Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator
By Ananya Gambhiraopet After a 10-week intensive program this summer, the 2023 Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator (JSSA) cohort celebrated innovation and progress at its culminating Demo Day on Sept. 9 at the Sage Atrium in Ithaca, New York. In what was JSSA’s largest cohort to date, 25 startups participated in the program co-led by Gregory Ray, Ph.D. ’14, and Ken Rother. Twelve student startups pitched their business ideas at Demo Day to an audience of fellow entrepreneurs, mentors, potential investors and the greater Cornell entrepreneurial community. One of the student startup founders that presented was John Khazraee, Executive MBA Americas class of 2024, of Investwise Learning. The company is an all-in-one online platform for single and multi-family investment education, coaching and partnership opportunities, catering to all stages of the investment journey. “My existing knowledge within technology and international business strategy combined well with the JSSA experience,” Khazraee said. “It provided a bridge, enhancing my knowledge of broad skill sets covering important fields like marketing, IP protection and the nuanced details of funding tactics. These skills are essential to the success of startups, and JSSA has strengthened my tool set needed to meet the possibilities and overcome the obstacles presented by the startup landscape's constant change.” Open to all MBA students at Cornell, JSSA allows students to learn about startup development in a flexible yet comprehensive environment. The program is structured in a way that enables students to focus solely on their startup for the summer or participate in another internship or job simultaneously. One of the most valuable aspects of the program is the individualized mentorship that each cohort member receives over the course of the summer. This includes 1:1 guidance from an experienced entrepreneur in Cornell’s startup ecosystem, such as Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Brad Treat, MBA ‘02. “Mentoring students through the JSSA program is advantageous, as it allows me to get to know their startups and goals from the beginning and initiate connections for the cohort members within my network,” Treat said. “Being a mentor helps me stay engaged with Cornell's entrepreneurial ecosystem and enables me to share my expertise with students.” The 14 experts that served as mentors to this year’s cohort hail from diverse backgrounds and have different areas of expertise, but all share a passion for positively influencing the next wave of entrepreneurs. The 2023 JSSA mentors include: Ed Bizari Illa Burbank Nate Cook Julie Eagle ‘89 Rob Gregor ‘99, J.D. ‘07 Alex Hagen, MBA ‘03 Colin Kessinger ‘92 Andy Monroe ‘99 Aleksander Nikolic Caitlin Parrucchi ‘15, M.Eng. ‘16 Aaron Proujansky Heather Sandford ‘97 John Tauzel ‘03, MBA ‘12 Brad Treat, MBA ‘02 In addition to mentorship, the cohort participated in the New York City Trek, a full-day event where participants learn from and connect with founders, investors and established entrepreneurs. Now equipped with the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, the JSSA student founders will continue developing their endeavors independently. In terms of the future of Investwise Learning, Khazraee plans to continue scaling his startup in multiple facets. “In order to accommodate the demand from our consumers, we are actively looking for funding and investment opportunities,” Khazraee said. “To support the rapid expansion of our operations, we are also increasing our staff, most notably in product development and sales.” The JSSA program is funded by the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and administered by Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA), a division of Research and Innovation.Research and Innovation. Applications are now open for the summer 2024 JSSA cohort. Apply today.
While some may think of Silicon Valley as the hub of startup activity, there’s no shortage of innovation and entrepreneurship on the East Coast. Participants in the Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator found that out firsthand during the annual JSSA NYC Trek on July 14. The startup teams convened in the city to connect with founders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders for a day of education and discussion. Offered through the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, JSSA is an intensive, summer-long program. MBA students with a budding passion for entrepreneurship programs have the opportunity to explore their ideas for a startup venture and go through three phases of entrepreneurship education — customer discovery, developing solutions, and testing. Hosted in the Cornell ILR School space at 570 Lexington Avenue, the trek contained no shortage of inspiration. The first presentation of the day came from Randy Kane, managing partner at Profec Partners. Kane spoke about the dynamic between founders and angel investors, and gave the teams insight into the importance of finding the right fit when seeking investments. “Randy taught us the power of an extremely pointed pitch, that you want to get to the point quickly and effectively. A strong pitch deck assists you in doing this while you explain the drivers behind your story,” said Trish Dessai MBA ’23, founder of GigUp. “I plan to apply his tips whenever I pitch in the future.” Next, Loren Busby, director of the BioVenture eLab at Weill Cornell Medicine, led an interactive case study about a healthtech startup. Following the workshop, the cohort had the chance to participate in roundtable discussions with two early-stage founders. David Stein of Ash Wellness and Dorothee Grant of Kaveat each shared the details of their entrepreneurial journeys and imparted words of wisdom from the lessons learned along the way. “I found the entrepreneur stories to be really insightful. There’s something about being in person that amplifies the impact of the startup stories,” said Adam Frenkel EMBA ’24, founder of Varyance. Venture capitalist Momo Bi was next to present, speaking to the traits that investors look for when deciding to make an investment in a startup. Perry Solomon, operating partner at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA), also made an appearance, sharing information about the opportunities and resources available at ERA with the cohort. “It was great to engage actively with a multitude of speakers who brought so many different perspectives to the table,” said Dessai. “We got advice on pitching, advice on how investors value businesses, tips on problem solving while running a business, and more.” The day ended with a dynamic conversation with Adam Kirsch ’15 MBA ’16. Kirsch exited a startup, Yorango, that he founded while at Cornell and currently works as a mergers & acquisitions consultant. He shared the ups and downs of his startup story, and detailed what makes a startup an attractive acquisition. The JSSA cohort left the day with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for their ventures, ready to take the next steps towards bringing their vision to life. “Hearing from a variety of entrepreneurs at various early stages was absolutely incredibly inspiring,” said Brandon Jernigan ’MBA 24, founder of Wholesome – Wellness Optimized. “I asked the same simple question to every presenter: what’s one thing you wish you did differently? The answer was the same, I wished I started earlier. I started the process of incorporating my business the next day, because I’m now ready to fail forward.”
By Ananya Gambhiraopet From accessible urgent care services to skill-based training centers in Indonesia, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is excited to unveil the diverse group of 25 startups that make up the 2023 Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator (JSSA) cohort. JSSA is a 10-week summer intensive program that helps students pursue their entrepreneurship goals while continuing with their full-time jobs or internships. As most programming is conducted virtually, students are able to experience the benefits of the program from anywhere. While in JSSA, students develop their business plans, participate in weekly workshops, build connections through networking events and receive 1:1 mentorship and support from a dedicated Entrepreneur-in-Residence. The programming also includes a trek to New York City, where the cohort will have the opportunity to connect with founders, investors and the Cornell entrepreneurial community in the Big Apple. Two-year MBA participants who choose to work full time on their startup over the summer and are entering their second year were able to apply for a stipend from the Vrinda Kadiyali Student Entrepreneur Fund. Stephen Smith ‘91, MBA ‘95, established the fund in honor of Vrinda Kadiyali, the Nicholas H. Noyes Professor of Management. Professor Kadiyali inspired Smith to launch his own startup, which ultimately became Naviance, the American college and career readiness software. Smith believes that the summer between the first and second years is a key time for MBA students who plan to launch their own businesses, prompting him to establish the fund to alleviate the financial burden on students who wanted to focus on entrepreneurial ventures instead of paid internships. This year’s recipients of the Vrinda Kadiyali Student Entrepreneur Fund are Hailee Greene, MBA ‘24, Christiani Sagala, MBA ‘24, and Shao (Justin) Chen, MBA ‘24. Greene, co-founder of GreeneAcres Processing, is “looking forward to the mentorship opportunities that JSSA will provide us as we seek to sign letters of intent with growers and buyers.” Meet the cohort: The 25 startups participating in the 2023 Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator make up the largest cohort to date. Get to know the teams that compose this year’s accelerator: AMARI: Creates wellness products that fit the environment and genetic requirements of a melanin-skinned demographic, founded by Harveen Bawa, M.Eng. ‘23. Andrew Jacob Media: Creatively and effectively captures and promotes your brand's unique message through exceptional marketing, photography and video services, founded by Andrew Meade, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. ArteOpia: Provides virtual space in the art world, creating an ecosystem that celebrates inspiration and creativity, founded by Yihan Zhu, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. Buyer Force: Helps buyers save time and resources, ensuring they are buying the best product for their team while aiding business development teams with revenue creation and more accurate sales forecasting, founded by Ryan Collins, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. CampusGo: A socially responsible transportation and delivery platform designed specifically for college students, CampusGo offers rewards for completing deliveries, sharing rides and promoting community and sustainability, founded by Katherine (Xiaomin) Chen, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. Commons: Social networking and event management platform that helps event planners bring people together and engage them through interactive social activities, founded by Sidney Idemudia, Executive MBA Americas class of 2023. CryBaby: Equips new parents with knowledge, insights, comfort, and convenience during some of the most stressful moments of the most exciting phase of their lives, founded by Eric Engman, Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership class of 2023. Gig-Up!: Matches gig-workers to customers to-do-lists via AI, founded by Trishala (Trish) Dessai, One-Year MBA class of 2023. Glamesque: Reinvents beauty, makeup and glam, founded by Jacqueline Ochoa, Executive MBA Americas class of 2024. GreeneAcres Processing: The first Industrial Hemp processing company in the Northeast, fills the gap between growing hemp at mass scale to process and sell to companies wishing to produce every day goods based with hemp, co-founded by Kadiyali Fund recipient Hailee Greene and Danielle Falcon, both Two-Year MBAs class of 2024. Koffee Mission Possible (KMP): A unique and chic coffee truck that offers a wide range of coffee selections from around the world, catering to coffee lovers with refined taste, co-founded by May Yu and FeiFei Huang, both Executive MBA Metro NY class of 2022. Mom Majesty: A vector that connects pregnant women with doulas to provide emotional, physical, social and culturally appropriate support, founded by Dr. Nichele Nivens, Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership class of 2024. NaviGo: A travel booking platform that utilizes a proprietary algorithm to assign a deal score to every combination of flights and hotels, helping travelers quickly identify the best value for their trip, founded by Yuqi Bai, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. NextGen Gaming AI: Utilizes generative AI technology to assist game studios in creating scenes and assets, ultimately improving the efficiency and quality of game development, founded by Xufan Chen, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. Sperow: A space to grow, Sperow provides skill-based training centers for the good quality workforce of Indonesia, founded by Kadiyali Fund recipient Christiani Sagala, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. The Right to Warmth: Provides customers a means to accessible, premium fashion, founded by Kadiyali Fund recipient Shao (Justin) Chen, Two-Year MBA class of 2024. To Make More Money: Offers a multisided platform and consulting services to medium to large, diverse-owned businesses that desire to engage with one another to understand their business goals, identify gaps in the tactical execution towards these goals and find ways that each can help the other fulfill their respective strategic visions, founded by Tamika Money, Two-Year MBA class of 2023. Tomtech EV: Provides design engineering services for EV charging solutions for new or existing residential and commercial buildings, co-founded by Michelle Tomasian, Two-Year MBA class of 2024, with her sister, Marlow Tomasian. Tran-Franklin: Increases operational efficiencies at fertility clinics, co-founded by Gallop Franklin and Quynh Tran, both Executive MBA/MS in Healthcare Leadership class of 2024. Urgent Care Everywhere, LLC: Provides accessible urgent care services by leveraging tele-health while effectively reducing Emergency Room wait times and closing the communication loop with Primary Care Providers, founded by Ray Bey, Executive MBA Americas class of 2023. Varyance: Reinvents the way companies forecast and manage cash flows, founded by Adam Frenkel and Krishna Adusumilli, both Executive MBA Americas class of 2024. Waypoint: A patient navigation platform delivering greater control and community for chronic illness patients in their disease journeys, empowering them to better navigate the medical system, co-founded by James Wylie Deitch ‘23 and Julio Alex Albarracín, MPS-RE ‘23. We Buy Textile Waste!: Diverts textiles from municipal solid waste (MSW) by setting up collections in multi-story residential buildings, founded by Yusuf Kappaya, Executive MBA Americas class of 2023. Wholesome - Wellness Optimized: Provides a platform and a blueprint to demystify wellness across nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management and life and relationship coaching, founded by Brandon Jernigan, Executive MBA Americas class of 2024. Zahk Properties: A registered Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, provides the US government with technology and equipment, founded by John Khazraee, Executive MBA Americas class of 2024. Chen, founder of The Right to Warmth and one of three Kadiyali Fund recipients, says, “I hope to solidify the foundation for this business through market research and risk analysis, as well as set up distribution channels before running production and warehousing inventory in late summer or fall of 2023.” Founder of Sperow and Kadiyali Fund recipient Christiani Sagala hopes to gain a community where she “can grow as an entrepreneur and be accountable for developing (her) start-up.” The teams are in the midst of the accelerator’s curriculum and meeting virtually for content sessions with industry experts and mentors. The program will conclude with a demo day event in Ithaca in September where teams will pitch their businesses and share their progress. Originally published in Around Cornell.
The 12 teams that made up the 2022 Johnson Summer Startup Accelerator (JSSA) cohort devoted themselves to working on a vast array of startups, but shared one big similarity: the progress they made on their businesses, which was displayed at Demo Day in early September in Ithaca, N.Y.