Gregory Ray drives innovation and student entrepreneurship

Gregory Ray | Senior Lecturer | Johnson School

Meet Gregory Ray ’14, who joined the Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business as the Don and Margi Berens Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management on Feb. 1, 2025. Ray holds a BA in biochemistry from Hamilton College, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Cornell University.

Ray leads key MBA entrepreneurship programs such as the Life Sciences and Green Technology Innovation Fellows, as well as the Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator. Ray is also the Director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell’s marquee eLab Student Accelerator. Additionally, Ray is an instructor for the National Science Foundation I-Corps program and an active angel investor with a focus on nutrition and healthcare delivery.

Ray played leadership roles at the Creative Destruction Lab, supporting early-stage technology ventures to scale and create significant equity value. At the Johnson School, he is deeply committed to developing the talent that will drive future technology and science-based companies.

What is a business accomplishment that is important to you, your work, or the world at large?

“What I find most rewarding is seeing my students play critical roles in bringing new innovations, ideas, and inventions to customers, consumers, and patients,” Ray says. “Students finding success in this pursuit both realize personal satisfaction and contribute to improving the human condition.”