About the Event
Ignite Connect 2026 is the third annual virtual partnering forum highlighting a curated portfolio of university-born technologies and venture teams that have progressed beyond concept validation and into investable projects.
Presenters featured in Ignite Connect are recipients of the Ignite or Catalyst Fund, competitive gap-funding programs designed to de-risk Cornell early technologies, validate market hypotheses, and advance projects past technical or commercial inflection points. These projects represent opportunities that are actively preparing for pre-seed investment, strategic partnerships, licensing, or sponsored development.
Ignite Connect is structured to enable engagement across. The program includes:
- A featured spotlight address offering a market-informed perspective on the current state of pre-seed and translational investment, with emphasis on spinouts and frontier technologies.
- A curated pitch segment organized across four concurrent thematic tracks, allowing investors and industry participants to self-select sessions aligned with their strategic interests.
- Dedicated one-on-one partnering meetings, providing a structured follow-up conversation with founders, faculty innovators, and venture teams to explore potential collaboration or interest.
Ignite Connect is purpose-built to accelerate early engagement at the point where technical risk has been meaningfully reduced, and momentum is emerging.
