Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship

The award will be presented to the CEO and co-founder of Kalibri Labs, LLC, on June 3, 2025 in New York City.

The 2025 Cornell Hospitality Icon of the Industry Award is scheduled to be presented at the Cornell Icon and Innovator Awards event in New York City on June 3, 2025.

Hospitality entrepreneurs discuss how to sustain, create, and innovate the food and beverage industry.

Rob Karp ’19, the CEO and Founder of MilesAhead, joined a Fireside Chat to share personal experiences and successes in entrepreneurship.

Nolan School MMH students Harry Han and Benjamin Lin delivered a winning pitch for a startup enabling travelers to book private jets online in China.

Students from across campus spent two days creating proposals designed to help hotels deliver an exceptional experience for the guest of the future.

The 2024 Icon is former IHG CEO Keith Barr ’92 and Innovators are José Andrés and Rob Wilder, founders of José Andrés Group and World Central Kitchen.

Jonah Gershon ’24 won the $50,000 first-place prize for spekld, his startup to produce brown butter, at the Hospitality Business Plan Competition.

Thirty restaurant industry professionals and Cornell University academics gather to discuss the future of technology in restaurants.