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Cornell Tech Startup Studio & Startup Awards
Also known as: Cornell Tech Studio, Cornell Tech Startup Awards
Cornell University · Ithaca, NY
Cornell Tech's Startup Studio is the required capstone curriculum of the master's degree program at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute on Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus. In their final semester, students form multidisciplinary teams to develop, prototype, and pitch startup ideas. Each year, the Startup Awards provide approximately $100,000 in investment capital plus one year of free co-working space and ongoing mentorship to the top teams committed to building their companies in NYC.
Led by Chief Practice Officer Josh Hartmann. Since Cornell Tech opened in 2012, nearly 120 companies have launched from Startup Studio and Runway combined, with over 500 jobs created in NYC.
Quick fit check
- Offers direct funding
- Currently active
- Verified by research
Key numbers
Funding range
$100,000 – $100,000
Investment
Equity
Varies by investment
Application
Annual
Campus Wide
Last activity
2026-05-15
High confidence
Application and Timing
Annual cycle tied to academic calendar. Startup Awards competition at end of spring semester (May). 2026: 11th annual awards. Frontiers of AI Summit coincided with 2026 awards.
Participants
Cornell Tech master's students across all degree programs. Teams are formed during the Studio curriculum (preceded by Product Studio and Startup Ideas courses). Participants commit to building their company in NYC post-graduation.
Funding and Equity
$100,000 investment package per winning team (reported as $80K cash + $20K co-working/mentorship in 2024). Equity terms not publicly specified. 4-5 winning teams per year from ~11 finalists. Runner-up receives in-kind support (co-working space and mentorship).
Recent Activity
2025 Startup Awards: 4 winners (among 11 competing teams). 2026 Startup Awards: 4 winners announced at Frontiers of AI Summit. Combined Runway + Studio: 120+ companies, $700M+ collective valuation (2025), growing to $1B+ (late 2025).
Known startups and winners
Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.
Cipher
$100,000
prize won
Cornell University
AI-powered platform; 2024 Cornell Tech Startup Awards $100K winner.
Compose AI
$100,000
prize won
Cornell University
AI writing assistant; 2024 Cornell Tech Startup Awards $100K winner.
Hyro
Cornell University
Voice AI for healthcare; Cornell Tech alum that raised $45M.
Mindsight
$100,000
prize won
Cornell University
Mental health technology; 2024 Cornell Tech Startup Awards $100K winner.
RapidReview
$100,000
prize won
Cornell University
Document review AI; 2024 Cornell Tech Startup Awards $100K winner.
Verification Gaps
- Equity terms of Startup Awards not publicly specified (possibly non-dilutive with conditions).
- Exact number of winners varies by year.
- Combined Studio + Runway metrics make it hard to isolate Studio-specific impact.
Cornell Tech Startup Studio & Startup Awards
Programming
- Startup Studio: weekly mentoring with active entrepreneurs, product managers, and VCs.
- Venture capital days and crits with industry practitioners.
- NYC tech ecosystem integration.
- Open Studio, Studio Sprints, Student-Led Scrums events.
Additional research notesShow
News & articles
News articles and official sources documenting Cornell Tech Startup Studio & Startup Awards at Cornell University.
1 source
