The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship engages leading industry experts and faculty to educate students and provide them with experiential opportunities to learn all aspects of entrepreneurship. To support these critical goals, the Pillsbury Institute offers students, entrepreneurs, and faculty an expanding range of courses, programs, and activities focused on advancing students’ entrepreneurship knowledge and mastery.




Directors' Welcome

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Welcome to the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship (PIHE), the entrepreneurial hub of the Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. In our role as directors, we steward the institute and execute the vision of our founders, Lee ’69 and Mary Pillsbury and our Advisory Board and serve as an integral component of Cornell’s tradition as an institution where any person can find instruction in any study. Read More


Engagement

Meet and Repeat [PIHE]

At all stages of ideation, the Pillsbury Institute offers students, entrepreneurs, and faculty a broad range of courses, programs, and activities in which to engage. Learn More


Corporate Relations

Giving Opportunities

Support an academic entrepreneurial program or finance a space where students can brainstorm and collaborate on business ideas and ventures.

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Members

Become a member and help the Pillsbury Institute provide professional expertise for student entrepreneurs.

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Members in the News

Welcome New Board Member!

Dayna Blank is Chief People Officer at Playa Hotels & Resorts, where she has developed and spearheaded a high-performance culture since joining the company in 2014. Her two-way recruitment philosophy and individual-focused incentives contribute greatly to Playa’s employee satisfaction and retention.

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Welcome New Board Member!

Keith Kefgen ’84 is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of AETHOS Consulting Group and one of the foremost experts in hospitality executive search and is a sought-after speaker on leadership trends in the industry.

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Welcome New Board Member!

Tom Botts is the Chief Commercial Officer at Uplift. As a senior executive, investor and advisor, he brings extensive expertise in e-commerce, revenue management and technology across the airline, hotel and online intermediary industries.

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Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship News

Four students dressed in business casual, two seated and two standing, around a table and talking while looking at a laptop screen.
October 2, 2024

Hospitality Hackathon Embraces AI to Improve the Guest Experience

Students from across campus spent two days creating proposals designed to help hotels deliver an exceptional experience for the guest of the future.

Photo of an elegant restaurant with a high ceiling and a huge chandelier hanging high above all. The room is filled with people sitting at tables and images of the evening’s honorees are projected onto the stone walls above the room’s columns.
June 17, 2024

Icons and Innovators: Cornell Awards Shine Light on Hospitality’s Finest

The 2024 Icon is former IHG CEO Keith Barr ’92 and Innovators are José Andrés and Rob Wilder, founders of José Andrés Group and World Central Kitchen.

A young man standing on a stage, gesturing with both hands, and addressing the audience.
May 1, 2024

Hotelie’s Brown Butter Startup Wins Hospitality Business Plan Competition

Jonah Gershon ’24 won the $50,000 first-place prize for spekld, his startup to produce brown butter, at the Hospitality Business Plan Competition.


PIHE Events

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Event
Location
Cornell Statler Hall