Five startups graduate from Cornell incubators

Five startups based on Cornell research graduated from the university's incubators at a ceremony held Nov. 2 in Weill Hall. Their missions include biotechnology innovations, medical devices and new methods for critical mineral recovery.

The Center for Life Science Ventures and the Praxis Center for Venture Development jointly hosted the event, which recognized the companies for completing their incubation plans and demonstrating that they can operate sustainably off campus.

The five companies, which emerged from research conducted at Cornell, have raised a total of $26 million in capital investment and created 30 high-tech jobs.

"Cornell has an incredible legacy of entrepreneurship," Provost Kavita Bala said, describing her own experience launching a startup based on her research at Cornell. Like the five graduating startups, Bala licensed her technology from the Center for Technology Licensing and utilized Cornell resources to build GrokStyle, a visual recognition company that was eventually acquired by Facebook.

"We have this mission of putting our knowledge to work, and it connects our research and education with the real world," Bala said. "Our mission is to solve real-world problems and have a real-world impact."

Bala connected this mission to founder Ezra Cornell, an entrepreneur himself, whose innovative vision for "an institution where any person can find instruction in any study" set the stage for the interdisciplinary entrepreneurial ecosystem at Cornell today.

"Barriers for collaboration in a place like Cornell are very low," Bala said. "For a founder, where you want to bring a team and different skillsets together, we are the right place to do that."

The CLSV and the Praxis Center provide clients with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratory facilities, expert mentorship, research resources and connections to potential partners, customers and investors.

"What we're here to do today is make economic and translational impact," said Matt Marx, vice provost for entrepreneurship, innovation and external engagement. "It doesn't just happen. It has to be done intentionally and deliberately, and our goal is to make this path easier for entrepreneurs."

The graduating companies are:

• Geegah joined the Praxis Center in 2019. Founded by Justin Kuo, Ph.D. '18, and Amit Lal, the Robert M. Scharf 1977 Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the company has developed an ultrasonic imaging technology that offers a cost-effective chip-scale solution for biomedical imaging, subsurface defect detection and non-destructive testing. 
• Inso Bio, which has developed a microfluidic system that physically extracts and purifies DNA for faster, higher quality sample preparation, joined CLSV in 2020. A spinout from the lab of Harold Craighead, the Charles W. Lake Professor of Engineering Emeritus, Inso was co-founded by Craighead, Harvey Tian, Ph.D. '17, and Adam Bisogni '08, Ph.D. '17. 
• OWiC Technologies, founded by Alejandro Cortese, Ph.D. '19, in the labs of Alyosha Molnar, the Ilda and Charles Lee Professor of Engineering, and Paul McEuen, the John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science Emeritus, joined the Praxis Center in 2020. OWiC has developed the world's smallest smart microsystems, speeding up electrosynthesis for drug discovery and the development of new agricultural compounds, materials and energy solutions. 
• Renerva's biodegradable nerve cap device for patients suffering from neuroma, a painful tangling of severed nerve ends, was founded by Lorenzo Soletti and Bryan Brown. The company emerged from research conducted at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh and joined CLSV in 2019. 
• Revora Materials joined the Praxis Center in 2023. Co-founded by Greeshma Gadikota, a former associate professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Cornell Duffield Engineering, Sravanth Gadikota and Hassnain Asgar, M.S. '17, Ph.D. '22, the company recovers critical minerals from industrial ores and residues. 

"To our founders, you are an inspiration to us all," said Ying Yang, director of the incubators. "We all know that building a company is not easy. It takes years of hard work, relentless execution and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Most importantly, it takes a team of people who believe in what they do no matter how difficult it is."

In their remarks at the ceremony, founders recognized the breadth of resources at Cornell that helped them transform from scientists into entrepreneurs. The NSF I-Corps program provides early training, while the Cornell NanoScale Facility and the Cornell Institute of Biotechnology offer access to crucial engineering equipment.

"After enough late nights doing microscopy experiments in a completely pitch-black room, we somehow convinced ourselves that we were ready to take this leap to form a startup," Tian, the CEO of Inso Bio, said. "The Center for Life Science Ventures has been our cornerstone over the last seven years, and when we joined, we didn't even know what a pitch deck was."

The event also recognized the tenure of Bob Scharf, who will retire as the director of the Praxis Center on Nov. 7.

"This celebration is a fitting moment to say thank you and farewell to many of the friends and colleagues who made my time at Cornell so rewarding," Scharf said. "I've always believed that Praxis is a valuable resource for campus entrepreneurs, a place where promising ideas can gain the support they need to move toward the commercial world. Working with founders and colleagues who share that commitment has been a privilege."