University programme · Ithaca, New York, United States

eLab

Cornell's year-long, for-credit student accelerator in Ithaca, run by Entrepreneurship at Cornell and the Student Agencies Foundation, with alumni advisers, co-working space and a spring demo day. It takes no equity.

Closed Run by Student Agencies Foundation and Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
not published Teams that reach the spring semester and incorporate receive US$5,000 for their business
Instrument
Grant
Equity taken
None (equity-free) Takes no equity
Programme fee
not published
Duration
not published
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
In person
Stages
Idea
Sectors
Sector-agnostic
Open to founders from
not published
Perks
  • 24/7 co-working space in Cornell's eHub
  • Advisory board of alumni entrepreneurs
  • Academic credit
  • San Francisco trek
  • Demo Day

Runs over the academic year for 4.5 credits (1.5 in the fall, 3 in the spring) and ends in early May. In December, 12 teams are invited to continue into the spring semester; Demo Day is held in April.

Application dates

Closed2026-27 cohort

2026-27 cohort: applications closed 30 August 2026.

Who can apply

  • Cornell students on the Ithaca campus in the second half of an undergraduate degree
  • Graduate students in the final year of a master's programme or the later stages of a PhD
  • Stage: idea

Companies it names as alumni

FloraPulse, GradeWiz, StaffOnTap, Chamak, AI Learners

What founders should check

  1. The programme says it takes no equity. Still read the agreement for warrants, revenue shares or rights in a later round.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It runs in person in Ithaca. Plan to be there for the length of the programme.
  4. The last window we track closed on 30 August 2026. Dates for the next cohort are not published yet.

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