Events

Are you an entrepreneur ready to take your product idea to the next level? Rev: Ithaca Startup Works invites you to take a deep dive into prototyping this summer!

Over 10 weeks, Rev’s Prototyping Hardware Accelerator guides product teams to determine if their ideas are commercially desirable, technologically feasible, and economically viable. Upon completion of the program, participants are positioned to recruit team members, bring on partners, initiate work with contract manufacturers and pitch to investors. Teams will receive a stipend of up to $2,000 to advance their prototype.

The program offers a MedTech Track in partnership with Cornell Biomedical Engineering and Weill Cornell. The MedTech track provides access to specialized prototyping equipment, regulatory resources and research and medical professionals in the field.  

The accelerator is held in person at Rev: Ithaca Startup Works in Ithaca, New York beginning in late May 2024. The program is free and open to the public. Applications are now open. Early admission deadline February 16, 2024. Applications close March 25, 2024. Learn more and apply here. Questions about the program can be directed to rev@revithaca.com.   

In this Center for Technology Licensing New Ventures Series webinar, Kirsten Leute at Osage University Partners (OUP) will focus on how an entrepreneur or a faculty-entrepreneur can develop and deliver a pitch to gain interest and commitment from potential investors.

Pitching an early-stage science- and technology-based startup to potential funders can be intimidating. Learning how to tailor your presentation and understanding what motivates funders to say yes, or at least not give you an outright no, are important aspects of preparing for your initial pitch. This talk will be structured around OUP’s many years of experience in hearing pitches and reviewing pitch decks to provide insight on creating and presenting an initial startup pitch to funders. Register here. 

The BioVenture eLab, a part of Weill Cornell Medicine Enterprise Innovation, invites you to tune into our virtual interview with Dr. Carlo Yuvienco, Director of the Ford Center Incubator at The Rockefeller University. The discussion will focus on how the Ford Center Incubator aims to support life science startups from the Upper East Side ecosystem as well as its distinct laboratory amenities and service offerings. A prerecorded walk-through of the wet lab space and private offices will be shown. Register here. 

University researchers benefit from various technology licensing resources to protect their innovations, but startups face the challenge of safeguarding intellectual property (IP) developed outside of the university, through internal research and development. Join this free workshop to find out how to finance R&D, including through tokenizing the resultant IP assets, and how startup executives should manage the IP generated within their companies.

Greg Ray, an entrepreneur in residence for the Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA), will facilitate a panel with experts Brian Magierski, a serial software entrepreneur and the founder of 21 Impact Labs, and Katie E. Hyma, an IP lawyer specializing in biotechnology at Fish & Richardson.

Register here. Questions? Contact crea@cornell.edu. 

Over 10 weeks, Rev’s Prototyping Hardware Accelerator guides product teams to determine if their ideas are commercially desirable, technologically feasible, and economically viable. Upon completion of the program, participants are positioned to recruit team members, bring on partners, initiate work with contract manufacturers, and pitch to investors. Teams will receive a stipend of up to $2,000 to advance their prototype. 

Applications are now being accepted for all tracks of the Summer 2024 Prototyping Hardware Accelerator! The accelerator is held in person at Rev: Ithaca Startup Works in Ithaca, New York beginning in late May 2024. Early admission deadline February 16, 2024. Applications close March 25, 2024. To learn more, join one of the virtual info sessions by registering here. 

Starting companies out of universities is a complex endeavor, but startups can get a head start when done in conjunction with a company formation investor. In this webinar, we’ll hear from three company formation investors in the life sciences:

• Deborah Palestrant, Partner, 5AM Ventures and Executive Chair, 4:59 Initiative
• Jay Lichter, Managing Partner, Avalon BioVentures
• Vikram Chaudhery, Co-Founder, President & COO of General Inception

Each investor will describe their fund thesis, what they look for in opportunities arising from academic institutions, and the process of their company formation efforts. We’ll then move on to a series of questions on topics such as talent, sourcing possible investments, working with academics and academic institutions, growing the startup, and successes and failures. Register here. 

Please note that although the webinar is scheduled for one hour, our webinars often run overtime due to the volume of questions we receive; therefore we suggest holding up to an hour and a half on your calendars. We look forward to having you join us for this informational discussion!

Daiichi-Sankyo (DS), a well-known Japanese pharma, has initiated a  new innovation program related to ideas which may pave the way to drug discovery and development. DS is now soliciting and accepting brief, non-confidential pre-proposals for review. Successful proposals will be considered for a research collaboration with funding up to $230,000 (including overhead/indirect costs) and spanning between 1 - 3 years in duration that align with their priority scopes of interest (please see attached PDF above).   

If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, please send Deanna Scarcella (des4016@med.cornell.edu) a NON-CONFIDENTIAL one-page overview of the proposed research collaboration using the suggested format below.

Suggested format for one-page non-confidential overview:  

• Project title
• Introduction/Background
• Strategy/Method/Target/Modality
• Significance/Novelty/Uniqueness
• Publication
• One figure (optional) 

There is a rolling submission, so please send the pre-proposal by Thursday, February 1, 2024 for review by the CTL team who would be glad to assist you with the preparation of a competitive, successful pre-proposal and ensure the Daiichi-Sankyo due date of March 1, 2024 is met.

Ignite Connect 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. Join us for inspiring talks, interactive pitch sessions, and virtual one-on-one networking opportunities. Register here. 

In this month-long virtual course (February 26 - March 27, 2024), 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. Application Closes: Wednesday, January 31, 2024. Apply here. Questions? Contact icorps@cornell.edu. 

Does your startup harness cutting-edge technology as its core foundation, or leverage technology to enhance existing processes? Depending on your answer, you’ll encounter different strategies, market advantages, and challenges on your entrepreneurial journey. Learn how to shape your approach to business growth and development accordingly at this free workshop! 

Rob Gregor, the founder of Gregor Hotels and Executive Director of Cornell’s Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship, will lead the session and moderate a panel of entrepreneurs — Richard Valtr, founder of Mews Systems, Alex Zapesochny, CEO of Clerio Vision, Michael McHale, CEO of PSA Production Systems Automation, Skyler Logsdon, CEO of Boomerang Lost and Found, Grace McBridge, CEO and founder of Lucia, and Nina Kleaveland, CEO and founder of Lanyard. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from such a wide array of founders across industries!

Register here. Questions? Contact crea@cornell.edu.