24 startups were accepted for the eLab student startup accelerator fall cohort, and 13 will advance to the spring cohort. These startups have shown remarkable progress in validating their ideas and refining their business models.
The eLab program has been an asset to many student businesses and many have gone on to raise capital, launch new products, and successfully exit or grow their companies. Response, founded by Keivan Shahida ‘20, a member of the 2019 cohort, recently secured $4 million in seed funding. eLab 2024 alumni GradeWiz, founded by Max Bohun ‘25 and Aman Garg ‘25, were just accepted into Y Combinator’s winter ‘25 batch.
The student startups progressing to the spring semester have undergone intensive entrepreneurial training, including feasibility analyses, business model development, and mentorship from industry experts.
“We joined eLab to help grow Crit by being in an environment of other entrepreneurs. We know that having access to mentors who have built companies before, dealt with fundraising, scaling, marketing—and any of the other aspects of starting a business that we are in the middle of figuring out—will put us in a better position to become the company we know we can be,” said Damon Hollenbeck ‘25, founder of CRIT, a platform that provides technical feedback for artists.
Throughout the fall, participants attended boot camps and worked on their business strategies, and even those who did not progress to the spring cohort, were provided critical insights through workshops and one-on-one guidance from Entrepreneurs in Residence, helping students refine their ideas and explore new opportunities.
“It was a rewarding experience working with the teams in the fall. They have a passion for entrepreneurship, and it’s been great seeing their progress from the fall to spring semester,” said Ken Rother, managing director of eLab and lecturer in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
For the 13 teams advancing, the spring semester will be dedicated to further developing their business models, networking, and positioning themselves for potential venture capital funding. There will be opportunities to present their ideas and progress to potential investors and the Cornell entrepreneurial network, including a West Coast event, “Cornell Silicon Valley presents: Student Startup Showcase,” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. PT March 27 at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco.
“These events are great opportunities for them to showcase their businesses and really dig into refining their pitch. These networking events are an opportunity to make connections and start spreading the word about their coming business,” said Rother.
eLab student entrepreneurs will also pitch their businesses on eLab Demo Day, Thursday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET, during the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration Ezra.
Here are the students and startups taking part in the eLab spring semester:
- Cala, Sarah Young ’25 and Rachel Tong ’25
- CRIT, Damon Hollenbeck ’25
- EcoMatia, Michelle Lin, MBA ‘25
- Filmify, Noah Lucia ‘26
- Hermit, Akhil Damani ‘25
- JOUS, Inc., Camilo Ortiz ‘25
- Kave, Ten Takeda ‘26
- Mizoma, Micere Mugweru ‘25
- MUMU FurnCycle, Qilin Yu ’25
- PrepPack, Nick Fisher ’25 and Bella Darmanin ’25
- XPLAIN, Leo Zhang ’26, Hannah Zhang ’25, Kathy Liu ’26 and Psyche He, Ph.D. ’26
- Prysm, Caroline Zhu ’26
- Resonant, Prabhav Mishra ’26
