Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Lloyd Robinson ’87 takes his family’s business to the next level ??The newest episode [38] of our #podcast, Startup Cornell, features Lloyd Robinson ’87, president and owner of AWISCO Corp, a family-owned welding business started in 1952. With 10 locations across the New York metro area and a sales presence in South Florida, Lloyd has led the company through lots of changes and has hosted Cornell interns for more than 20 summers. Lloyd graduated from the ILR School. The Startup Cornell podcast features interviews with Cornell entrepreneurs, who tell their stories of successes and failures and offer actionable advice for building and growing a business. Listen here ??https://lnkd.in/eFicp6h or wherever you get your podcasts!

Cornell Tech Alumni Raise $3.2M for Sales Startup, Avina In 2015, Ron Fisher '16 and Vivek Sudarsan '16 were working in R&D at Nielsen when they received an invitation to mentor at Cornell Tech. Inspired by the program's focus on tech-driven startups, they both decided to enroll in Cornell Tech’s Johnson Tech MBA and Master of Engineering programs. On the first day, they met Mike Wang '16, and the trio instantly bonded over their shared entrepreneurial ambitions. After being inspired by each other's entrepreneurial spirit, they hit the ground running collaborating on innovative startups. At Cornell Tech, the trio worked in Cornell Tech’s Product Studio to create Bowtie.ai, the first AI receptionist for fitness, beauty, and health businesses. The project allowed them to work with engineers in PD, collaborate with teams in Shanghai and Beijing and foster technical talent to break into the tech industry. Bowtie.ai rapidly attracted investor attention, leading to exponential growth before it was acquired by Mindbody, a leader in software and services, in 2019. Today, the three founders have set their sights on a new venture, Avina [avina.io] —a platform that bridges the gap between marketing and sales. Leveraging advanced AI, Avina integrates a business’s unified marketing, sales, and external data to deliver crucial recommendations at key points: during prospecting, outreach, meeting preparation, and deal-making. Recently, Avina closed a successful $3.2 million seed round co-led by nvp capital and RRE Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator. They just secured a new office on Wall Street, hired an additional engineer, and will continue to expand the team. Avina’s model empowers sellers by pinpointing "golden opportunities" while preserving the essential human touch in sales. Sellers often possess critical data to drive success, yet lack the resources or time to fully capitalize on it. Avina transforms this data, connecting and converting it into engaging leads within seconds. “We’re excited to leverage recent breakthroughs in AI and data management to pioneer a platform that transforms data overload into quick, actionable insights, helping businesses grow efficiently,” said Fisher, CEO & Co-founder of Avina. Learn more about Avina here: https://lnkd.in/eSmNz3iv #startup #entrepreneurship #founders #cornellalumni

?? Reached the finale but didn’t take home the win – and honestly, that's perfectly okay! Participating in the Talent 2.0 hackathon in NYC, hosted by Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Johnson & Johnson was a journey filled with learning, growth, and a ton of new insights. While winning is always exciting, the experience, teamwork, and knowledge gained along the way mean so much more. ?? I’m grateful to have had the chance to work alongside my amazing teammates Divyam Raj Yatin Satija Sukriti Dubey Ronit Amar Bhatia Nithin Ganimaneni, who brought incredible ideas, creativity, and passion to the project. Each step taught me something valuable – from problem-solving under pressure to thinking outside the box. A big shoutout to the mentors and organizers Ami Stuart for making this event possible and for fostering an environment where we could take risks, innovate, and grow beyond our comfort zones. Sometimes the greatest wins aren’t trophies, but the skills, connections, and experiences we take with us. Here’s to the next adventure and continuing to push boundaries!?

It was not my first Hackathon and certainly not my last. The Talent 2.0 Hackathon in NYC, hosted by Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Johnson & Johnson, was one of the most immersive, stimulating, and inspiring three days in a long time! ?? ?I extend my gratitude to all the mentors at Johnson & Johnson for their invaluable guidance in steering us to think in the right direction. ????? Huge appreciation to Ami Stuart and the team for making it possible and I acknowledge the immense efforts by her and team in organizing such a remarkable experience. ?? ?? Our team's collective efforts and distinctive skills got us to the top 10 finalists. I am appreciative to our team - Ronit Amar Bhatia Nithin Ganimaneni, Sukriti Dubey Yatin Satija Devang Khakhar for this opportunity and experience. These opportunities of experiential learning opens up a world of possibilities, expanding our outlooks and better understanding the world around us. I anticipate experiencing more such opportunities!?? ?

Grow-NY recently awarded Unibaio of New York City its grand prize of $1M in the sixth annual?Grow-NY #Food and #Agriculture business #competition. Unibaio offers natural particles that trap the active ingredients of pesticides and fertilizers, allowing them to penetrate plants more effectively. As 1 of 8 finalists at the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit, held Nov. 6-7 at the Ithaca Downtown Conference Center, the #startup focused their pitch on enhancing emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in central New York, the #FingerLakes and the #SouthernTier. "It’s more than just the money – it’s validation of our team’s hard work, innovation and dedication to creating a solution that will have a lasting impact on farming," said Matias Figliozzi, CEO and co-founder of Unibaio. From the 312 applicants from 50 countries and 26 states; only 20 startups were selected to compete this year. 1,100+ people registered for the summit, which featured a series of panels and fireside chats from experts in industry and academia. "Grow-NY is rooted in Governor Hochul’s support of startups that are building entrepreneurial ecosystems and continues to nurture economic growth across the rich farming areas of the Finger Lakes, Central and Southern Tier regions," said Hope Knight, president, CEO and commissioner of?Empire State Development. To ensure a positive economic impact in #Upstate #NewYork, prize recipients are required to operate in the region for at least one year, with an aim to create jobs, form partnerships, and encourage investment in local communities. Judges awarded the following startups cash prizes as well: ??$500,000 Winners: ?? PureNanoTech Inc. (NJ): Nanobubble irrigation solution for agriculture, pond and lake restoration, wastewater treatment, and disinfection ?? UdderWays (NY): Brushless technology for stimulating cows and promoting milk letdown ??$250,000 Winners: ?? Clean Crop Technologies, Inc. (MA): Uses electricity and food-grade gases to remove pathogens from seeds ?? ClearLeaf (Costa Rica): Safe, eco-friendly fungicides and bactericides for soil and crops ?? For Bitter For Worse (OR): Non-alcoholic cocktails made from organic, locally farmed ingredients ?? Zordi (NY): Autonomous greenhouses with robots and AI for high-quality produce ??$10,000 Wegmans Audience Choice Award (audience vote) ?? BIALTEC: Microencapsulated feed additives for livestock Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eKTSkvwQ

Cornell Tech's Annual Impact to Reach $1.5 Billion by 2030! Since 2012 it has been a driving force in NYC's thriving #tech #ecosystem by fostering talent, #entrepreneurship, and economic growth. From launching over 100 startups to operating an 850K sq foot office (with plans to expand), a new report by HR&A quantifies the economic impact from 2022-23 to be $768 million. Cornell Tech alumni and #startups are projected to create 7,000 jobs & generate a $1.5B annual economic impact for #NYC, making it the single most effective economic development project undertaken by city government in recent decades. Aside from the startups' contributions, construction on Roosevelt Island is expected to generate $1.1 billion in labor income and $2.4 billion in economic output by 2030. "NYCEDC and the City of New York recognized early on that the creation of a world-class academic institution would be a cornerstone investment in our city’s future and would further catalyze the growth of the tech ecosystem," said Andrew Kimball, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO. The analysis found that "the campus operates educational and entrepreneurial programs that attract world-class talent who remain in NYC after graduation to work in high-paying industries while creating thousands of new jobs for tech workers," which is reflected through its 115+ companies that are collectively valued at $700 million. Notable startups include baby sleep monitor Nanit, real estate construction intelligence platform OnsiteIQ, and AI infectious disease diagnostic platform Biotia. Health sector spinouts have generated $97M for NYC, making up 50% of the total economic output from Cornell Tech #startups and helping NYC to surpass Silicon Valley as the leader in #digitalhealth startups. “New York City has been a consistent draw for ambitious & intelligent people from around the world. Cornell Tech has created a novel academic & entrepreneurial environment that brings new tech talent to the city who go on to become industry leaders and builders who are driving our city’s workforce & technology industry,” said Greg Morrisett, Dean and Vice Provost of Cornell Tech. Cornell Tech's alumni success stories, such as Carmem Letícia Da Maia Silva at McKinsey & Company, Aish Ravindran at Uber Health, Anirban Poddar at Amazon and Arvin Khodayari at Ropes & Gray LLP, exemplify the lasting impact of the institution. With 75% of graduates staying in NYC, the alumni network alone generated $390 million in economic output last year, projected to grow to $956 million by 2030. Access HR&A's report here: https://lnkd.in/e6JPacy6 . Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ezS8Nbpz

I’m was grateful to rep Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management last weekend at the Johnson & JohnsonTalent 2.0 Hackathon in NYC! Ami Stuart, Entrepreneurship at Cornell, and Cornell University put on another great event. Huge shout out to my amazing team - Joyce Jia, Matthew Maung, Alina Zeng, Bradley Huang, & Zhifeng Yao! Working alongside skilled product developers and software/data engineers, I gained a deeper understanding of creating high-quality tech products. I also appreciate the guidance and mentorship from J&J members, who spent several hours providing detailed feedback. I’m very proud to say Team Moneyball took home the Most Creative Solution Prize for our gamified group interview product, which uses AI to track key candidate IQ, EQ, and cultural fit insights and create a more holistic applicant experience!!!

?? Thrilled to announce that our team won the “Best Immersive Experience” award ??at the Building Tomorrow’s Workforce Hackathon, organized by Cornell University and Johnson & Johnson ! I couldn’t be prouder of our team’s dedication and creativity. ??Our challenge was to reimagine the talent acquisition process at J&J. In the midst of an intense, fast-paced environment, we developed an immersive platform designed to enhance the hiring experience, making it more engaging and efficient for both candidates and recruiters. A special thanks to the incredible mentors who guided us: Chuck Fuges , Patrice Featherstone, Esq., SHRM-SCP SHRM-SCP, Briana Sokol ,Clara Goyanes , Gerald Kolber and Paul Mastrangelo . Your support was invaluable! Thank you to Cornell University,Johnson & Johnson and all the organizers for this unforgettable experience. It was inspiring to collaborate with such talented innovators. Huge thanks to Ami Stuart ,Alayna Hernandez, and Alexander De Leon for their invaluable support in making this event a success! And finally, a huge shoutout to my teammates Destiny Howell Nazmun Nahar Bradley Matican ????? Unnati Deshwal John Hart your creativity and dedication made this vision possible! ??? Looking forward to what’s next! ??? #Hackathon #Innovation #Teamwork #ImmersiveTech #TalentAcquisition #BuildingTomorrowsWorkforce #Grateful

Happy to share that our team,?HireWire, took home the grand prize at the Johnson & Johnson Hackathon! We tackled a big challenge in the talent acquisition process, building on Johnson&Johnson’s digital assistant, JAIDA. Our solution,?JAIDA Match, is a transparent and explainable conversational AI assistant designed to integrate with J&J’s ATS. By streamlining hiring, we’re saving time and resources and ensuring the best candidate-job fit. This project started as an idea I pitched before the hackathon, and I had the privilege of gathering and selecting our incredible team members alongside Katherine Bayona. Thanks to them, the concept evolved beautifully and came to life in ways I hadn’t initially imagined. It’s inspiring to see how we all shaped it, demonstrating the power of shared leadership and true teamwork. Huge thanks to my teammates Katherine Bayona, Jonathan Nevelos, Michael Bossi, Will Curry, Tejomay Kapadia and to Johnson & Johnson mentors for their invaluable guidance and to Ami Stuart and the entire Entrepreneurship at Cornell team for organizing such an impactful experience. Here's to more ideas, collaboration, and innovation! #Hackathon #Teamwork #Innovation #TalentAcquisition