Entrepreneurship at Cornell has named Jessica Rolph ’97, MBA ’04, co-founder and CEO of early childhood development startup Lovevery, its 2021 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year.

Rolph will be honored at the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Eclectic Convergence conference, Nov. 12 in New York City.

After earning her MBA, Rolph co-founded organic baby food brand Happy Family, which was acquired by Group Danone in 2013. During that time, Rolph also co-founded the Climate Collaborative, a nonprofit organization helping companies in the natural products industry take meaningful steps toward reversing climate change.

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Lovevery is a Boise, Idaho-based startup known for stage-based learning and play essentials. Designed in partnership with child development experts, Lovevery aims to give parents the confidence to support their child’s needs at every stage.

Lovevery has raised more than $32 million in funding from investors, including Maveron, Google Ventures, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Reach Capital. The brand has been recognized with awards from Parent’s Choice and Red Dot, and included on the list of TIME’s “Best Inventions” and Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas.”

An Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow, Rolph was awarded the Park Leadership Fellowship during her time at the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. Rolph lives in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and three children.

The Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year award is given annually by Entrepreneurship at Cornell to a Cornellian who exemplifies entrepreneurial achievement, community service and high ethical standards.

“The Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year is one of Cornell’s highest recognitions for our entrepreneurial alumni. Jessica’s recognition is particularly exciting for me as this is the first time that one of my former students has achieved this honor,” said Zach Shulman ’87, J.D. ’90, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell. “I am simply delighted that our selection committee chose her from a very crowded and competitive field.”

Entrepreneurship at Cornell is an innovative, universitywide program supported by every school and college at Cornell and a dedicated core of faculty, staff and alumni.

Kathy Hovis is a writer for Entrepreneurship at Cornell.