There have been 24 student teams selected for the Fall 2024 cohort of eLab (Cornell’s student startup accelerator). Now welcoming its 16th credit-bearing cohort, eLab accepts student founders from across any field of study across Cornell and trains them to launch their businesses.
eLab teams go through intensive entrepreneurship boot camps, conduct customer discovery interviews, fine-tune their business plans and connect with a network of successful Cornell alumni, all while earning college credit from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
During this program, student entrepreneurs learn to pitch businesses to venture capitalists and investors effectively. And they also have opportunities to pitch at events in Silicon Valley and New York City, including the annual Cornell Entrepreneurship Showcase on November 14.
Following the fall semester, the cohort will be evaluated based on a pre-determined rubric assessing performance and business model viability. The top teams will be invited to return for the spring semester and will receive a $5,000 investment into the business and funding for continued customer discovery.
eLab is administered by the Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA), a division of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. And the eLab teaching team is composed of faculty members and Entrepreneurs in Residence from CREA. The instructors lead boot camps, impart advice from their entrepreneurial journeys and provide teams with one-on-one mentorship.
Teams will also gain the support of an advisory board. Over 50 seasoned entrepreneurs — many of whom are Cornell and eLab alums — volunteer to work one-on-one with teams to share advice and help shape their business ideas. Along with the mentorship, this gives the student founders an inside look into what it is like working with a board of advisers.
KEY QUOTES:
“While eLab offers valuable opportunities to network with like-minded individuals and receive mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, what excites me most is the chance to gain hands-on experience in building a startup. I look forward to navigating the challenges that come with entrepreneurship while benefiting from the guidance and support provided by the program.”
-Ten Takeda ’26, an industrial and labor relations student and founder of KAVE
“Instructors and advisers enjoy the opportunity to work with students at the earliest stages of business formation, helping students embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. Every year, students apply to eLab with a new batch of concepts, and it’s exciting to watch these ideas evolve into viable businesses.”
-Ken Rother, Managing Director eLab and Visiting Lecturer of Management, Johnson Graduate School of Management
I hope to get mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and experts who are dedicated to giving back and supporting new ventures.”
“Specifically, I look forward to working closely with eLab mentors like Nick Nickitas [founder of Rosie] to enhance our strategy for partnering with local restaurants and refining our model to better attract college students. With this guidance, I aim to build a scalable solution that brings more affordable dining options to students and helps restaurants reduce waste while boosting their revenue.”
-Prabhav Mishra ’26, an applied economics and management student and co-founder of Rebite
