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AcceleratorDirect fundingNo equityVerified

eLab Student Accelerator

Also known as: eLab, Cornell eLab

Cornell University · Ithaca, NY

eLab is Cornell University's flagship student startup accelerator, established in 2008 by the Student Agencies Foundation and Entrepreneurship at Cornell. It is a credit-bearing program offered through the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Each year, ~33 teams are accepted in the fall, with ~15 advancing to the spring semester after rigorous evaluation. Top-performing teams receive a $5,000 investment and continued mentorship. As of 2025, the program welcomed its 17th cohort.

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Quick fit check

  • Offers direct funding
  • No equity required
  • Currently active
  • Verified by research

Key numbers

Funding range

$5,000 – $5,000

Grant

Equity

None

Application

Annual

Campus Wide

Last activity

2026-04-09

High confidence

Application and Timing

Applications close August 30 annually for the fall-start cohort. 17th cohort: 2025-2026 academic year.

Participants

Open to Cornell Ithaca campus students: juniors, seniors, graduate students, and PhD candidates. Prerequisites include entrepreneurship courses (NBA 3000, NBA 5640, or equivalents). Competitive application with 5-minute pitch and interview.

Funding and Equity

Top-performing spring teams receive a $5,000 non-dilutive investment into their incorporated business. No equity taken. Alumni startups have raised additional follow-on funding (SimpliFed $10M Series A, StaffOnTap $125K+ non-dilutive, Chamak $100K).

Recent Activity

Fall 2025: record 33 teams accepted. Spring 2026: 15 teams advanced. eLab Demo Day: April 9, 2026. Applications open for 2026-27 cohort (closes Aug 30, 2026). New program director: Gregory Ray, PhD '14.

Known startups and winners

Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.

See every startup

Antithesis

Cornell University

Program portfolio

Legume-based snack company; Cornell eLab alum with $1M NSF support.

Chamak

$100,000

prize won

Cornell University

Program portfolio

Trade finance startup; Cornell eLab alum backed by $100K accelerator funding.

FloraPulse

Cornell University

Program portfolio

Plant monitoring agtech; Cornell eLab alum with SBIR/NSF funding.

SimpliFed

Cornell University

Program portfolio

Maternal health startup; Cornell eLab alum with $10M Series A.

StaffOnTap

$125,000

prize won

Cornell University

Program portfolio

Nurse staffing platform; Cornell eLab alum with $125K+ in non-dilutive funding.

Verification Gaps

  • Exact number of teams receiving $5K investment each year not specified.
  • Aggregate funding raised by all eLab alumni not centrally tracked.
  • Selection rate: 33 accepted from how many applicants?

eLab Student Accelerator

Programming

  • Fall: NBA 6230 — Actualizing Your Startup I (1.5 credits). Bootcamps, customer discovery, mentor meetings, NYC pitch event.
  • Spring: NBA 6330 — Actualizing Your Startup II (3 credits). Weekly lectures, bootcamps, Silicon Valley trek, Demo Day.
  • 40+ alumni mentors on advisory board.
  • Annual NYC pitch event (Cornell Entrepreneurship Showcase) and San Francisco trek (Cornell Silicon Valley).
Additional research notesShow