Cornell University moved up two places to No. 4 in PitchBook's latest ranking of entrepreneurial universities, which measures the number of alumni founders who raised venture capital during the past decade.
The university also ranked No. 4 for female founders. Cornell officials discussed the results and plans for campus entrepreneurship programs in the latest episode of the Startup Cornell podcast.
Zach Shulman, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell, said the ranking emphasizes results such as the number of founders and the venture capital they secured, rather than the amount a university invests in entrepreneurship programs.
Matt Marx, a professor of entrepreneurship and innovation in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, joined Shulman for the podcast. Marx was recently named vice provost for entrepreneurship, innovation and external engagement, a newly created university position.
Marx said Cornell moved ahead of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the ranking despite Ithaca having fewer large technology companies and venture-capital firms than other major innovation centers.
Cornell opened the semester with a Sept. 3 entrepreneurship kickoff at eHub in Collegetown. More than 400 students attended, and 25 campus organizations offered information about entrepreneurship resources, clubs and programs.
The event also included a student business pitch contest. Winner Noel Walker Blackwell earned an automatic place in this year's eLab cohort, a yearlong student business accelerator run through a partnership between the Student Agencies Foundation and Entrepreneurship at Cornell.
Startup Cornell features interviews with Cornell entrepreneurs about successes, setbacks and business-building lessons. The podcast is available through Cornell and major podcast platforms.
Shulman said Cornell has remained among the top 10 universities in the ranking for years. The new result, he said, reflects a campus-wide network of programs that helps students move ideas toward companies and outside investment.
University officials said the new vice provost role will coordinate entrepreneurship, innovation and external engagement across Cornell's colleges and programs.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.