Women and Hospitality Entrepreneurship Roundtable

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship hosted a Women and Hospitality Entrepreneurship Roundtable on campus March 4-5. The roundtable brought together a group of entrepreneurs to share stories and insights from their entrepreneurial journeys. The event highlighted how successful entrepreneurs from hospitality, food service, technology, design, and communication have tackled common challenges while staying true to their values.

Participants addressed barriers women face in industry and discussed how recognizing market gaps or leaning into personal passions often kick-started their business ideas and fostered ongoing creativity and innovation. Many stressed how crucial it is to let values steer decisions about funding, hiring, and growth. “If you’re fueled by passion, you’re unstoppable,” said Ellen Yui P ’14 and ’16, founding principal of YUI&Company.

The group shared the various paths they had taken to raising funds. Some tapped into community lending programs through the Small Business Administration, while others turned to “patient capital” from family funds or investors who shared their vision. Participants communicated the importance of sticking to principles with investors. Doing so, they said, leads to a healthier business in the long term, even if it means passing up funding opportunities.

The Cornell network—and the Hotelie community in particular—was lauded as an essential resource for women. Cindy Estis Green ’79, cofounder and CEO of Kalibri Labs and the 2025 Cornell Innovator of the Year, said she “wouldn’t have made it without the Cornell network.” Others brainstormed ways to build support systems beyond typical mentorship dynamics. Kate Walsh, MPS ’90, Dimond Family Dean of the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration, summed it up, saying, “Success always circles back to having strong relationships.”

The group also talked about technology in business. While digital tools have been a game-changer for entrepreneurs, most agreed that human connections are still the most important; technology should support those connections, not take their place, they said.

In a discussion about promoting societal change, gratitude emerged as a key theme, with particular emphasis on gratitude toward others. Jen Collins ’99, cofounder and president of Procure Impact, a business-to-business marketplace for product procurement using social enterprise, emphasized the power of socially driven companies to uplift others, stating that meaningful change requires genuine commitment.