Nearly 450 students met with leaders of 20 startup companies during the first Cornell Startup Recruitment & Networking Expo Oct. 20 in the Computing and Information Science Building.

The expo, sponsored by Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science (Cornell Bowers), Cornell Duffield Engineering, Cornell University Career Development and Entrepreneurship at Cornell, brought together companies in fields from robotics to defense to health tech to food.

“Students really need more exposure to entrepreneurship and to the fact that startups are a pathway to employment,” said Sorin Lerner, dean of Cornell Bowers and a professor of computer science. “It’s not just about starting a company. It’s also about the many startups already out there that are great places for our students to begin their careers.”

Not only do students benefit from meeting lots of startups in one place, Lerner said, but startups that might otherwise never be discovered get in front of a talented future workforce.

Credit: Patrick Shanahan

Michelle DiCarlo ’29 and friend Diya Singhal ’28 came to the expo to explore their entrepreneurial options for internships.

Singhal, a design and environmental analysis major, has experience at medical technology and educational tech startups, as well as corporations, and said her ultimate goal is to stay in the startup world. “I feel like this is a good way to network with people in this field,” she said of the expo. “I enjoy startups because of the agency and the autonomy you get. The work is more rewarding.”

DiCarlo, a newly-declared statistical science major in Cornell Bowers and the College of Arts and Sciences, is exploring her opportunities. “I like the application and experimental design part of stats, so startups are an awesome way to incorporate those skills,” she said. “It’s encouraging to see Cornell alumni and young people here who already have their own companies.”

BJ Kim, Ph.D. ’04, vice president of engineering at Persista Bio, came to meet potential new interns or employees at the event. His company’s product is a long-term cell implant that automatically regulates blood sugar for diabetes patients. The company is licensing technology from Cornell University and Giner, Inc. and is located at the Center for Life Science Ventures in Weill Hall.

Credit: Patrick Shanahan

Jonathan Davenport ’26, MPS ’27, worked at a startup last summer. “It was nice to be wearing many hats. I was doing software engineering and data analysis, monitoring the infrastructure of the site,” he said. “I try to learn all that I can during these internships.”

He came to the expo to meet companies who might be looking for someone with his skills in data analysis and DevOps (software development/operations). “It’s great to have a bunch of startups all in one place,” he said. 

Ideally, the expo will happen each year, said Zach Shulman ’87, J.D. ’90, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell. “Students have been asking for an event like this one and we’re so pleased by the response from both students and companies.”