim Novikoff, Ph.D. ’13. But if you look at his LinkedIn profile, you’ll see that his career has followed a path that marries his love of the technical world with the joy he finds in being creative. Today, Novikoff is the founder and CEO of Fly Labs, which produces a suite of video editing apps. Their first app, Fly, was lauded by Apple, The Boston Globe and Continue reading...

eLab graduate Audiarchy brings enhanced group listening to seniors
January 26, 2015
Cornell startup Audiarchy began as Party Headphones, a wireless audio system for trendy silent discos. A graduate of Cornell’s eLab Accelerator, Audiarchy is now targeting senior audiences to improve their experience at movies and group presentations.

Salut! RedHead Wine in competition
January 23, 2015
RedHead Wine, an entrepreneurial team comprised of Marisa Sergi ’15, Gavin Hilder ’17, Zach Berle ’15 and Elizabeth Shvidky ’16 are among 15 finalists vying for a $15,000 award Jan. 22-24 in the Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition in Ontario, Canada. In the first round of the competition, teams submit a 25-page business plan. Based on undisclosed criteria, the top 15 teams are invited to pitch their plan before a team of venture capitalist judges who select six teams to present to a new set of judges on the final day of the competition. RedHead Wine was developed by Sergi Continue reading...

New Student Agencies president setting the bar high
January 21, 2015
Turkel Anwar ’15 had a tough decision to make last fall. He could prepare for graduation and head into the world after earning his economics degree from the College of Arts and Sciences. Or he could stick around for an extra semester after graduation, take additional classes, and gain valuable real-world experience running Student Agencies, a $2.5 million operation and the nation’s oldest independent student-run company. Anwar decided for the latter, and now he’s thrilled to take the helm of the organization that runs seven local businesses, employs more than 200 Cornell undergrads and pays close to $500,000 Continue reading...

Compensation expert Kevin Hallock named dean of ILR School
January 20, 2015
Professor Kevin F. Hallock has been named the Kenneth F. Kahn Dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell President David J. Skorton announced today. Hallock will begin his five-year term Feb. 1. A member of the faculty since 2005, Hallock is the Donald C. Opatrny ’74 Chair of Cornell’s Department of Economics and ILR’s Joseph R. Rich ’80 Professor. He also is the founding director of ILR’s Institute for Compensation Studies. “As ILR celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, Kevin is the perfect individual to lead the school into an even more successful, productive future,” Continue reading...

Robert Langer named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2015
December 17, 2014
Entrepreneurship at Cornell has named Robert Langer ’70, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2015. He will be honored in November 2015 during Cornell’s annual Entrepreneurship Summit in New York City. Langer, who majored in chemical engineering at Cornell, holds nearly 1,100 patents issued or pending worldwide, which have been licensed or sublicensed to more than 300 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most-cited engineer in history. Langer has also founded more than 25 companies, many of which have grown into successful Continue reading...

Cornell’s Frontier Markets Initiative Partners to Address Eye Care in India
December 16, 2014
The Frontier Markets Initiative, a collaboration between Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Johnson’s Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, has announced a partnership with the international development UK-based organization Sightsavers. The goal of the partnership is to innovate a business model that can sustainably deliver primary eye care solutions to India’s urban poor.   Worldwide, 285 million people are estimated to be visually impaired, with approximately 90 percent of those living in the emerging and developing economies.   Under the direction of Dr. Erik Simanis, Head of FMI, a Cornell team will work closely with Sightsavers in Kolkata, India to Continue reading...

Why impact assessments are good for non-profits but bad for business
December 3, 2014
Impact assessments are a powerful – and necessary – part of a non-profit’s tool kit. Rigorously measuring how and how much a program solves a social ill and betters the lives of the poor ensures continual improvement. Impact assessments also serve as a report card back to the funders of non-profits. They assure donors that grant funds are being maximised and used for the purpose intended. Yet in the hands of corporations aiming to profitably serve the world’s poorest consumers – the so-called base of the pyramid (BoP) – impact assessments can impede progress more than enable it. Continue reading...

Ithaca business to be featured on ABC show ‘Shark Tank’
November 19, 2014
Ithaca, N.Y. — The local business Off The Cob Tortilla Chips will be featured on the ABC show “Shark Tank” next Friday, according to an email from the company. Shark Tank is a reality TV show in which American billionaires “continue their search to invest in the best businesses and products that America has to offer,” ABC’s website says. Off The Cob offers “a healthier tortilla chip made from fresh picked sweet corn,” according to Shark Tank. “Founder Cameron Sheldrake was raised growing sweet corn on Early Bird Farm in Ithaca NY,” a  statement from Off The Cob said. “His Continue reading...

Entrepreneurship Summit draws more than 500 to NYC
November 12, 2014
Entrepreneurs from throughout the country joined with Cornell alumni, students, faculty and staff Nov. 7 in New York City for a daylong conference, “Beyond the Horizon,” hosted by Entrepreneurship at Cornell. Business leaders, including Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani, talked about the strategies and vision that helped make their companies successful. “When someone asks me if they should be an entrepreneur, I tell them ‘don’t do it,’” Ulukaya said. “It will push the limits of every single boundary you have – physical, relationships, mental, emotional. “But after all that, if you still come back and know that you Continue reading...

Confidence propelled NYC restaurateur’s career
October 30, 2014
Jeff Zalaznick’s working day begins around 9 a.m. and usually doesn’t end until the wee hours of the next morning, but with a job he loves so much, he doesn’t seem to mind. Zalaznick ’05, co-founder of Major Food Group, which owns and operates seven restaurants and plans to open another five in the next year, said the skills he gained as a psychology major and a student have served him well as an entrepreneur. Zalaznick visited with students Oct. 23 as the Arts and Sciences Career Services Munschauer Speaker. “Confidence is key,” he said. “Then you have Continue reading...

Cornell Startup Aims to Improve Online Sharing
October 24, 2014
The social media startup company Daapr — cofounded by Cornellians Alex Meyers ’15 and Aaron Schifrin ’14 in April 2013 — has grown beyond its initial testing phase and has begun marketing its platform to a broader audience in efforts to spread a “new way to personalize the online experience.” According to Schifrin, Daapr’s chief executive officer, the company’s aim is to change the culture around reading and sharing content on the internet. Daapr’s website is an aggregator that allows users to select from a list of interests to determine the content displayed on their profiles and also Continue reading...

Alum urges students to drive clean tech revolution
October 23, 2014
“Climate change – we understand the problem really well, and we understand the solutions really well, and yet we are doing virtually nothing,” Dan Miller ’78, managing director and co-founder of The Roda Group, a venture capital group focused on clean technology, said in his Sustainable Global Enterprise talk on campus, Oct. 7. “We need to change out $30 trillion of energy and transportation infrastructure over the next 30 years to address [climate change],” Miller added. Entreating Cornell students to leverage their degrees in agriculture, engineering and business to start clean tech companies, he said: “With climate change, Continue reading...

Can this small town compete with Silicon Valley?
October 9, 2014
It may not be Silicon Valley or New York City — but Ithaca, N.Y., is working hard to position itself as a startup hub. The city is home to three colleges, including Cornell University, which has heavily invested in fostering bright, entrepreneurial minds. The university offers credits for students who want to take their startups to the next level, and introduced a new program to help students turn their technology designs into licensed products for commercial use. And two weeks ago, in a joint effort with the city and local colleges, Ithaca’s first downtown incubator Rev opened. The Continue reading...

Think It, Play It: Three Cornell Grads May Have Developed the Next Big Thing in Music Creation
October 1, 2014
Jesse Orshan and his business partners have a guitar they want you to play. Experience on six strings isn’t even a requirement. Chords? Don’t worry about it. Scales? Not even a concern. And, no, this guitar does not have five colorful buttons or link up to a video game system. The only requirements: a guitar of one’s own, a laptop and an imagination. Orshan, a recent Cornell graduate, has spent the last nearly three years fostering his creation: a software and hardware package that essentially transforms the guitar, its 20-some frets and myriad notes of varying octaves into Continue reading...

27 Year-Old Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick on Fostering Entrepreneurs
September 30, 2014
27 Year-Old Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick on Fostering Entrepreneurs As the economy and job market improve, entrepreneurship has been on the decline in the U.S. However, entrepreneurship is on the rise in Ithaca, New York, where Svante Myrick, the city’s youngest mayor in history, has presided at a time when Ithaca posted the lowest unemployment rate in the state even while other nearby areas were suffering from employment troubles. Myrick and Zach Shulman, director of the Entrepreneurship@Cornell program, weigh-in on how they’re working to foster young entrepreneurs and prepare them for their future careers. As a young entrepreneur Continue reading...

Rev’s first members welcomed at grand opening
September 23, 2014
Back in January, it was a barely touched construction space, and it didn’t yet have a name. On Sept. 22, more than 100 people gathered at Rev, Ithaca’s downtown business incubator, to witness how far it’s come. The grand opening of Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, drew together local government leaders, business partners and higher education officials to celebrate the collaborative venture’s newly finished space and to welcome its first four members. A place for regional entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, use workspace and receive mentorship from seasoned professionals, Rev, located at 314 E. State St., Ithaca, is a Continue reading...

Hackathon showcases smart content search engine
September 16, 2014
At the Big Red//Hacks event Sept. 26-28 – billed as the first student-run, large-scale hackathon at Cornell University – participants will have access to a semantic intelligence application program interfaceAPI, the core technology for a new startup, Speare. Speare founder and CEO Rahul Shah ’16 said his passion for understanding information, coupled with meeting students who shared an interest in entrepreneurship, resulted in the creation of Speare – a startup business that harnesses semantic intelligence to understand the meaning of textual information. “Back when I was in high school I was interested in how computers understand the meaning Continue reading...

Kickoff event celebrates entrepreneurial students
September 12, 2014
More than 200 students packed the small PopShop storefront in Collegetown Sept. 9 for Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s 2014 kickoff event, an opportunity to mingle, hear about resources and listen to six teams pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges. “So many students have innovative ideas for businesses,” said Esther Hwang ’15, a College of Arts and Sciences student and member of Life Changing Labs. “I didn’t realize how many students were interested in entrepreneurship.” After time for networking amid tables set up for student entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses, students heard from members of the Continue reading...

Cornell Entrepreneurship Kickoff Aims to Promote Student Startups
September 11, 2014
Hundreds of enterprising Cornellians attended the Cornell Entrepreneurship Kickoff — an event aimed to help spread awareness about startups among Cornell students — at the POPSHOP in Collegetown Tuesday evening. Pujaa Rajan ’17 — co-president of Life Changing Labs — said she hoped the kickoff event would showcase student entrepreneurs’ passion. <img src=”http://d71vxl4sfh0st.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Pg-3-Popshop-by-Dani-Neuharth-Keusch-File.jpg” alt=”Hundreds of enterprising Cornellians attended the Cornell Entrepreneurship Kickoff — an event aimed to help spread awareness about startups among Cornell students — at the POPSHOP in Collegetown Tuesday evening. (Dani Neuharth-Keusch / Sun FIle Photo) ” width=”1000″ height=”667″/> Hundreds of enterprising Cornellians attended the Continue reading...

“Selling Innovation by Going Old School”, with John Kawola ’88
September 5, 2014
Media’s Role in Running Your Company

Top Universities Producing VC-backed Entrepreneurs
August 26, 2014
With college football season in full swing, it’s easy to get caught up rating your alma mater by tallying up the win and loss columns. Between BCS rankings and March Madness, we seem to be constantly ranking our universities on achievements in athletics. Maybe we should also rank our favorite institutions of higher learning based on how they contribute to the nation’s economic growth. After all, the core aim of universities across the country is to increase the intellectual capital of society. In order to get an idea of how universities have contributed to economic growth, PitchBook pulled Continue reading...

Sarah Ploss named Entrepreneur in Residence
August 19, 2014
Sarah Ploss, a seasoned business development and marketing strategist, was recently named Cornell’s Entrepreneur in Residence for the 2014-15 academic year; she now is accepting appointments with students. Ploss, president of Willet Dairy LLC of Locke, New York, has been involved in a number of high-growth environmental startups, including waste-to-energy, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and environmental cleanup products made from recycled agricultural materials. “The Entrepreneur in Residence serves a vital role within the Cornell entrepreneurship community, mentoring and advising Cornell connected startups and aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those in the early stages of business development, as well as inventors Continue reading...

Arts and Sciences Career Services, Networking, and My Internship with Penguin Random House
August 1, 2014
I cannot put into words how much stress I felt when I began to think about summer internships as a college freshman. As a history and German major, I was genuinely panicking, thinking that my skills would not measure up in an increasingly competitive job market. It was around this time, just when I thought that I was going to spend an exciting summer at home with my parents in suburban Florida, that someone recommended that I stopped by Arts and Sciences Career Services. This is basically how I learned that Arts and Sciences Career Services existed. I Continue reading...

Silicon Ivy: How Cornell Is Prepping Young Entrepreneurs
July 30, 2014
Jake Reisch, then a junior at Cornell University, sketched out his idea for Audiarchy, a company that would rent headsets for trendy silent discos (DJ shows where people listen to music through wireless headphones instead of a normal speaker system). The panel of VCs and entrepreneurs in his Entrepreneurship & Private Equity class on hand that day in May 2012 thought he was onto something. So Reisch ditched a summer internship and started planning the company with Matt Reiners, his cofounder and childhood friend. That fall the pair was accepted into eLab, an on-campus accelerator program for student Continue reading...

TGIF: Rosie powers through to win SmartCamp Cambridge with mobile and predictive!
July 28, 2014
I’m thrilled to announce that Rosie is the winner of the SmartCamp Cambridge event! Rosie is a leading SaaS provider of predictive online and mobile shopping applications to local merchants. Their solution is aimed at improving the grocery store shopping experience by predicting the grocery items shoppers need before they run out, at the lowest price from local grocers and online retailers. What does their solution do for grocery retailers? Rosie provides e-commerce, delivery opportunities, and deep data services. And for consumers, Rosie enables them to shop online for their favorite local stores for delivery or in-store pickup. Continue reading...

Media offered sneak peek of downtown incubator, ‘Rev’
July 11, 2014
Under construction and slated for a fall grand opening, Ithaca’s downtown business incubator has a new name, a newly launched website and is taking applications for membership. The incubator is called Rev, subtitled “Ithaca Startup Works,” announced Tom Schryver ’93, MBA ’02, executive director of Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, during a July 8 media open house of the partially finished space at 314 E. State St. Every aspect of the incubator’s name was purposefully chosen, Schryver said – for example, “works,” because organizers want members to not only have great ideas, but to “turn those ideas Continue reading...