Marissa Saporta ’99: Revamping the world of e-commerce with a firm grip on fun
Marissa Saporta ’99 followed in her father’s footsteps toward the family business before reimagining her future and the world of e-commerce.
Jeremy Brunner ’94: Growing a fourth-generation family business
Since 1929, Jeremy Brunner’s family has been in the business of manufacturing environmentally friendly gardening products, from fertilizers to lawn food and potting soil.
Malika Grayson, Ph.D. ’16: From graduate school to global inspiration
For Malika Grayson, M.S. ’14, Ph.D. ’16, earning advanced degrees in mechanical engineering at Cornell propelled her entrepreneurial journey in STEM advocacy, inspiring her to motivate others to pursue their dreams and overcome challenges.
Engagement is the heart of Tim Chi’s ’98 success
Anyone tying the knot or attending a wedding in recent years has likely heard of The Knot Worldwide,
Cane ’98 makes it his business to improve lives
During his sophomore year as a full-time student in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell, Dan Cane ’98 co-founded CourseInfo, LLC, which would become Blackboard, Inc., an online learning platform and global educational technology solution.
Dan Sommer ’97 leveraged higher ed to teach workers valuable skills
Dan Sommer ’97 started Trilogy Education in 2015 to equip workers with sought-after technical skills that would help them to fill demands in the job market. Today, Trilogy partners with 50 universities in over 50 locations to offer programs in web development, data analytics, cybersecurity, and user experience and user interface design. Trilogy was acquired by education technology company 2U, Inc., in May 2019.
Jake Reisch ’15 makes headphones that improve seniors’ lives
As co-founder and CEO of Eversound, Jake Reisch ’15 leads a team that creates wireless headphones designed to improve quality of life for older adults and ease communication between residents of senior living communities and their caregivers. To date, the technology has been adopted by over 500 senior living communities. Eversound’s founders were named to the “Forbes 30 Under 30” list for consumer technology in 2018.
Jenna Kerner ’11 is on the cusp of change in the bra industry
Jenna Kerner ’11 is co-founder and co-CEO of Harper Wilde, an online retailer that aims to improve the bra shopping experience and to empower women and girls. She was named one of Forbes magazine’s 30 under 30 in retail and e-commerce in 2019.
Euwyn Poon ’04, J.D. ’07, is putting his spin on urban transportation
Euwyn Poon ’04, J.D. ’07, is co-founder and president of Spin, a micromobility company whose dockless, rentable electric scooters provide communities with low-cost, convenient transportation. In November 2018, Spin was acquired by the Ford Motor Company to spearhead its urban mobility efforts.
Bottling success: Steve Hindy ’71, MAT ’75, put Brooklyn beer on the map
As co-founder and chairman of The Brooklyn Brewery, Steve Hindy ’71, MAT ’75, has helped to galvanize the American craft beer movement. Started in 1987 with Hindy’s then-neighbor, Tom Potter, Brooklyn Brewery has become a borough icon and a top name in American craft beer brewing.
Gwen Whiting ’98 and Lindsey Boyd ’98 spun a global business from Cornell fiber science
Gwen Whiting ’98 and Lindsey Boyd ’98 met while studying fiber science and apparel design in the College of Human Ecology. Their company The Laundress, a line of premium, nontoxic laundry and cleaning products, was acquired by Unilever in January.
Susan Danziger ’86 creates video tools to connect people
College of Arts and Sciences alumna Susan Danziger ’86 is co-founder and CEO of Ziggeo, a technology company whose cloud-based video software is used by companies such as GoFundMe, SAP and Netflix.
From family farm to FinTech: Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck, MBA ’15, helps farmers grow profits
Pablo Borquez Schwarzbeck came to Cornell to learn the skills he would need to run the farm that has been in his family for four generations. Instead, he started a business of his own. As a student at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, Borquez Schwarzbeck built Produce Pay, an online platform that gives farmers better options for monetizing their crops. After earning his MBA, Borquez Schwarzbeck moved Produce Pay to Los Angeles, where the company has grown guided by his innovative vision and respect for industry tradition.
Socialfly co-founder Stephanie Cartin ’06 turns social media buzz into measurable results
Stephanie Abrams Cartin ’06 is co-founder and co-CEO of Socialfly, a social media agency that helps companies achieve smart, creative and effective digital marketing.
John Wu ’92 is building “shovels” for a cryptocurrency gold rush
Like gold miners of centuries past, John Wu ’92 is tapping into a currency boom — this one unique to the digital age. As chief executive officer of the Digital Asset Group at SharesPost, an investment platform, Wu develops tools to make cryptocurrency more accessible to investors. An alumnus of the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, he cites lessons about markets and leadership learned at Cornell as crucial to his success. He pays his knowledge forward as an adviser to the Cornell Blockchain club.
Saxbys founder Nick Bayer ’00 serves up coffee with social impact
When he founded Saxbys in 2005, Nick Bayer didn’t just want to compete in a crowded market for caffeinated brews. Bayer wanted his company to stand out for its social impact. Guided by a mission to “make life better,” Saxbys grew from a corner cafe into a successful chain stretching from Georgia to New Hampshire. A longtime Entrepreneur in Residence at Cornell, Bayer seeks to nurture the ambitions and skills of upcoming entrepreneurs. Saxbys runs a pioneering program to empower young leaders by putting students in charge of cafes on college campuses.
Frustration fuels creation for design industry innovator Scott Belsky ‘02
Scott Belsky is an executive, entrepreneur, author and investor whose passion for business leadership and innovation came alive during his undergraduate years at Cornell. The founder of multiple start-ups including Behance, a website for creative portfolios that was acquired by Adobe in 2012, Belsky today applies his entrepreneurial thinking as Adobe’s chief product officer. Belsky served as emcee and moderator of the Cornell Entrepreneurship Summit in New York City on Nov. 9, 2018.
From grad school to big business: Nwamaka Imasogie, M.S. ’16, creates software with global reach
Nwamaka Imasogie applied to graduate programs in computer science with the ambition of expanding her technical skills and starting a software company. Accepted into several top programs, she chose Cornell Tech because, she says, the school’s “extreme focus on entrepreneurship” could help her achieve her dream — and it did. GitLinks, the company Imasogie co-founded with Cornell Tech classmates, was acquired by software company Infor in October. Imasogie serves as GitLinks’ chief technology officer.
Making burger history: Randy Garutti ’97 grew a global brand from an NYC food stand
Shortly after graduating from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration in 1997, Randy Garutti met restaurateur Danny Meyer. Together they started a Madison Square Park hot dog cart that has evolved into Shake Shack — a successful fast-casual dining chain with locations in more than 25 states and a dozen countries. Garutti serves as Shake Shack’s chief executive officer.
For beauty innovator Divya Gugnani ‘98, women’s needs matter most
Divya Gugnani is a longtime entrepreneur and co-founder of Wander Beauty, a company that aims to disrupt the beauty industry and streamline makeup routines by creating beauty essentials for busy lifestyles.