Entrepreneurship at Cornell University

Cornell's entrepreneurship story is defined by its dual-campus model. The Ithaca campus houses world-class engineering, agriculture, hospitality, and veterinary programs in a quintessential college-town setting. Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island in NYC is a graduate campus focused on technology and entrepreneurship, with the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute producing startup-ready graduates through its Runway startup postdoc program and Studio curriculum. This dual-campus model means Cornell can offer both the deep research environment of a rural campus and the commercial access of a NYC location.

The Entrepreneurship at Cornell initiative coordinates programs across both campuses, with the Johnson Graduate School of Management's BR Venture Fund (student-run VC), eLab accelerator, and Entrepreneurship Immersion program on the Ithaca side, and Runway and Studio on the Cornell Tech side. The Runway program is particularly innovative - it is essentially a startup postdoc where recent graduates spend a year building their companies with Cornell Tech's resources, mentorship, and the NYC ecosystem at their doorstep.

Cornell's land-grant heritage creates entrepreneurship opportunities that Ivy peers do not have. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences produces food tech and agtech founders. The School of Hotel Administration produces hospitality tech founders. The Veterinary school produces animal health startups. These domain-specific pipelines are genuinely unique and produce founders who combine deep industry knowledge with Cornell's strong technical and business programs.

Cornell student founders in 2026 have the unique advantage of choosing between two very different environments for building their companies. The Ithaca campus offers low cost of living, deep research resources, and a tight-knit community ideal for early-stage R&D and product development. Cornell Tech in NYC offers access to investors, enterprise customers, and the broader tech ecosystem ideal for go-to-market and scaling. The Blackstone LaunchPad at Cornell and the annual Big Red Venture Fund competition provide structured support for student ventures.

The strategic play for Cornell founders is to leverage the right campus at the right stage: develop technology and validate ideas in Ithaca where costs are low, then move to Cornell Tech for launch and commercial scaling. The eLab summer accelerator and the Praxis Center for Venture Development help founders make this transition.

• Entrepreneurship at Cornell - university-wide initiative
• Cornell Tech Runway - startup postdoc program in NYC
• Johnson School eLab - summer startup accelerator
• Cornell Tech Studio - venture-building curriculum
• Blackstone LaunchPad at Cornell

• Cornell Tech Runway - post-grad startup program in NYC
• eLab - Johnson School summer accelerator
• Praxis Center for Venture Development
• Rev: Ithaca Startup Works - Ithaca-based incubator with Cornell ties

• Entrepreneurship at Cornell Club
• Big Red Venture Fund
• Cornell Venture Capital Club
• Cornell Blockchain

• Wayfair (Niraj Shah)
• ILM/Lucasfilm (Ed Catmull - Pixar)
• Priceline (Jay Walker)
• Juniper Networks (co-founder)

Cornell's dual-campus ecosystem is genuinely unique. In Ithaca, the cost of living is a fraction of NYC or the Bay Area, and the concentration of Cornell researchers creates a deep talent pool for R&D-intensive startups. Rev: Ithaca Startup Works provides local incubation, and the Southern Tier Startup Alliance supports regional entrepreneurship. In NYC, Cornell Tech places founders directly in the country's second-largest startup ecosystem with access to investors, enterprise customers, and a massive talent pool. The Roosevelt Island campus is connected to Manhattan by subway and tram, putting all of NYC's resources within reach. For Cornell founders, the strategic advantage is optionality: build cheaply in Ithaca, scale in NYC, and leverage one of the strongest alumni networks in the Ivy League across both locations.

Cornell spans two ecosystems: Ithaca (affordable college town with a small startup community) and NYC (via Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island). This dual-campus model gives founders flexibility in choosing the right environment for their company's stage.