Preparing for eLab

Lab is an extremely competitive program. That’s why we put together a few resources to help you refine your concepts, strengthen your team, and improve your own entrepreneurial skill set.

Learn more about applying

5 Things We Look For in eLab Applicants

 

1. Work Together

Team members have solid and deep trust in each other and in the team’s mission – everybody is working toward the same goals.

2. Coachable

A team that is open to feedback and actively engages with mentorship. 

3. Shared Leadership

The leadership of the team shifts from time to time, as appropriate, to drive results. No individual members are more important than the team.

4. Manage Conflict

Disagreement is viewed as a good thing and conflicts are managed. Criticism is constructive and is oriented toward problem-solving and removing obstacles. Team members actively diffuse tension and friction in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

5. Well-Positioned

We tend to favor final-year students because they are best positioned to pursue their startup full-time once it gains enough momentum. Juniors, seniors, graduate students, and PhD candidates are invited to apply. 

6. Execution-Oriented

A team that has demonstrated the ability to take initiative and follow through

7. Scalability

A business concept with the potential to grow beyond a local market.

8. Customer Discovery

Evidence that the team has begun researching their target customers and/or market. 

2025 eLab team Cala presents at the 2025 eLab Student Startup Showcase at San Francisco's Autodesk.
PrepPack founder, Nick Fisher '25 and Camilo Ortiz '25 founder of JOUS pose for a photo at the 2025 eLab Student Startup Showcase at San Francisco's Autodesk.

9. Commitment

A strong dedication to building and launching the business within the year. 

Resources to Help You Prepare for eLab

Blackstone LaunchPad

A campus based entrepreneurship program, accessible by over 500K students globally, designed to support and mentor students, staff and alumni – regardless of major, experience or discipline.

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eHub Co-Working Space

eHub provides co-working space for student entrepreneurship at two locations: on the first floor of Kennedy Hall and 409 College Ave. in College Town.

Visit Website

Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub (IN I-Corps)

Regional and national training courses with NSF funding to help researchers get out of the lab and explore the market potential of their discoveries.

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Cornell Network

Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Find and access entrepreneurship classes, events, and other resources.

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Life Changing Labs

LCL works with talented student founders at the earliest stage of their ventures helping position them for success.

Visit Website

Additional Resources

Application Checklist

Are you ready for eLab? 

Z

I have formed a team

Teams make progress exponentially faster than individuals. In rare instances, we may make an exception and admit an individual into eLab.
Z

I have a concept

We are looking for concepts, not ideas. An idea exists in the minds of the founders only. A concept has been exposed to a group of target customers (not your family or friends) who have expressed sincere interest in using a product or service.
Z

I exhibit a combination of commitment, passion, coachability, and execution.

These are all skills necessary to launch a successful startup, especially while also being a fulltime student.
Z

I am at least a junior.

Z

I have taken the prerequisites.

Competitive applicants will have completed one of the following prerequisites found here or positioned to complete the requirement concurrently during the fall semester.

Z

I will be a full time Cornell student located in Ithaca for the entire academic year.

Fit all of these criteria?

Apply Now