eHub Kennedy Hall, which houses the offices of Entrepreneurship at Cornell and Blackstone LaunchPad, opened earlier this summer and has already welcomed dozens of student teams eager to move their businesses along without the added pressures of classes.
Entrepreneurship at Cornell, in coordination with partners from Blackstone LaunchPad, the Center for Regional and Economic Advancement and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 31 at 5 p.m. in Kennedy Hall to formally dedicate the new space. The event is open to the public.
“Helping students develop their ideas and experiences into viable careers, businesses and organizations is an important part of economic growth regionally and globally,” said Mary Opperman, vice president and chief human resources officer, whose office also oversees economic development.
While eHub provides a space for collaboration, Blackstone LaunchPad provides dedicated coaching, mentoring and online resources to students, faculty, staff and alumni entrepreneurs.
“As a proud alumnus, I couldn’t be more excited that the Blackstone LaunchPad program is now available at Cornell,” said Viral Patel ’01, managing director at Blackstone Tactical Opportunities. “Its flexible design will easily integrate with existing academic programs and campus activities, and we anticipate the same success here that we’ve seen at the other 19 campuses where the program is active in the U.S. and internationally. On campuses in Ithaca, Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse and New York City, the program provides students and alumni across New York state with personalized mentorship and startup support while connecting them into our global network.”
Says Zach Shulman, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell: “The Blackstone LaunchPad program is a terrific complement to our programming. The mentorship and other resources brought to Cornell by Blackstone LaunchPad enables us to provide programs and tactics for outreach to a greater number of aspiring entrepreneurs regardless of the individual’s college or discipline.”
A student startup business plan pitch competition will also be held Aug. 31. The winning student team will receive admission to eLab, Cornell’s student business accelerator program.
The eHub Kennedy event is part of a series of events and programs for new and returning students interested in entrepreneurship. In September, eHub will open its second location – eHub Collegetown, at 409 College Ave. The two locations will offer a combined 15,000 square feet of co-working and business operation space.
Debra Eichten writes for Entrepreneurship at Cornell.
