Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Chris Kirby '15 stands in front of a Ithaca Hummus display in a grocery store.
Nolan School

Ithaca Hummus founder Chris Kirby named 2026 Cornell Hospitality Innovator

Chris Kirby ’15, founder of Ithaca Hummus, is named 2026 Cornell Hospitality Innovator and will be honored June 2 in NYC for leadership and impact.

Avery Sheppard holds her first place $25,000 prize.
Nolan School

Hospitality competition winner plans to expand restaurant into a chain

Master’s student Avery Sheppard won $25,000 to put toward her fish and chips eatery by winning the Nolan School’s hospitality business plan competition

eLab student founder Kate Barclay ’26 pitches her startup, LUCRA, to an audience at the CSV: Student Startup Showcase in San Francisco.
Johnson School

Students pitch startups at Autodesk Gallery

Students travel to San Francisco to pitch startups at the Cornell Silicon Valley: Student Startup Showcase at Autodesk Gallery

Daniel Cane '98, left, joined Tim Barry ’93, right, for a chat during the Celebration Ezra event
SC Johnson College

Celebration Ezra event honors entrepreneurs

More than 200 alumni gathered for Celebration Ezra, honoring Cornell SC Johnson College of Business entrepreneurs and others

A headshot of Stewart Campbell, MBA '14, CEO of Novita Pharmaceuticals. (Stewart Campbell/Provided)
Johnson School

Cornellian CEO leads innovative anti-metastasis cancer therapy to market

Stewart Campbell is guiding Prilukae, a novel mechanism inhibiting cancer metastasis, through regulatory approvals.

Daniel Cane
Dyson School

Blackboard co-founder named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year

Daniel Cane ’98, a member of the SC Johnson College Dean’s Advisory Council, will be honored on campus this spring

Pete Saltonstall, co-owner of Treleaven Wines, shows previous Dyson students documents.
Dyson School

Students design a reusable bottle system for local wineries

The proposed pilot program aims to cut operating costs and carbon dioxide emissions for Finger Lakes wineries.

PowerPoint presentation slide with trophies
Dyson School

Grow-NY finalists estimate upstate impact ahead of summit

Twenty startup finalists will pitch their food and agriculture businesses – and their potential to impact upstate New York – for up to $1 million

Katelynn Wiseman and Miya Deng, seniors in the Nolan School of Hotel Administration, present their startup, ALK.
SC Johnson College

Wellness bar proposal wins hospitality pitch deck competition

The winning team’s reimagining of the traditional hotel bar features kava- and CBD-infused cocktails.