Our discussion of entrepreneurship began with introductions; each person went around the room, and explained why they had been drawn to this particular talk. A common theme quickly emerged: the majority of students in attendance were interested in pursuing their own unique ideas as business ventures. Regardless of major or college, Cornell students have a strong, innovative spirit. Our speaker was one such example; as a Cornell student, he founded his own clothing company. The company’s mission was to use sales to improve access to and quality of water in nations lacking water security. The business began out of his dorm, as he and his peers worked to build it as they fulfilled other requirements as full time students. He now helps a variety of students trying to come up with the next big idea by facilitating programs that offer not only funding, but valuable mentorship and guidance.

I have never imagined that I could build up my own small business projects, but this discussion made me realize that it was possible to do as a student. There are even a number of great resources on Cornell’s campus to get things started, not including invaluable mentorship from incredible professors. If any of you have an idea worth pursuing, now is the time to try. Who knows? It might just be the next big thing.

The meeting with eHub director Dr. Peter Chortle was highly informative. I initially went because I knew very little about what eHub actually was and about the specifics of real entrepreneurship. Hearing Dr. Chortle’s story and his accounts of Cornell students really opened my mind to what opportunities existed for students and really what people my age are capable of. I also think that intercollegiate connections are really valuable; the current app he’s developing seems like a really amazing way to communicate with other enterprising students regardless of location. It’s nice to know that if I have an idea for a business of some kind there’s a specific way to pursue it with a number of resources available.

I went to the Rose Cafe Talk by Peter Cortle about the many resources offered to students interested in startups. For me, while a startup could be interesting, there are lots of complicated aspects to it, including how to get the starting budget, and how to reach the people who could be potential customers.  I do not have many ideas for startups, but I think if someone wanted an embedded systems engineer or hardware engineer, I could probably help with that. In his talk, Peter mentioned the different resources including eHub events and the different competitions one could partake in, in order to get the initial startup money and even a mentor, in addition to mentioning Startup Tree – a platform for startups to connect with other talents and mentors.  I was surprised after the talk about all the different resources in events that the Cornell. After the talk, I did consider thinking more about a startup, but I think I would be more interested in a cafe rather than a tech based startup.

Last Wednesday I attended the Rose Cafe with Peter Cortle, where I learned more about entrepreneurship. While I have never considered myself to be a very entrepreneurial person, I found the talk to be very insightful. My main hesitation with entrepreneurship has always been the whole “You need to have an idea” part of it. For me, coming up with an idea would be very difficult, and I currently do not foresee myself ever developing an idea good enough to actually pursue with a startup. However Mr. Cortle raised the point that I do not need to have an idea in order to get involved with entrepreneurship. Instead I could do something like joining a startup based on somebody else’s idea. Even just beginning to interact with other people involved with entrepreneurship can be beneficial, and it does not require an idea to do so. Mr. Cortle spoke about various resources that students can use to get involved with entrepreneurship, most of which I was previously unaware of. Overall, while I still do not see myself getting involved in entrepreneurship, I now find myself more open to the possibility.

I attended this event in Prof. Rosemary’s apartment. In a world of entrepreneurial enthusiasm, I felt this was a great event as it helped clear up certain pre-conceived notions I had about entrepreneurship. Peter talked us through his own journey in college. The fact that he started his own venture in college, at such a small scale felt very empowering and motivating. Peter was very welcoming for questions and he showed a commitment to take this initiative forward in the form of follow-up meet-ups.I liked the message Peter tried to give us, which was just get up and start doing something. The time and logistics may never seem right, but looking at his drive to search for the right idea and go into it head-on was very appreciable. I will definitely be attending a follow-up of this discussion with Peter.

The Rose cafe talk, with Peter Cortle, allowed me to think of entrepreneurship from a different angle. The idea of owning my own business has always fascinated me, but I had never deeply thought through the process of actually becoming an entrepreneur.  Mr. Cortle’s insights, as an entrepreneur himself, who started his first business out of his dorm, gave inspiration to entrepreneurs like me. However, he did not fail to set realistic expectations, heavily reminding us that it may not alway be easy starting ones own business, but it is rewarding.

I always believed that having ones own business is easy. You just come up with an idea and then it comes to life, a process with no struggles. However, after hearing what Mr. Cortle had to say I have had to re-think the ease of me starting a business. Although I am more aware now that it will not be an easy route to have my own business, I have understood that starting now is much better than later. Mr. Cortle, the director of entrepreneurship at Cornell, encouraged to start ones own venture now, while at Cornell, as the resources at available to Cornell undergraduate students are innumerable to those available after graduation. Mr. Cortle highlighted some of these resources, which include: classes focused on entrepreneurship, competitions that help polish ideas and fund initial stage of the ideas, and mentorship from alumni entrepreneurs.

So with the resources that we have, I say that if you are interested in entrepreneurship, now is the time to start. Although it may not be the easiest path it is definitely rewarding and when your passionate about something it will work its way through.

Peter Cortle, director of eHub, gave a highly informative talk about everything related to startups, from the various stages to the services Cornell provides to support us in these endeavors. From it, I learned the shorthand e-ship, which is great because entrepreneurship is such a cumbersome word. It was also interesting to learn exactly what we can expect from Cornell, like a way to connect with students with different expertise, and what we mostly cannot, like a way to acquire funding for our ideas. It’s fantastic that we get support from people who have themselves been through the process (and been quite successful at it–Peter Cortle founded startuptree).

I still don’t think e-ship is the way to go for me because it certainly all starts with having a good idea, and I have none. Cortle insightfully pointed out that I, especially as a CS major, could always join an established startup, but I feel that most startups also lack good ideas.

I’d also like to say that Professor Avery’s apartment was wonderful. I was really wondering if it looked the same as the suites we lived in, but it did not. My only gripe is that I didn’t find the hot chocolate that the professor had referred to.

Finally, I’d like to finish this off with a poem, just so I can be that guy.

There once was a talk by Cortle
We had a conversation informal
He told us about startups
He told us about the art of
selling your idea,
But I don't foresee a 
future in it for me-a.

– Hartek Sabharwal, 2018

Every day it seems I hear something about a new innovation or startup company. What I don’t typically hear, however, is the work that goes into the idea, design, and implementation of such companies. In his talk at this past week’s Rose Café, Peter Cortle discussed how he became an entrepreneur at a young age, tips on how we as students can become entrepreneurs, and the plethora of resources on campus for students looking to start their own company, app, or business. As a student with a career goal of having my own private practice law firm, I was particularly interested to hear about entrepreneurship and the concept of selling yourself and your product.

Throughout our discussion, Mr. Cortle raised various points about the beginning processes of entrepreneurship that stood out to me. For instance, he said that customer acquisition and customer response to an idea or product should occur in-person, rather than through an online survey or through the phone. This point made me realize the importance of personal interaction when first implementing an idea or business. For me, in law, this means that I need to assess a specific location, such as a city, and talk to individual people in that location to hear and understand their specific concerns and different legal needs to determine if that is where I should practice law. Mr. Cortle also emphasized the alumni network of Cornell, and how many successful entrepreneurs who went to Cornell are more than willing to help and give advice to current students aspiring to be entrepreneurs and business owners.

I find it comforting the number of resources Cornell offers for prospective entrepreneurs in a variety of fields, even for future lawyers looking to own their own practice one day, like me. I found that Mr. Cortle’s talk was very informative and even helped me reaffirm my own career goal of owning a private law practice one day. I hope to use the lessons learned from Mr. Cortle’s talk, such as the idea of selling yourself, along with Cornell’s vast resources, in order to assist me in accomplishing my goal.

Last week I attended the Rose Cafe with Peter on entrepreneurship, and it was a super cool experience. This was my first Rose Scholars event, so I had no idea what to image. It was an intimate setting in an apartment in Rose Main with refreshments and soft sitting. It was a comfortably relaxing atmosphere, which was such a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Cornell. It was really cool to learn about Peter’s work with his businesses and the E-Hubs. Though I do not particularly have any interest in creating my own business yet, it was really cool to think about the options and hear from someone as motivated as Peter.

I have a special place in my heart for entrepreneurship because my mother has created her own business selling her own painted art pieces. I have grown up around her business, but now as I am old enough to understand her hard work, I really am proud of my mom and where she has gotten herself. Hearing about Peter made me reflect on all of my mother’s hard work and really appreciate it. Maybe I will consider this route after further research!

I applied to the rose scholars program because I often get so carried away with academic activities that I am never a part of other social activities on campus. I wasn’t so sure of what the Rose Scholar experience would be like but my first week being a rose Scholar exceeded my expectations and gave me what I’ve been looking for—an opportunity to have a balanced academic/social life. Out of about 7 different activities to choose from, I ended up going to the one which stuck out to me the most– a meeting with the director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell.

I am really happy that an event relating to entrepreneurship was incorporated into the program this week. I learned a whole lot about how to go about transforming an idea into a business and the facilities available to entrepreneurs on campus.

I look very forward to my subsequent weeks as a rose scholar. I have a feeling it’s going to be awesome!

Best,

Tolani Yesufu

The chance to listen to Peter Cortle’s talk about entrepreneurship was an extremely thought-provoking experience, and I was very grateful to be able to listen to his wisdom in this exciting field. I walked into this talk with very little intentions of delving into entrepreneurship in my life and was set on my path to go to medical school. Medical school would be a fixed path for me, and I would have little need to diverge from this path and be left on my own. Entrepreneurship is the complete opposite; many fresh entrepreneurs are left to fend for themselves and go on an unknown journey of fulfilling an inner passion. I am a very structured person because I would preferably be directed towards a path rather than figure it out myself. With such personality, entrepreneurship had never crossed my mind because I would never expect that I could design and launch a business from scratch. However, Mr. Cortle’s talk had convinced me otherwise. The fact that he started his own business while in the same position as I am right now (a sophomore at Cornell University) convinced me to believe that entrepreneurship is not as scary as it may seem. Cortle’s extensive use of resources that helped further his ventures was the foundation for his success, and I believe that it is because he thought that he was not alone. I learned that being an entrepreneur is not just having a life-changing idea that would transform society, but rather a drive to go beyond society’s standards and improve some aspect of someone’s life for the better. While I do still intend to go to medical school, there may be a chance in the future that I could use my mathematics degree to delve into the field of entrepreneurship. Thus, I left this talk with a sense of optimism and courage to improve the world around me.

I found the meeting with Peter Cortle a fascinatingly informative one. I was not sure what to expect, but I figured that the subject of entrepreneurship was something I have considered before but knew little about. Peter delved into his own experience. Like me, he was an ILR major. He felt an interest in having his own start up and what I find truly inspiring is that he did not just sit on his dreams. He aspired to succeed so he took actions into his own hands. Cornell’s entrepreneurship program is not as strong now as it was when he was starting out. And, unfortunately, he had no one to guide him away from the extremely difficult clothing industry. Nonetheless, he was able to use his experience not only to better himself, but also to impart his wisdom on entrepreneurship newbies. Cornell has a great network of people just waiting to invest in something very promising. Additionally, there is a class dedicated to shaping students’ pitches for their innovations. I find myself very lucky to be part of such a prestigious school with endless opportunities.

This week, I attended a Rose Cafe where I listened to Peter Cortle, the founder of Cornell EHub talk about his journey in entrepreneurship and what resources Cornell has to support start up companies on campus. Peter, as a Cornell undergrad ran a start up and continued to pursue start ups throughout his early adult life. His goal for founding EHub was to give a space for students from all disciplines to come together and work on a start up together. What I did not realize is that EHub is not the only initiative Cornell has to spark entrepreneurship on campus. Cornell also has an organization called Life Changing Labs (LCL) where students can get seed funding and support to start their own company. So if you wake up one morning and have a great idea for a company, LCL can help guide you on your way to making a fully fleshed out business.

I personally am not a very entrepreneurial person, so these tips may not have been for me. However, it was cool to hear about the origins of EHub and that Cornell really does a good job of helping students start their own businesses if they are so inclined. With the rising cost of tuition, starting a business is a great and very underrated way of paying for college. Starting a business can also pay dividends in building up soft skills, as getting seed funding and working on that initial pitch is a very difficult skill, especially since most start ups today are started by engineers rather than trained marketers. So if I do have a change of heart and have an idea for a new business, Peter made it clear what the best path to making that happen is at Cornell.