Business founders across the spectrum will offer short talks and fireside chats during the 2026 Eclectic Convergence conference in New York City, organized by Entrepreneurship at Cornell. This year’s event will also include a panel of alumni who cofounded the company Course Info, which later became Blackboard.
“Each year, our speakers bring unique insights from their entrepreneurial journeys and the process of building their incredible startups,” said Zach Shulman ’87 J.D. ’90, director of Entrepreneurship at Cornell. “Just as important, we create plenty of space for conversation and networking during the day. And our speakers even hold office hours and meet one-on-one with attendees.”
Set for Friday, Nov. 6 at the Verizon Education Center at Cornell Tech, the daylong conference offers fireside chats and TED-style talks, as well as a pitch contest among Cornell startups and time for networking. Registration is still open.
Sam Jones ’13, CEO and cofounder of Method Security, plans to talk about his journey from Cornell to the Air Force to Palantir to Method Security and the benefits for entrepreneurs of having a polymath career.
He said one of the most challenging issues for entrepreneurs is knowing how much feedback to take in from outside sources and how much to trust their own instincts. “Listening is always fine, but you have to ignore a lot of feedback and not let it get to you,” he said. “You are what you are betting on after all.”
Other speakers include:
- Course Info/Blackboard founders Dan Cane ’98 (2026 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year), Tim Chi ’98, Stephen Gilfus ’97 and Stephano Kim ’98.
- Gwen Whiting ’98, founder of The Laundress and The Fill
- Alex Collmer ’97, founder and executive chairman of Vidmob
- Nicole Wegman ’08, founder and CEO of Ring Concierge
- Aaron Holiday MBA ’12, co-founder and managing partner at 645 Ventures, who will be co-emcee of the event with Shulman.
