Centers & Institutes

Exciting things are happening within our centers, institutes, and special program initiatives. Here’s a collection of recent stories and updates.

James Meli 2025 Hospitality Business Plan Competition 600×400

Entrepreneur in Residence Spotlight: Meli James ’00

Pillsbury Institute’s longest-serving Entrepreneur in Residence creates resources and opportunities to support Hawaii’s next generation of entrepreneurs

Natalia Cano holding the check, with Lourdes Casanova, Gail Cañizares, Monica Pachon, and Veneta Andonova.

From Colombia to Cornell: Pediatric platform wins pitch prize

Venture is putting high-quality pediatric health information within reach across Latin America through WhatsApp and smartphone

Traditional Japanese garden and architecture.

Ethiopia has the playbook. Will it use it? Lessons from Japan and Korea’s rise

An Ethiopian MBA student visits Japan and Korea and reflects on how Ethiopia can adapt lessons from East Asia’s development model

Caption: Cornell MBAs at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History

Designing leadership: Japan and Korea through an emerging market lens

MBA student shares how experiences in Japan and Korea shifted her focus from personal control to system design and trust

Tom posing with a group of students after a coffee chat while serving as an Entrepreneur in Residence

‘Buy now, pay later’ model extends to travel

Pillsbury Institute Advisory Board member shares his company’s origin story: making travel more accessible with payments over time

Workers hands on keboard
Johnson School

Search platforms rewrite the rules of online shopping

Johnson School professors offer perspective into how platforms design rankings and use behavioral and demographic information to influence consumer decisions.

Digital illustration of Earth surrounded by glowing blue circuitry patterns, symbolizing global connectivity and technology networks.

In emerging markets, the real AI opportunity is product leadership

As AI scales across emerging markets, product leadership that blends strategy, context and global insight will determine real value

Wall Street Bull

Tokenized Equities: Bridging emerging economies and U.S. capital markets

Tokenized equities are democratizing access to financial markets for emerging markets investors

Jason Spillerman judging the 2025 Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition.

Entrepreneur in Residence Spotlight: Jason Spillerman ’92, P ’25

Real estate consultant and entrepreneur Jason Spillerman shares lessons from three decades of building and investing in businesses