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Entrepreneurship

Cornell University Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences Cornell University

College of Arts and Sciences, Liberal Arts at Cornell University

Have an idea? Enter the Annual Big Idea Competition by answering 5 simple questions. 

 

8 Reasons to Choose a Startup Over a Corporate Job

 

Do you want to use your entrepreneurial skills to be an agent of change for the greater good? A variety of courses, student clubs, and university-wide resources are available to help you get started with social entrepreneurship. 

 

The College of Arts & Sciences is part of the university-wide entrepreneurship program, Entrepreneurship@Cornell and G. Peter Lepage, Harold Tanner Dean is on the Governing Board.

 

Juniors: Apply to Entrepreneurship Internship Program

Entrepreneurship

Do you enjoy using your talents in a variety of ways? Are you looking for a job where you will take on new challenges and learn new skills almost daily? Do you want direct access to the people leading your organization?  Consider working for a start-up or established small business.
About a quarter of our graduates who enter the workforce upon graduation, accept jobs with small employers (reported as “dozens of” or “few” employees).

The best way to get a job with a start-up or other small business is networking.  Take advantage of opportunities to tap into your Cornell Network.  The annual Cornell Entrepreneurship Celebration is an event designed to bring entrepreneurs together for two plus days of networking. 

Sample Positions A&S Graduates Have Taken Immediately Following Graduation

  • Associate Director of Business Development, Behance, History
  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Schedulizer, Inc., Computer Science
  • CEO, Schedulizer Inc., Math & Economics
  • Sales Team, Spring Into Action, History
  • Customer Experience Lead, Seamless Receipts, Computer Science & Philosophy
  • Client Relations/Tech, Infosnap, China Asia-Pacific Studies
  • Organic Farm Work, Early Morning Farm, College Scholar
  • Chemist, e2e Materials, Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Summer Opportunities

See what other students have done over the summer. In previous summers, students have held the following positions:
  • Remote Journalist, Social Media Consultant, NJEntrepreneur, Government
  • Intern, Mom Central Consulting, English & History
  • Intern, The Russo Financial Group, Economics
Are you Federal Work-Study Eligible? Small employers often qualify for the Develop Your Own (DYO) Internship Program, which provides grant money to subsidize your income (i.e. you could get paid more!). 

Events

Entrepreneurial Alumni

  • Tiffany Norwood, Economics ‘89, Executive Vice President, Next Generation Broadband
  • Kevin McGovern, Government ‘70, Chairman/CEO at The Water Initiative 
  • Jason Gerlach, Government ‘93, Principal and Director of Strategic Planning, Sunrise Capital Partners LLC
  • Allison Gerlach, Economics ‘93, General Partner & Managing Member, BainbridgeZKS
  • Lance Polivy, Government & History ‘08, Co-Founder, Wiggio
  • Funa Maduka, History ‘04, Dean of Students & Director of Leadership Development, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
  • Tim Minton, Economics & Government ‘79, Co-Founder & CEO, Zazoom
  • Bianca Jade Taxman, Psychology ‘01, MizzFit
  • Andy Potash, Government ‘66, Chairman, Distinguished Programs Group LLC
  • Dan Ramsden, English ‘86, Managing Director, DreamTigerEquities

Entrepreneurial Spirit in A&S

Carolyn Witte, College Scholar ‘12 won the 2010 Big Idea Competition for Malaria TechNet, a technology-enhanced bed net that helps prevent malaria while using solar power to help residents charge cell phones and run fans to make using bed nets more comfortable. Read More Here.

Funding

Funding is available for budding social entrepreneurs. Search "fellowship entrepreneur" in the Barnes Library catalogue. Many of the resources listed here are also relevant for Social Entrepreneurship. For additional resources beyond Cornell:

Courses

  • AEM 3380 Social Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Problem Solvers
  • INFO/CS 1300 Intro. to Web Design & Programming
  • LSP 3950/6590 Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Markets, and the Restructured U.S. City: The Latino Case
  • NBA 3000 Entrepreneurship & Private Equity
  • NBA 6190 Leaders in Sustainable Global Enterprise
  • PSYCH 2820 Community Outreach
Additional Entrepreneurship courses
Additional Social Entrepreneurship courses

Some courses outside of A&S may not count for credit toward graduation, but they are included in your tuition. See Courses That Don't Count for a Degree

Student organizations

Resources

 

Cornell Resources

Print Resources

Sample books available in G55 Goldwin Smith:
  • Smartups: Lessons from Rob Ryan’s Entrepreneur America Boot Camp for Start-Ups, Rob Ryan, Physics ‘69, Cornell University Press
  • Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know, David Bornstein & Susan Davis, Oxford University Press, USA
  • More Resources

For Additional Career Planning Information