2018 eLab startups reflect partnerships across Cornell and SC Johnson College
André Hook, MBA '18, delivers his pitch for Guardian Health. (Image credit: Allison Usavage Photography, Cornell Chronicle)
Since its establishment in 2008 by Student Agencies Foundation and Entrepreneurship at Cornell, eLab gives their cohort of startups the opportunity to refine and improve their ideas through a rigorous nine-month program. Students with startup ideas form teams and then enroll in credit-bearing courses and workshops to help them develop their business models through customer discovery. Meanwhile, the eLab teaching team helps students connect their startups to alumni mentors and other resources.
Students started off the program with a full-day intensive boot camp at eHub Collegetown in October. The Wilmer Hale building in New York City hosted the teams’ mid-program pitches in December.
Five of eLab’s 15 chosen 2017–2018 startups were founded by teams with students from schools within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Bumble & Butter
Bumble & Butter was founded by Jamie Kim ’19 (Hotel) and Katie Lee ’19 (Hotel) and offers unique flavors of granola made with organic, locally sourced ingredients.
Ezra Box
Ezra Box, led by Anvita Khosla ’19 (Dyson), Dean Xu ’18 (A&S), Zeyu Hu ’19 (CALS), and Joaquin Amante ’19 (CALS), gives college students a peer-to-peer storage platform and online marketplace.
Íko Systems
Íko Systems, founded by Michael Eaton ’18 (Eng), Liad Hare ’18 (Hotel), Santiago Alegria ’18 (Eng), Jaiveer Singh ’18 (A&S), Sivan Sud ’18 (Eng), and Benjamin Sword ’18 (CALS), is a hydroponics company offering appliances that allow customers to grow herbs at home in a soilless and customizable environment.
Guardian Health
Guardian Health, founded by Seth Aschen, MBA ’17, André Hook, MBA/MHA ’18, Lana Strazhkova, MBA ’17, and Quetrell Heyward, MBA ’17, aids customers in the management of their loved ones’ medical care. The students’ research found that communication among family members and caregivers is often poor, with much of the coordination falling to one of the ailing parent’s children. This creates a heavy burden of costly and exhausting travel.
Rewardzzz
Rewardzzz, founded by Hunter Friedland ’19 (Hotel), allows users to earn and redeem points to use at merchants across the globe.
The composition of eLab’s chosen 2017–2018 startups include students not only from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, but also from Cornell graduate and undergraduate programs in other colleges—students from all schools are able to collaborate in this experience and hone their skills for success.
Read the entire article in the Cornell Chronicle about all of this year’s eLab startups. You can also read more from the Cornell Chronicle about December’s eLab pitch night in New York City.
– Written by Julianna Teoh ’21 (A&S), a student writer intern for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business