Since Student Agencies eLab, the not-for-profit business "accelerator" for Cornell undergrads, opened its doors last April, it already has success stories to report.

The eLab, directed by Dan Cohen, eLab's entrepreneur-in-residence and a faculty member in the ILR School, started with three teams of seniors last spring. One of those companies, wiggio.com (co-founded by Lance Polivy '08 and Dana Lampert '08), a free online toolkit that makes it easy to work in groups, has since secured $500,000 in seed stage funding; it launched its beta site Sept. 15 and boasts users at 140 colleges.

"I think seeing what's happened with wiggio really gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction that we have something special here," Cohen said.

The eLab provides access to a network of successful alumni mentors and investors, physical office space and a suite of professional services, including legal and accounting support.

This past fall, Cohen worked to recruit a new class of student entrepreneurs by speaking in entrepreneurship classes, networking with professors and advertising in local publications and on Web sites like facebook.com.

He plans to work with seven to 10 businesses each year.

"Our biggest strength is our group of more than 30 dedicated alumni mentors," said Cohen. "The intensity and quality of that group is what lifts these startups off the ground." He added that eLab continues to search for new mentors in every area of expertise.

In addition, eLab has established a new marketing relationship with Plug and Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, an incubator for startups that offers a summer camp for promising young entrepreneurs. Through the arrangement, five eLab companies will be invited to the summer camp each year, where they'll receive $20,000 in seed funds, free housing and intense help developing their business.

Entrepreneurship@Cornell has engaged the eLab to take the lead in administering its Undergraduate Big Idea Competition, which drew more than 250 applicants last year and offers cash prizes and the opportunity to use eLab services.

Funded by the Student Agencies Foundation, Entrepreneurship@Cornell, the Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship and a group of dedicated Cornell alumni, eLab has secured funding through 2009, but its board is actively engaged in fundraising and seeking partnerships to ensure this resource will continue.

For more information, e-mail Cohen at dc489@cornell.edu.

Kathy Hovis is a writer and editor for Entrepreneurship@Cornell. This article is adapted from eship magazine.