Advertise on podcast: Startup Cornell

With more than 10 million users, Nour Gajial ’26 and Yanni Kouloumbis ’26 have found a pain point among high school and college students and answered it with their startup MathGPT. The founders are featured on the January episode of the Startup Cornell podcast. The duo founded the company in 2023 to help students struggling with math understand how to approach problems step-by-step using AI-powered learning tools and video explanations. Now, the platform has expanded beyond math to include a number of STEM-related topics.

Our new episode features Hauwa Otori ‘08, creator of the Founders International Network and host of the Building Black podcast, which shares stories about the experiences of under-resourced entrepreneurs from around the globe. Otori has a degree in communications from Cornell and a law degree from American University. She is also an independent producer for Fast Company, KCRW and Marketplace and her writing has appeared in Elle and Forbes.

This special episode features speakers and attendees recorded live during the 2025 Eclectic Convergence Conference at Cornell Tech in New York City. Listen in as they share advice for new founders, traps to avoid and the stories that motivate them every day. Hear from Javed Singha MBA ’09, co-founder and president, Fieldwire; Marissa Alden ’06, general manager of recreation, DaySmart; Chris Kirby ’15, founder and CEO, Ithaca Hummus; Erica Belsky ’04, co-founder, Good Inside; Scott Belsky ’02, former Adobe EVP and Behance founder, and others!

Listen in as Tim Chi ‘98, former CEO and co-founder of WeddingWire, which became The Knot Worldwide, talks about forming the ultimate wedding planning company. And find out how his own wedding inspired the idea. The company serves millions of engaged couples across 15 countries, helping them plan and celebrate their big day by providing an all-in-one digital wedding planning app and website.

Our new episode features John Hui MBA ‘15, former CEO and co-founder of Twiage, a digital health company that provides communication technology solutions connecting hospitals and ambulances. Twiage was acquired by Tiger Connect in November 2024. Hui is also a co-founder of Rendr, a multi-specialty Chinese physician group serving the medically underserved Asian patient population in New York City. He’s also an active angel investor and founding member of Red Bear Angels, a Cornell alumni-run investor group.

Our newest episode features Jonathan Lowenhar ‘96, founder and one of two managing partners of Enjoy The Work, a company that has worked with more than 200 company CEOs on leadership. He talks to us about the most common mistakes CEOs make and how to avoid them.

Our newest episode features Meredith Oppenheim ‘95, founder of Vitality Society and now a strategic advisor in the senior housing space. Oppenheim, who graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences, worked for 25 years in senior housing and care before starting Vitality Society, a platform offering programming and communuity for people 60 and older. During the podcast, she talks about the trajectory of her career and offers some advice for others whose careers span several lanes.

Our new episode features Kimberle Lau, '01 founder of Bake Me Healthy, a company that offers plant-based, allergen-free and upcycled baking mixes and cookies. Yum!

Our new episode features Van Hamilton Barbeau, AVP at Ochsner Ventures, the venture capital arm of Ochsner Health, which invests in healthcare companies from seed-stage to growth-stage. He has spent his career building, advising and investing in healthcare companies. Barbeau earned his undergrad degree from Cornell in 2011, where he studied political economy in the College of Arts & Sciences. He also has an MBA from Cornell’s Johnson School and a master’s in healthcare policy and research from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences.

Our new episode features John Bicket ’02, chief technology officer and co-founder of tech firm Samsara and this year’s Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year 2025. He will be honored on campus April 10 and 11 at the Entrepreneurship at Cornell Celebration Ezra Event. Samsara offers an AI-powered platform to help physical operations organizations improve their safety, efficiency and sustainability by using data from sensors and connected devices. Bicket earned his bachelor’s in computer science from Cornell and a master’s in computer science from MIT.

Our new episode includes a chat with Cornell student Micere Mugweru ’25, the founder of Mizoma Africa. Mugweru is an economics and Africana studies major in the College of Arts & Sciences and a member of the eLab student business accelerator. She's created a Pan-African luxury bag brand dedicated to empowering women by bringing a piece of Africa into cosmopolitan spaces. Each bag is a tribute to African heritage.

Our new episode features Heather Jiang MBA '16, founder of Allegorie, a small-batch accessory company that turns discarded fruits into beautiful wallets, bags and backpacks. The bags reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions and are designed and created in New York City’s garment district.

Our new episode features Sakib Jamal ‘19, vice president at Crossbeam Venture Partners. Jamal was recently chosen for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, in part for his book, "The Young VC's Handbook," a tactical guide for newcomers to venture capital. In the book, some of the smartest young minds in VC share actionable advice. Proceeds from the book go to help underprivileged children attend primary school in Jamal’s home country of Bangladesh.

Our newest episode features Breanna Neff ‘16, founder and chief food scientist at brelixi, a company that makes drink mixes infused with nano-CBD or THC, as well as electrolytes, adaptogens and nootropics. Neff studied food science, technology, business, nutrition and health at Cornell. Before founding brelixi, she worked with Dannon and Evian, as well as in the startup world.

Our newest episode features Lloyd Robinson ’87, president and owner of Awisco, a family-owned welding business started in 1952. With 10 locations across the New York metro area and a sales presence in South Florida, Lloyd has led the company through lots of changes and has hosted Cornell interns for more than 20 summers. Lloyd graduated from the ILR School.