Hospitality Business Plan Competition
The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition is an annual entrepreneurship event that begins at the start of the academic year when students form teams and deliver 5-minute pitches for their hospitality business concepts. The competition ends in early spring during Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), when the student teams submit their final business plans and semi-finalist teams make their presentations to a judging panel that selects the top three concepts as winners.
Prizes for the top three finishers total over $35,000 (All prizes subject to tax withholdings as required by IRS regulations). The Business Plan Competition is a meaningful learning experience for students who are interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial venture and whose ideas serve as new independent ventures in the seed, start-up, or early growth stages.
Congratulations!
First place: Citizens of the World
Team Member: Lucas Suero ’26
Watch the 2023 competition here
Nolan School BusinessFeed (April 28, 2023): NGO Connecting Young Adults to Philanthropy Wins Business Plan Competition
Business Plan Competition Results by Academic Year
2023 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Citizens of the World
Team Member: Lucas Suero ’26
Citizens of the World is an NGO designed to introduce young adults to a life of philanthropy. They sponsor young adult travel to communities worldwide, allowing them to find their passion.
Second place ($7,500): Team Ryokan Ikigai
Team Members: Adrian Elduque, MMH ’23, Adam Joffe, MMH ’23, Yui Kawamura, MMH ’23, Kartikeya Khanna, MMH ’23, Leon Provost Jr., MMH ’23
Ryokan Ikigai is an innovative hotel concept, located in upstate NY. It will be a traditional Japanese Ryokan, centered around Onsen, or hot-spring baths, elaborate in-room Kaiseki meals, and Omotenashi, or elevated Japanese hospitality.
Third place ($5,000): Team Stage
Team members: Ryan Degraw, MMH ’23, Johanna Jackson, MMH ’23, Matthieu Laurens, MMH ’23, Melody Madhavan, MMH ’23, Mari Okamura, MMH ’23
Stage offers a platform for urgent hiring in the hospitality industry that leverages on a pool of quality talent.
Honorable Mention: Tribe
Team members: Christopher Browne, MPS RE ’23, Saamia Bukhari, MMH ’23, Benjamin Hirschfeld, MBA ’23
Tribe is a community-based platform that fosters rich social connection by empowering users to join and host experiences in their local community.
Honorable Mention: Abilitate
Team members: Lyon Li ’23, Kushagra Jain ’23 (A&S)
Abilitate is an end-to-end metaverse based training solution for hospitality businesses. By training servers, bartenders, housekeepers, and other customer facing positions in a virtual environment, their training modules include POS, customer service, dish identification, and more.
WATCH THE 2023 COMPETITION BPC 2023 photo album
Presentation Time Stamps
- Stage – 0:00
- Abilitate – 21:30
- Citizens of the World – 42:40
- Tribe – 1:03
- Ryokan Ikigai – 1:24:34
- Awards – 1:49:48
News
- Nolan School BusinessFeed (April 28, 2023): NGO Connecting Young Adults to Philanthropy Wins Business Plan Competition
A special thank you to our sponsors and judges:
Title sponsor
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15, Sweet Street Desserts
Platinum sponsor
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05
Silver sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
Finals Judges
- Zach Demuth, MMH ’16, Head of Americas Hotel Research, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
- Chris Hemmeter ’86 (A&S), P ’22, Managing Director, Thayer Ventures
- Gilda Perez-Alvarado ’02, Global Chief Executive Officer, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
Semi-final Judges
- Kenny Blatt ’81, CPG Real Estate
- Monica Digilio, Compass Advisors, LLC
- Cullen Gilchrist, Union Kitchen
- Jason Herthel, Montage International
- Steven Hurowitz, P ’19 & ’21, HB Capital Group
- Warren Leeds ’84, P ’14 & ’19, Dartcor Food Services
- Ondrea Levitt-Schiciano ’92, Levitt-Fuirst Insurance
- Bill Minnock ’79, MBA ’83, Former Mariott Executive
- Stacy Silver, Silver hospitality Group
- Ellen Yui, P ’14 & ’19, YUI+Company
2022 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Outer Space
Team Members: Alex Barr ’24, Nadeem Gangat ’25 (Dyson), Samuel Nichols ’24 (ILR), Jude Rizzo ’25 (A&S), Bill Tong ’24 (Dyson)
A service that enables property owners to rent out their driveway or parking spaces on an hourly basis.
Second place ($7,500): Team High Life Cannabis
Team Members: Raul Gamble, MMH ’22, Cody Perez, MBA ’22, MPS-RE ’22
Enables our customers to create unforgettable memories through a combination of top-quality products, events, and experiential spaces.
Third place ($5,000): Team Quay Side Farm and Table
Team Members: Kenisha Paliwal ’22 (ILR), Vishwajit Sharma ’23 (Dyson), Ariel Staffin ’22
A farm-to-table styled restaurant atop a barge deck docked in waterfront cities.
Honorable Mention: Team VINE
Team Members: Tony Ling, MMH ’22, Takamichi Matsuhisa, MMH ’22, Zihan Sun, MEng ’22, Alexander Vias, MMH ’22
Links the interests of the hospitality industry with financial investors’ and end-consumers’ to revolutionize how premium beverages can be more efficiently managed and converted into both immediate cashflows and high growth alternative investments.
Honorable Mention: Team MiFood Tech
Team Members: Yingtong Li ’23, Jack Ma, MMH ’23, Mokhtar Rajai ’22 (Eng), Elizabeth Vicarte ’22 (Eng), Mi Yan MS ’22 (CALS)
A kitchen robot startup that aims to provide automated solutions for restaurants and kitchens and to reduce labor costs while maintaining a high quality of cuisine.
Watch the 2022 competition BPC 2022 Photo album
News
- Cornell Chronicle (May 2, 2022): App connecting driveways with beachgoers win hospitality business contest
A special thank you to our sponsors and judges:
Title sponsor
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15, Sweet Street Desserts
Platinum sponsor
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05
Silver sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
Finals Judges
- Chris Hemmeter ’86 (A&S), P ’22, Managing Director, Thayer Ventures
- Meli James ’00, Co-founder, Mana Up and President, Hawaii Venture Capital Association
- Yaniv Blumenfeld ’95, Founder and Managing Partner, Glacier Global Partners, LLC
Semi-final Judges
- Kenny Blatt ’81, CPG Real Estate
- Yaniv Blumenfeld ’95, Glacier Global Partners
- Monica Digilio, Compass Advisors, LLC
- Susan Guerin ’83, World Finer Foods
- Steven Hurowitz, P ’19 & ’21, HB Capital Group
- Warren Leeds ’84, P ’14 & ’19, Dartcor Food Services
- Ondrea Levitt-Schiciano ’92, Levitt-Fuirst Insurance
- Jess Petitt ’05, Hilton
- Fred Singer, Singer Equipment
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05, China-Hongkong Photo Products Holdings Limited
- Jacob Wright, MBA ’22, Skyward Hospitality
2021 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Life After Life
Team Members: Shaily Patil MPS-RE ’21 (Baker), Jacob Tannenbaum MPS-RE ’21 (Baker)
Solves the problem of unaffordable and unsustainable funeral practices in America through conservation cemetery parks, experience enhancing technology, and community development.
Second place ($7,500): Team Adaptive Reuse Capital
Team Members: Noah Davis MMH ’21, Jack Levin MMH ’21, Jake Lynch MMH ’21, Janesh Patel MMH ’21
Aims to repurpose underutilized or distressed hotel assets into affordable, nurturing, and flexible independent senior living communities.
Third place ($5,000): Team Priya Hospitality
Team Members: Fareez Dossani MMH ’21, Jordan Korn MMH ’21, Chandan Sharma MMH ’21, Zachary Zaremba MPS-RE ’21 (Baker)
Aims to disrupt Indian cuisine in America through causal restaurant concepts across the country, a portfolio of consumer-packaged goods, and a media production company.
Honorable mention: Team Crave
Team Members: Boonyakorn Chandhanayingyong MPS RE ’21 (Baker), Sanjeet Dutta MEng ’21, Isa Goldberg MBA ’22, Pete Vejanurug MBA ’22, Kevin Wang MBA ’22
Develops a monetization platform designed to connect eaters to restaurants through influencers’ content, creating demand for all merchants within the F&B industry.
Honorable mention: Team RunDeVu
Team Members: Minwei Cao MBA ’22, Angad Jaspal ’21, Max Li ’23 (Eng), Gleb Margolin MBA ’22, Peter Nguyen MBA ’22
Looks to disrupt the vacation planning industry with an algorithm-based trip-planning concierge that helps busy and adventurous millennials find the unexpected path less travelled, in the most fun, painless way.
Watch the 2021 competition here!
News
- Cornell Chronicle (May 4, 2021): Green cemetery wins hospitality business pitch contest
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsor
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15, Sweet Street Desserts
Platinum Sponsor
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05
Silver Sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
2020 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
The 10th Annual, and first ever virtual, Hospitality Business Plan Competition was held on April 17, 2020. The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship would like to thank all of our participating teams for their hard work and flexibility as we navigated this new format.
First place ($25,000): Team Matte Black Lounges
Team Members: Shucen Ding MMH ’20, Yi Xuan Huang ’20, Lyon Li ’23, and Gabe Trumbo MBA ’21
Matte Black Lounges is focused on bringing modern airport lounges to currently underserved, mid-market, domestic airports.
View presentation
Second place ($7,500): Team farmVal
Team Members: Ashley Bacalso MILR ’20, Shiang-Wan Chin MEng ’19, PhD ’22, Tamara Sato ’22
farmVal makes the process of growing wine smarter, more efficient, and more reliable through a combination of Cornell PhD patented research, machine learning, and industry expertise.
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Third place ($5,000): Team PediCure
Team Members: Jordan Gorelick MEng ’20, Bryan Hyland ’21, Jialin Ke ’20 (HumEc), Jessica Tao ’20 (CALS), Joshua Zhu ’20 (CALS)
PediCure is a toenail trimmer that empowers elderly adults to reclaim independence in their grooming experience. Our device is to be sold to caretakers.
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Honorable Mention: Team Dream Haüs
Team Members: Chris Gartrell ’20, Oren Michaely ’20 (Eng)
Dream Haüsis a platform that ncorporates homebuyers’ tastes and preferences through a visual search to save realtors and home-buyers time and money.
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Honorable Mention: Team LayOP
Team Members: Armaan Goyal ’22, Aditya Narayanan ’21 (A&S), Ananth Palaniappan ’21 (Eng), Abhinav Prasad ’21 (A&S)
LayOP aims to leverage analytics tools and big data to help hospitality property managers and employees make informed decisions to optimize their service and increase revenue.
View presentation
News
- Cornell Chronicle (April 23, 2020): Airport lounge idea wins hospitality business plan competition
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsors
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15, Sweet Street Desserts
Platinum Sponsors
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05
- Bob Alter Family
Silver Sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
2019 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Speak2 Systems
Team Members: Ori Belson ’19 (MEng), Timothy Buttigieg ’19
Speak2 Systems is focused on improving the well-being and quality of life of intubated patients within intensive care units worldwide.
View presentation
Second place ($7,500): Team BoutiquePlus+
Team Members: Yennie Handika MMH ’19, Xiaokun Qin ’19, Yibing Sun ’19, Mengmeng Wang MMH ’19
BoutiquePlus+ is a hospitality digital marketing management company that helps Chinese boutique and lifestyle hotels manage social media, build a substantial online presence, foster customer relationship management, and evaluate social media related revenue management solutions at an affordable price.
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Third place ($5,000): Team MYSE Center
Team Members: Ghali Jorio ’21, Michael Zhang MBA ’20
MYSE Center is a coworking and accommodation space designed for fast moving young entrepreneurs and community driven travelers.
View presentation
Honorable Mention: Team Entroterra
Team Members: Gemma Richardson MMH ’19, Nicole Cusenza MMH ’19, Anushae Feerasta MMH ’19 Entroterra proposes a lodging business in the Hudson Valley that would provide farm and culinary programming both on site and through partnerships with local farms.
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Honorable Mention: Team Wandr Yondr Members: Hugh Bullen ’19 (Eng), Gizem Kilic PhD ’21, Mardochee Reveil ’18 (Eng)
Wandr Yondr introduces a platform that allows tourists to book amazing, safe experiences with locals on their Caribbean vacations.
View presentation
The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship would like to thank all of our participating teams for their hard work.
News
- Cornell Chronicle (March 27, 2019): Student hospitality startups win $37.5K at competition
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsor
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15
Sweet Street Desserts
Platinum Sponsors
- Stanley Sun ’00, MBA ’05
- Bob Alter Family
Silver Sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
- Charles DesLauriers MPS ’78
2018 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team YNot Bike
Team Members: Sam Barnum ’19 (ILR), Davis Bruch ’20, Stephanie Forester ’19, Will Murphy ’18 (Eng)
YNot Bike introduces a revolutionary mode of transportation that allows users to call a bike using their phone and the bike will roll to them.
Second place ($7,500): Team Fitz
Team Members: Frank Baptista MMH ’18, Samantha Cohn MMH ’18, Richelle King MMH ’18,
Sage Patel MMH ’18, Margaux Verbeeck MMH ’18
Fitz aims to create a mobile application providing hotel guests access to an array of personal trainers and use of hotel fitness facilities.
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Third place ($5,000): Team Rewardzzz
Team Members: Hunter Friedland ’19, Spencer Goldsmith, ’20 (A&S), Lorenzo Masias ’20
Rewardzzz is developing the first universal rewards-exchange program through their app, acting as a digital wallet for rewards points.
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Honorable Mention: Team Campagna
Team Members: Tamar Paikowsky MMH ’18, Aida Scarpati MMH ’18, Tiange Xiao MMH ’18
Campagna proposes an upscale casual farm-to-table restaurant concept featuring local and seasonal menu offerings.
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Honorable Mention: Team Synwell Consulting
Team Members: Yibing Sun ’19, Hongwei Wang ’18 (HumEc)
Synwell Consulting strives to provide senior living facilities with foodservice consulting to enhance personalized nutrition.
View presentation
WATCH THE 2018 COMPETITION HERE!
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Platinum Sponsors
- Greg Dollarhyde ’80, MBA ’81
- Diana Dobin, Valley Forge Fabrics
- Warren Leeds ’84, Dartcor Food Services
- Sandy Solmon, P ’15, Sweet Street Desserts
- The Sun Family: Stanley ’00, MBA ’05 and his parents, Dennis and Betty
Silver Sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
2017 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Natural Cuts
Team Members: Vipul Prakash Saran, MPS ’17 (CALS), Harrison Willis, MPS-RE ’17
Natural Cuts will provide shelf-stable, fresh-cut produce to the foodservice sector.
View presentation
Second place ($7,500): Team Bill’s
Team Members: Will Mangan MMH ’17, Lydia Xu MMH ’17
Bill’s offers a rotating selection of flavor-forward beer designed and driven by the customer.
View presentation
Third place ($5,000): Team Doña Nata
Team Members: Angela Lindsay ’17, Antonio Miceli MMH ’17, Natalia Ruiz MMH ’17
Doña Nata is a food hall management service that offers an immersive experience in Mexican cuisine and spirits. View presentation
Honorable Mention: Team CHOMP
Team Members: Ben Guzick MMH ’17, Alex Szwyd MMH ’17, Varun Vesuvala MMH ’17
CHOMP is a full service sandwich restaurant tailored for university cities.
View presentation
Honorable Mention: Latitude
Team Members: Gauri Khanna ’17 and Sonali Tolani ’17 (Dyson)
Latitude will develop a geolocation-based mobile application that allows tourists to discover the hidden gems of a city as well as connecting with other tourists.
View presentation
Watch the 2017 competition here!
News
- Hotel News Resource (March 28, 2017): Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition Highlights Student Entrepreneurs
- Cornell Chronicle(March 22, 2017): Food preservation team wins hospitality business contest
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Platinum Sponsors
- Greg Dollarhyde ’80, MBA ’81
Sandy Solmon, P ’15
Sponsors
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00
- Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
- The Sun Family: Stanley ’00, MBA ’05 and his parents Dennis and Betty
Supporter
Karim Abouelnaga ’13
2016 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($25,000): Team Last Second Beach
Team Members: Owen Buehler ’16 (Eng), Zach Demuth MMH ’16, Harrison Goldstein ’18 (Eng), Khalid Ladha MMH ’16
Last Second Beach is a mobile-first aggregation platform. Designed for value-driven consumers seeking to book short beach vacations like all-inclusive resorts and cruises, it also offers distributors a new, targeted, lower cost distribution channel.
View presentation.
First place ($25,000): Team Maidbot
Team Member: Micah Green
Maidbot will offer hotels a robotic cleaner to assist room attendants in cleaning rooms and public spaces, saving money and improving safety and health of room attendants.
View presentation.
Third place($5,000): Team Chill
Team Members: Hannah Basra ’17, Joseph Bell ’17, W. Spenser Cardenas ’17, David Luo ’17
Chill proposes to sell freshly made Italian Ice in a self-serve model with personal customization of flavors, mixes, and toppings.
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Honorable Mention: Team IthaCave
Team Members: Ruben Abramov MMH ’16, Patrick Commane ’17 (CALS)
IthaCave will create an urban wine destination that allows customers to walk among the tanks and barrels with the winemakers.
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Honorable Mention: Team OVO
Team Members: Jaemo Chang MHA ’16 (HumEc), Grant Jardine ’16, Anderson Koh ’17
OVO will develop a luxurious, all-inclusive postnatal care center where mothers and their spouses can stay for up to three weeks to promote recovery and ease the transition to motherhood.
View presentation.
Watch the 2016 competition here!
News
- Cornell Chronicle (April 6, 2016): Two student teams tie in business plan competition
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsor
- Stephen Thomson ’82
Sponsors
- Greg Dollarhyde ’80, MBA ’81
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00 and Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
- The Sun Family: Stanley ’00, MBA ’05 and his parents Dennis and Betty
2015 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($15,000): Team Modern Market
Team Member: Christina Elliott MMH ’15
Modern Market is a network of direct-to-consumer commissaries offering a subscription service that delivers fresh prepared gourmet meal components.
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Second place ($5,000): Team BrewMe
Team Members: Lily Gao MPS ’16, Aigul Jumabayeva ’16, Tucker Lida ’16
BrewMe is a social network- and location-based mobile app for buying someone a drink, either an existing friend or a potential new acquaintance.
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Third place ($2,500): Team RedHead Wine
Team Members: Zach Berle ’15, Gavin Hilder ’17, Marisa Sergi ’15 (CALS) Elizabeth Shvidky ’16 (AEM)
RedHead Wine – red wine with non-traditional production methods resulting in reduced seasonal supply limitations.
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Honorable Mention: Team A Kneaded Hand
Team members: Dana Beninati MMH ’15, Niharika Thakwani MMH ’15
A Kneaded Hand is a non-profit training restaurant that will hire, train, and assist in job placement for young victims of food insecurity and unemployment.
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Honorable Mention: Team Oh Momma! Center
Team Members: Hirman Ahmad MMH ’15, Regine Desroches MMH ’15, Ashton Liu MMH ’15, Maggie Lo MMH ’15
Oh Momma! Center is a membership-based fitness, wellness, and community-space with services addressing both the needs and the schedules of working mothers.
View presentation
Watch the 2015 competition here!
News
- Cornell Chronicle (October 8, 2015): Business plan competition raises top prize to $25,000
- Cornell Chronicle (March 26, 2015): Students’ hospitality business plans honored
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Title Sponsor
- Stephen Thomson ’82
Platinum Sponsors
- The Sun Family: Stanley ’00, MBA ’05 and his parents Dennis and Betty
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsor
- Elizabeth Shingleton Glomsrud ’00 and Barbara Foote Shingleton ’75
2014 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place ($15,000): Team Saira
Team members: Harsha Chanrai MMH ’14, Felix Tabary ’14
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Second place ($5,000): Team Hummus Holdings
Team members: Salim Bure ’15, Chris Kirby ’15
View presentation.
Third place ($2,500): Team Triplanner
Team Members: Jiha Jung MMH ’14, Ha Lim Lee ’14, Darren Oh MMH ’14, Oliver Yuan MMH ’14
View presentation.
Honorable Mention: Team ONcierge
Team Members: Elsie Namnath MMH ’14, Clowie Tan MMH ’14
View presentation
Honorable Mention: Team myHealth
Team Members: Anthony Brown MHA ’14, Julia Kosineski ’14, Yanlin Pei MMH ’14, Murat Uralkan MHA ’14
View presentation.
News
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Sponsors
- The Sun Family & Stanley ’00, MBA ’05 and his parents Dennis and Betty
- The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship
Platinum Sponsors
- Steve Thomson ’82
Gold Sponsors
2013 Business Plan Competition
Congratulations!
First place: Team Agora Hellenic Grill
Team Member: Martin Andonov ’13
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Second place: Team Voilà Mobile Crêperie
Team Members: Tareq Ali ’13, Ethan Joseph ’13, Michael Perlman ’13
View presentation
Third place: Team Solace,
Team member: Spencer Stein ’13
View presentation.
Winner of the Stein Family Prize: Team Cairn Tented Resorts
Team Members: Robert Frisch MBA ’13, Tara Lobo ’15
View presentation
Honorable Mention: Team SakuraTerra Hospitality
Team Members: Blake Golom, Zhuodan Huang, Satoko Nagahara, Christopher O’Donnell
View presentation
News
A special thank you to our sponsors:
Sponsors
- The Sun Family & Stanley ’00 and his parents Dennis and Betty
- The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Are you a current student wondering how you can get involved?
Are you seeking information about how you or your company can become a sponsor?
Contact Michelle Ciaschi at mlc296@cornell.edu.