Cornell offers seven incubator, accelerator and training programs — including the Center for Life Science Ventures, the Praxis Center for Venture Development, and the Runway Startups Program at Cornell Tech — that provide lab space, mentorship, and funding to help Cornell researchers and inventors turn technology into startups. Particularly, the Center for Life Science Ventures, the Praxis Center for Venture Development, the BioVenture eLab at Weill Cornell Medicine, eship at Cornell, the Runway Startups Program at Cornell Tech, and the Center for Technology Licensing can assist entrepreneurs seeking business, market development, and management expertise for technology startups.
Incubators, Accelerators and Training Programs for Cornell Startups
Application Cycles at a Glance
- eLab — applications open in 2027 →
- Life Sciences TIF (LSTIF) — applications open in 2027 →
- Ignite Fellow for New Ventures — applications open November 2 → Learn more
- Runway Startups Program — applications open October 15 → Learn more
- Resnick Prize — applications open February → Learn more
- BenDaniel Business Plan Competition — applications open February 3 → Learn more
Founded in 2011 and located in Weill Hall on the Ithaca campus, the Center for Life Science Ventures (CLSV) fosters and develops life science startup companies; any life science company, whether affiliated with Cornell or not, can apply.
- What it offers: Dedicated lab space, access to and , and funding support through resources like CAT grants and Ignite Startup Projects
- Recognition: Nominated for a Prix Galien USA “Best Incubator” award in 2025
- Success stories:
- Bactana Corporation: acquired by Kemin Industries, 2025
- Agronomic Technology/Adapt-N: acquired by Yara International, 2017
- Lionano/Factorial Energy: Nasdaq IPO, June 2026, $1.3B valuation
Located in Duffield Hall on the Ithaca campus and introduced in 2018, the Praxis Center for Venture Development fosters and develops Cornell startups based on discoveries in Engineering and the Physical Sciences; Cornell-affiliated startups only.
- What it offers: Access to a state-of-the-art lab-to-fab facility, including one of only two high-energy synchrotron X-ray user facilities in the U.S.; programming and events to groom client companies for the Center, accelerate technology development, validate business plans, and strengthen management teams. Membership from $600/month.
- Success story: Ava Labs, a decentralized network platform designed to help companies establish a more efficient, secure property records database for one of the most populous counties in the nation. They recently partnered with Bergen County, NJ, to digitize 370,000 property records worth $240 billion in real estate value.
The BioVenture eLab is the hub of entrepreneurial activities at Weill Cornell Medicine, managed by the Enterprise Innovation office. Its mission is to build a robust entrepreneurial and company-creation ecosystem and provide access to the resources needed to develop the next generation of leaders and successful companies in the life sciences.
- What it offers: Resources, training, and mentorship in biomedical entrepreneurship as the central clearinghouse for the Weill community; hosts ABI and the annual Innovation Challenge/Resnick Prize.
- Recognition: Nominated for a Prix Galien USA “Best Incubator” award in 2026
Rev is a startup incubator offering business mentorship, workspace, and startup resources for new or growing businesses that create jobs in the Ithaca community, created through a partnership among Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College.
- What it offers: Business mentorship, workspace, and startup resources. Open to any qualifying business, not Cornell-exclusive.
- Success story: Farther Farms is developing shelf-stable alternatives to traditionally frozen foods to reduce reliance on cold storage infrastructure, expand food accessibility, and improve long-term supply chain sustainability. Their first product is a shelf-stable French fry.
Launched in 2022 and managed by the Center for Technology Licensing, the Ignite Fellow for New Ventures program embeds full-time scientists — called Fellows — directly in the lab to continue technology development, while being mentored by an Incubator Director on business direction.
- What it offers: 12 months of hands-on venture-building training covering business model refinement, market assessment, and follow-on funding; close collaboration with a Cornell researcher/co-founder; a flexible path that can lead a Fellow to become CEO or CTO of the resulting startup.
- Success stories: BehaviourAI, part of the cohort 2023, is developing AI models to understand human behaviors. See the Ignite Impact Report →
A member of the NSF National Innovation Network, IN I-Corps offers short- and full-format I-Corps training for startup founders exploring the market potential of their work.
- What it offers: Regional courses teaching entrepreneurial skills and customer discovery interviews; graduates are eligible to apply to the national I-Corps Teams program — a 7-week intensive with up to $50K in NSF funding for further customer discovery and business model work.
- Success stories: Soctera, a Cornell startup, was funded by America’s Seed Fund powered by the U.S. National Science Foundation. More here →
The Runway Startup Postdoc Program brings recent PhDs in digital technology fields into a 12–36-month program that combines academic and business mentorship.
- What it offers: A financial package including salary, research budget, housing allowance, and space; mentorship from academic and business experts in connective media, health technology, security & privacy, computer vision, and other fields.
- Success stories: Series B company Nanit Technologies. More here →
