Cornell Tech Startup Studio & Awards

Cornell Tech's Startup Studio is the required capstone curriculum where master's students develop and pitch startups. The Startup Awards provide $100K investment + co-working space + mentorship to ~4 winning teams annually. 11 teams compete. Led by Josh Hartmann. Since 2012.

• $100K investment per winning team (2024, 2025).
• Co-working space and ongoing mentorship included.
• 4 winners in 2024 (Cipher, Compose AI, Mindsight, RapidReview).
• 4 winners in 2025 + runner-up Reforma with in-kind support.
• Award supports pre-seed stage companies.
• Part of mandatory Studio curriculum.
• 500+ jobs created in NYC.
• Nearly 120 companies from Startup Studio + Runway combined.

• Cornell Tech is a campus, not a separate institution — programs owned by Cornell.
• Award amounts and number of winners have varied over years.

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