This year’s Women’s History Month is of significant importance to female entrepreneurs, who, although making strides in recent years, remain underrepresented and underfunded and have been hit disproportionately hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, compared to their male counterparts. One Cornell program is celebrating progress in women’s entrepreneurial achievements while taking stock of the work that still needs to be done.

The innovative W.E. Cornell (Women Entrepreneurs Cornell) program is priming its spring 2021 cohort of STEM women to succeed even against the backdrop of a challenging landscape.

“In our third year, we have trained over 100 STEM women to expose them to entrepreneurship to build the next generation of transformations that can impact society,” said program director and Cornell Engineering lecturer, Andrea Ippolito ’06, M.Eng. ’07.

“Women represent 50 percent of society and we need to do a better job of engaging half of our population to fuel and propel the economy forward. We know from data that the greatest job growth in the U.S. is occurring from start-ups and small businesses, so this program helps drive economic growth,” she said.

W.E. Cornell’s spring curriculum provides students who participated in interactive workshops and networking activities in the fall with more intensive opportunities to further their ventures. The spring cohort participates in a National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) regional course to determine whether their business ideas provide solutions for real-world problems with sizable market opportunities. In addition, they practice pitching with mentors and conclude the program with a presentation to the advisory board.

The program has given a start to businesses such as Invictus BCI, where founder Vini Tripathii ’19, M.Eng. ’20 is creating an affordable, non-invasive neuroprosthetic brain control interface that will allow amputees to use prosthetics as though they were real limbs. The company is in the pre-seed stage and has earned funding and several awards from Cornell and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare named Tripathii one of its Top 100 Healthcare Leaders.

Another program alumna, Erika LaCasse ’20, founded CassCaps, a patented cap and jar set that measures spices and powdered ingredients straight from the bottle allowing for quick, easy, and mess-free cooking. The business raised over $65,000 in sales in one month on Kickstarter and is now accepting pre-orders for its product.

“W.E. Cornell equipped me with an incredible support network, from Andrea’s continuous guidance, to my mentor’s extensive advice, to the inspiration I received from surrounding members,” said LaCasse. “There is no doubt that the program’s workshops, pitch sessions, and network helped me bring CassCaps one step closer from an idea to a reality.”

This year, Ippolito is engaging students in an innovative mentor circles initiative. Entrepreneurs are grouped into sector areas, such as clean tech, health tech, and education tech, and are aligned with appropriate mentors. Students learn from mentors and from fellow women entrepreneurs operating in a similar space.

Biomedical engineering Ph.D. student Brooke Filanoski is a member of this spring’s cohort. “Upon arriving at Cornell, I had no idea that I was going to embark on this entrepreneurial journey,” she said. “Not only did this program help lay the foundation for an entrepreneurial mindset, but it helped me establish a connection with aspiring students in my cohort, mentors, and resources. I thought I would be receiving generic advice on my pursuit; instead, I was given specific feedback on my project.”

Filanoski is developing a cost-effective hand-held instrument that routinely monitors the progression or regression of breast cancer tumors. She is diving into customer discovery this semester, interviewing breast cancer survivors about problems a device like hers can solve.

When considering how their work can positively impact the world, STEM women can fortify a variety of industries with their skillsets. If they have their own big ideas that can translate into a useful product, entrepreneurship is perhaps the most direct avenue to make that impact, although it isn’t always the most obvious route at the start of an academic career.

Ph.D. candidate Emily Urban joined W.E. Cornell this spring. She is pursuing agriculture-based climate solutions, including activities related to soil carbon sequestration.

“W.E. Cornell has completely opened new avenues for me in the area of entrepreneurship,” she said. “So far, it has given me the confidence (as well as some great basic skills) to think big! I am starting to see how my research could truly make a positive global impact through entrepreneurship pathways.”

Those wishing to advance opportunities for women entrepreneurs to continue reaching important milestones can

The 19 students working to bridge the gender gap in this spring’s W.E. Cornell cohort include:

• Linda Alvarez ’21 (along with Stephanie Schrauth) is developing a sports nutrition products company tailored to female endurance athletes.
• Julia Angelos ’22 is the founder of Boyd’s Antiques, an online platform connecting authenticators and appraisers with individuals hoping to value their merchandise.
• Cathy Bartell ’21 (along with Astride Charles and Amritha Sannabhadti) is creating a company with the motto: “If you are going to live your best life, you have to live your best life at the end too.”
• Sonny Carlton ’21 is making health care more accessible for LGBTQ individuals.
• Viktoria Catalan ’22 is working on a health literacy platform that directly connects type-2 diabetic patients to both their private health insurers and physicians.
• Astride Charles ’21 (along with Cathy Bartell and Amritha Sannabhadti) is creating a company with the motto: “If you are going to live your best life, you have to live your best life at the end too.”
• Vanessa Di Frances ’22 is developing a platform for women- and minority- owned technology companies (late-stage) that provides network and investment opportunities.
• Brooke Filanoski ’24 is developing a cost-effective hand-held instrument that routinely monitors the progression or regression of breast cancer tumors.
• Anabella Maria Galang ’23 founded The Steminist Movement, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to mitigating the STEM gender gap for middle school girls.
• Sharon Heung ’25 is creating a toy that supports children of all abilities to learn how to identify, convey, and cope with their emotions.
• Jacquelyn Linevsky ’26 is developing terrestrial astronomy tours for hotels and cruise lines.
• Louise Loyst ’22 is working to bring Beyond Delicious GF Dessert to grocery stores.
• Sabah Mohammed ’21 is developing a connected care loop for women experiencing moderate-to-high risk pregnancy in medically underserved areas in the U.S.
• Amy Murro ’23 is focusing on sleep education and an app to help customers maintain healthy sleep routines.
• Amritha Sannabhadti ’21 (along with Astride Charles and Cathy Bartell) is creating a company with the motto: “If you are going to live your best life, you have to live your best life at the end too.”
• Stephanie Schrauth ’21 (along with Linda Alvarez ’21) is developing a sports nutrition products company tailored to female endurance athletes.
• Jeannie Szomstein ’21 is the founder of Bulletin, a digital platform linking college students in need of resources with fellow students who can meet that need.
• Dora Tan ’21 is creating an alternative to single-use plastic food packaging by exploring the potential to repurpose agricultural byproducts.
• Emily Urban ’24 is working on technology that improves pathways for agriculture-derived, sustainable sourcing to help companies meet their scope 3 emissions targets.

A version of this story appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.