Thursday, May 14, 2026, 4:00 PM - to - 9:00 PM ET

Cornell Tech Campus, 2 W Loop Rd, New York, NY, US

2026 Startup Awards + Open Studio

Join the Cornell Tech’s Spring 2026 Startup Awards + Open Studio event to celebrate student startup teams from this year’s graduating class, as well as presentations of cutting-edge research, projects, and companies founded at the Roosevelt Island-based campus.

11 student teams will present their startup companies as they compete for $100,000 in investment, office space, and mentoring — culminating months of work in Cornell Tech’s rigorous Startup Studio program.

Startup Awards pitches are evaluated by a distinguished jury of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and academic leaders. The evening concludes with a celebratory reception.

This year’s finalists are tackling some of the most consequential problems in technology today — from AI safety and agentic systems to predictive healthcare, satellite collision risk, and the future of legal and financial decision-making. It’s one of the most ambitious cohorts in the program’s history.

The event will begin at 4:00 p.m. with the presentation of pitches from the students who have been selected as Startup Award finalists. Up to five teams will be awarded $100,000. A panel of tech industry leaders, investors, and executives, along with Cornell Tech leadership, will select the student teams from the startup award finalists.

At 6:00 p.m., the five teams of the 10 that presented will be announced as winners of the $100,000 investments and studio space at Cornell Tech to help build their companies.

The event will conclude with a networking reception from 6:15–8:00 p.m.

Thanks to Cornell Tech for the listing and graphics for this startup event.

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