Nearly 450 students met leaders from 20 startup companies at Cornell’s first Startup Recruitment & Networking Expo, bringing employers in robotics, defense, health technology and food together on campus.
The Oct. 20 event took place in the Computing and Information Science Building and was designed to introduce students to startup jobs and internships, Cornell reported.
Startups offer another route into work
The expo was sponsored by Cornell’s Ann Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, Duffield Engineering, University Career Development and Entrepreneurship at Cornell.
“It’s not just about starting a company,” said Sorin Lerner, dean of Cornell Bowers. “It’s also about the many startups already out there that are great places for our students to begin their careers.”
Lerner said gathering companies in one place also helps startups reach potential workers who might not otherwise discover them.
BJ Kim, vice president of engineering at Persista Bio, attended to meet prospective interns and employees. The company is developing a long-term cell implant intended to regulate blood sugar, using technology licensed from Cornell and Giner. It is based at Cornell’s Center for Life Science Ventures in Weill Hall.
Students look for internships and broader roles
Design and environmental analysis student Diya Singhal attended with statistical science student Michelle DiCarlo to explore internship options. Singhal said her experience in startups had made her value their autonomy, while DiCarlo was interested in applying statistics and experimental design.
Jonathan Davenport, who worked at a startup last summer, described handling software engineering, data analysis and infrastructure monitoring. He came looking for employers who could use those skills.
Zach Shulman, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell, said students had asked for such an event and that organizers hope to hold it annually.
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