Accelerating BioVenture Innovation Final Pitch Event Replay
Monday, February 24, 2025 - 5:00pm to 6:30pmBioVenture eLab is excited to invite you to our upcoming special replay of the 2024 Accelerating BioVenture Innovation Final Pitch Competition, originally held on December 5, 2024.
In anticipation of an invitation-only alumni dinner on February 27, 2025, featuring first-prize winner Tornado Therapeutics, we’re hosting a watch party to build excitement and celebrate the ABI participants' hard work.
If you didn't have a chance to join us at the live event, come watch the Zoom replay as five finalists, comprised of Tri-I researchers and clinicians, compete for the best business plan in front of VC and industry judges. You won't want to miss this venerable Tri-I ecosystem celebration!
RSVP here.

NSF I-Corps Information Session
Thursday, February 20, 2025 - 12:00pm to 12:45pmAre you a STEM researcher interested in making an impact with your technology innovation? The National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program can provide you with professional training, mentoring, and up to $50,000 in funding for customer discovery.
Hosted by the Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps), this virtual NSF I-Corps Information Session is designed for busy graduate students, postdocs, and faculty interested in learning more about I-Corps regional and national programming. NSF I-Corps instructor John Inserra and I-Corps alum Thomas Conroy, founder of SensVita, will be in attendance to share their experience and answer questions.
The NSF created I-Corps (Innovation Corps) to bridge the gap between fundamental research discoveries in science and engineering and the commercialization of technologies, products, and processes with the potential to benefit society.
Register here.

Lab to Impact Health Module: From Discovery to Diagnostics, Navigating Biomarker Commercialization
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:00pmInterested in understanding the journey from biomarker discovery to real-world healthcare applications? Researchers and innovators are invited to this insightful discussion on navigating the path from discovery to commercial success in the biomarker and diagnostics space.
Industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs will share practical insights on identifying commercially viable biomarkers, early-stage validation, test development, regulatory pathways, and integration into clinical practice. Whether you're considering commercialization or actively developing diagnostic solutions, this panel offers valuable perspectives on turning promising research into market-ready products.
Moderated by Iris Bica, a Business Development and Licensing Associate for the Center of Technology Licensing at Weill Cornell Medicine, the panel will feature:
- Dan Klass, Senior Director of Emerging Technologies, Freenome
- Marieke Spaan, Senior Director Corporate Development, SkylineDx
- Daniel Lunz, CEO & Co-Founder, Previse
Register now.

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Workshop: Choosing an Accelerator or Incubator
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 - 11:45am to 1:00pmAs an early-stage startup founder, you’ll need help and guidance to advance your company. Accelerators and incubators can provide key resources like mentorship, funding, workspace and connections with potential partners and investors. In this free workshop, you’ll learn how to choose and apply for the right program to support your startup’s growth and success.
Moderated by Deanna Kocher, Associate Director of Hardware Programs at Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, the panel discussion will feature:
- Pooja Patel, founder of Equipad and alum of Rev’s three Hardware Accelerators
- Monica Gertz, CEO of MyophonX and Runway Startup Postdoc at Cornell Tech
- Greg Ray, Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence

Sanders TDI Request for Proposals for Small Molecule Therapeutic Discovery Projects
Thursday, February 13, 2025 - 9:00am to 5:00pmThis exciting program is designed to efficiently advance early stage projects, that have the potential to benefit patients, to proof of concept studies. Sanders TDI contributes medicinal chemistry and drug development capabilities that complement the deep scientific expertise already available in our research community.
The recipients of Sanders TDI support will be selected by a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. To select the most promising projects in the most unbiased manner possible, Sanders TDI draws upon a scientific advisory board (SAB) comprised of recognized scientific and thought leaders drawn from the biopharmaceutical industry, the venture capital community, and the faculty of WCMC, RU and MSKCC (for a list of members please see the About Sanders TDI web page: https://www.tritdi.org/leadership/). The SAB utilizes well-established, stringent criteria to select the most competitive and transformational projects for execution. The SAB also helps to oversee and assess progress of the selected projects, which are milestone-driven and designed to reach specified value-inflection points.
The project application is a three-step process:
- Submission of a letter of intent (LOI) that includes a basic description of the project, describes the unmet medical need, and provides a scientific rationale the project. The Letter of Intent is due Thursday, Feb 13, 2025.
- A full application package (8-10 pages) that will be requested from PIs whose LOIs describe projects that fit well with the Sanders TDI mission.
- Review of the application by the Sanders TDI Small Molecule Scientific Advisory Board.

Navigating the Licensing Process
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 11:45am to 1:00pmThe first step toward making an impact with your research innovation is to license your innovation through the university. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to navigate that process with Cornell’s technology transfer office, the Center for Technology Licensing. By the end, you’ll know the tools you need to advance your innovation to the marketplace to benefit society and spur economic development.
Moderated by Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence Greg Ray, this panel discussion will feature:
- Sarah Ward, Life Sciences Business Development and Licensing Associate for the Cornell Center for Technology Licensing
- Frank DeCosta, Partner at Finnegan Henderson and an expert in patent litigation
Register now: https://bit.ly/IEWorkshop17
This workshop is part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Series presented by Cornell Research and Innovation. Designed to explore the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to operation, the series is open to any Cornellian with a vision for a startup, including researchers, faculty, doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduates across Cornell’s campuses.
To view all upcoming workshops for the Spring 2025 semester and register, please visit https://bit.ly/CornellEntrepreneurshipSeries.

CSL Research Acceleration Initiative Info Session
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 11:00am to 12:00pmCSL is a leading global biotech company that develops and delivers innovative biotherapies to help people living with life-threatening medical conditions live full lives.
CSL’s Research Acceleration Initiative aims to fast-track discovery of innovative biotherapies through partnerships between CSL and global research organizations.
Successful applicants will receive funding of up to $400,000 USD over 2 years.
Interested researchers are invited to:
- Attend information webinars to learn more about the initiative: Thursday, January 23 at 1pm ET or Wednesday, February 5, at 11am ET
- Contact James Bellush at jmb824@cornell.edu to express interest in applying and to obtain online application submission instructions.
- Submit a non-confidential, 300 word abstract via the CSL online application portal by February 20, 2025.

NSF I-Corps Regional Course (Application Deadline: 2/5/25)
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - 9:00am to 5:00pmIn this virtual course (held March 3 - April 2), researchers working on a deep tech innovation “get out of your comfort zone” and talk with customers (virtually) to identify the best product-market fit. You may apply with a team of 1-3 people. Teams may not split attendance between members. Please only include the members of your team that will be fully participating in the course. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework.
Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu.

Ignite Connect: Accelerating Impact 2025
Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - 12:00pm to 2:00pmIgnite Connect: Accelerating Impact is a new signature event of the Ignite Cornell Lab to Market program series. This virtual event serves as a unique venue to connect investors, industry partners, and stakeholders with technology innovations and companies that have benefited from the Ignite Gap Funding Program.
It is an opportunity to explore and engage with researchers and founders around their technologies and ventures emerging from Cornell University. This dynamic virtual experience aims to create connections and serves as a catalyst, bridging innovative technologies with resources and opportunities for meaningful impact.
Register now.

Applying the Scientific Method to Startups
Thursday, January 30, 2025 - 11:45am to 1:00pmThink you have a great idea for a startup? Make sure you validate it! Just as scientific researchers must test their hypotheses through laboratory experiments, entrepreneurs must test their business assumptions by conducting customer discovery interviews.
In this free workshop, you’ll learn how to validate your idea and create a sustainable, scalable business model based on evidence. Verify that customers want your product or service before expending money and resources to launch a business!
Moderated by Cornell Entrepreneur in Residence Ed Bizari, this panel discussion will feature:
- Fernando Gómez-Baquero, Director of Runway and Spinouts at Cornell Tech's Jacobs-Technion Cornell Institute
- Alexa Schmitz, co-founder and CEO of REEgen
Register now: https://bit.ly/IEWorkshop16
This workshop is part of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Series presented by Cornell Research and Innovation. Designed to explore the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to operation, the series is open to any Cornellian with a vision for a startup, including researchers, faculty, doctoral students, graduate students, and undergraduates across Cornell’s campuses.
To view all upcoming workshops for the Spring 2025 semester and register, please visit https://bit.ly/CornellEntrepreneurshipSeries.
