Growing Entrepreneurial Culture at Cornell Tech

We’re just about to the halfway point of our semester and it’s already been an outstanding semester at Cornell Tech.

Every day we’re working to grow and strengthen our entrepreneurial culture and prepare students to make an impact in the tech startup industry.

Highlights:

David Tisch joined the Cornell Tech team as Head of Startup Studio and began offering advice for student startup companies as soon as the semester started. His real-world critiques have kept the studio humming with innovation and activity.

Joining us as Studio Leads, Irving Fain and Brian Schechter have brought their industry experience to provide students with practical feedback and instruction, encourage weekly progress, and help teams address blockers and risks.

Chief Entrepreneurial Officer Greg Pass and Leland Rechis are co-teaching a new product management practicum to teach students product design and management and help them apply those skills to their Startup Studio projects.

Dean Dan Huttenlocher recently announced the Startup Awards for students planning to pursue their Startup Studio projects after graduation. Teams interested in turning their projects into real companies can apply for the awards of $40,000 in investment capital and one year of free co-working space. The awards were made possible by a grant from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Winners will be announced during Open Studio at the end of the semester.

Upcoming Notable Events:

We’ve had a lot of great Conversations in the Studio this semester and still more to come. Coming up this semester we’ll have conversations with Arianna Huffington, Evan Williams, Brad Burnham and Alex Winter.

Later in the semester, Managing Entrepreneurial Office Aaron Holiday will be hosting an extracurricular Spinout Clinic to help student teams who want to turn their Startup Studio projects into real startup companies. The clinic will cover incorporation, equity, legal and accounting services, fundraising, recruiting and more.

Aaron has also organized the all-new Presentation Circuit. Select Startup Studio and Runway teams will have the opportunity to present their startups at events and venues throughout the city, including NY Tech Meetup, Ultra Light Startup and more.

As you can see, Cornell Tech’s entrepreneurial culture is taking shape as we implement core curriculum to benefit students in their future careers and bridge the gap between academics and industry.