Cornell University
Cornell University is a private Ivy League and federal land-grant research university founded in 1865, operating across Ithaca, New York City, Doha, and Washington D.C. to serve students, patients, industry partners, and government agencies through education, research, healthcare, and technology commercialization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1865
- HeadquartersIthaca, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
Cornell University firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cornell University
- Legal name
- Cornell University
- Website
- https://cornell.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1865
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Cornell University is a private Ivy League and federal land-grant research university founded in 1865, operating across Ithaca, New York City, Doha, and Washington D.C. to serve students, patients, industry partners, and government agencies through education, research, healthcare, and technology commercialization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cornell University industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education Research University
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Land-Grant–Like/Extension-Oriented Private Research Universities (Applied Outreach) (EDAHABAK)
Keywords
Where Cornell University is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ithaca
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Cornell University business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition and Educational Services: Cornell generates primary revenue through tuition from undergraduate, graduate, professional, and continuing education programs across its 16 colleges and schools. Revenue is augmented by executive education programs, summer sessions, online courses, and professional certification programs.
- Research Grants and Contracts: Significant revenue is generated through competitive research grants from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, NASA), state government, and private foundations. The university also receives funding through programs like the CHIPS & Science Bill and NSF Regional Innovation Engines.
- Healthcare Services (Weill Cornell Medicine): Weill Cornell Medicine generates revenue through patient care services at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and affiliated hospitals, clinical trials, and medical research programs.
- Philanthropic Giving and Endowments: Cornell receives substantial donations through its 'Greatest Good' campaign, with endowments generating ongoing revenue. Weill Cornell Medicine's $1.5 billion 'We're Changing Medicine' campaign has raised over $750 million. Individual gifts include $1.25M from Morgans, $55M from Feil family, and $40M+ estate gift from Francis Sorin.
- Technology Licensing and Commercialization: Cornell's Center for Technology Licensing commercializes university-developed technologies. The Ignite Cornell Research: Lab to Market program has helped 32 startups secure $231 million in follow-on funding and execute 38 licenses and options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Part-time online Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree - $925 per credit hour |
| Subscription | Annual | Cornell Executive MBA NYC program - AI leadership curriculum |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Genomic Data Science in Dogs (VTBMS 1210) - 3 academic credits, June-July 2026 |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | PORTENT point-of-care diagnostic funding - up to $100,000 per project |
| Subscription | Annual | CAT Grants program - $75,000 awards matched by industry partners |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels8 records
Cornell University product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cornell University is a private Ivy League federal land-grant research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, professional, executive, and continuing education across 16 colleges and schools. It operates biomedical research and patient care through Weill Cornell Medicine, technology commercialization through the Center for Technology Licensing's Ignite Cornell program, statewide community engagement through Cornell Cooperative Extension, and produces externally funded research across AI, quantum computing, biotech, semiconductors, energy storage, and agricultural sciences.
Product overview
Cornell University's technology offerings span educational programs, research platforms, and AI tools. The institution operates as a platform of colleges and schools (including Weill Cornell Medicine) offering undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs. Key research commercialization initiatives include the Ignite Cornell Research: Lab to Market program managed by CTL and PORTENT for point-of-care diagnostics. Notable technology products include Project Orion (autonomous airspace coordination), EMSeek (AI for electron microscopy), DEER (battery recycling technology), WatchHand (sonar hand-tracking), and CATchain-R (blockchain for carbon registries). Educational offerings include degree programs like the new BPS Online Degree launching 2027, Genomic Data Science in Dogs course, and the Cornell AI Initiative's WIT fellowship program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cornell Chronicle: Official news and information portal for Cornell University research and campus news
- eCornell
- Cornell University Library
- Weill Cornell Medicine
Products and services
- Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) Online Degree A part-time, fully online Bachelor of Professional Studies degree program offered through the School of Continuing Education with eCornell, designed for working adults with some college experience but no undergraduate degree.
- Genomic Data Science in Dogs (VTBMS 1210) A six-week online course teaching genomic data science using canine DNA as the learning vehicle, carrying three academic credits with asynchronous lectures, live discussions, and interactive problem sets.
- Cornell Executive MBA AI Leadership Program The Cornell Executive MBA NYC program teaching five essential AI skills for executives including strategic discernment, generative AI fluency, tool evaluation, responsible deployment, and cross-functional translation.
- Cornell AI Initiative - WIT Seed Funding Program Workplace Innovation and Impact Team (WIT) Seed Funding Program, part of the Cornell AI Initiative, funding six to eight early-career AI fellows annually to pursue AI-enabled research and innovation projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Restored EV batteries to 95% of original capacity with 56% cost reduction
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Cornell University
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Cornell University technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability15 records
Feature7 records
Cornell University partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)coreNIST licensed the underlying simulation technology from Project Orion for public-safety drone research. NIST engagement validates the technology's applicability for national drone safety standards and regulatory frameworks.
- Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.coreQualcomm is collaborating with the Orion team to test an early prototype of airborne vehicle-to-vehicle communication for drones, exploring how autonomous aircraft can exchange information directly to support future coordinated airspace operations.
- NY CREATEScoreNY CREATES leads the NORDTECH quantum R&D program as prime contractor, with Cornell University as a subcontractor. The four-year program funded by U.S. CHIPS Act aims to scale quantum chip fabrication using 300mm silicon wafers for industrial-scale production.
- IN8biominorIN8bio COO Kate Rochlin was a keynote speaker at Cornell's Center for Advanced Technology (CAT) in Life Science Enterprise event promoting academic-industry collaboration. IN8bio is an immuno-oncology company.
- WTW (Willis Towers Watson)coreWTW's insurance business Willis partnered with Cornell's Atkinson Center for Sustainable Future for a one-year research initiative studying whether climate change is increasing correlations between major natural catastrophe perils (tropical cyclones, wildfires, severe convective storms) and modeling risk evolution over 1-5 years. Researchers include Dr. Jonathan Lin, Dr. Toby Ault, and Dr. Flavio Lehner.
- Binghamton UniversitycoreBinghamton University leads the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York with Cornell University as a core partner. The initiative secured $45 million renewed NSF funding for Phase 2, with potential up to $160 million over 10 years. In less than two years, the initiative has supported 15+ startup teams working on high-tech battery innovations, collectively receiving $20+ million in follow-on funding.
- Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)coreRIT is a partner in the NSF Energy Storage Engine with Cornell as core partner. A new advanced battery safety testing facility will open at RIT this summer as part of the initiative.
- SEEQCcoreSEEQC is participating as subcontractor to NY CREATES in the four-year NORDTECH program, a U.S. CHIPS Act-backed Microelectronics Commons hub focused on scalable superconducting qubit fabrication using 300mm silicon wafers. Cornell is a collaborating academic partner alongside Princeton, NYU, Syracuse universities, Quantum Circuits, D-Wave, and Air Force Research Laboratory.
- IntelligenomecoreIntelligenome, a CRISPR diagnostics firm, entered an R&D subaward agreement with Cornell University to develop a rapid, low-cost, portable tuberculosis diagnostic. The NIH-funded project will leverage Intelligenome's CRISPR-based point-of-care testing platform for cell-free DNA TB detection from respiratory and blood samples.
- Sands ChinaminorSands China collaborated with Cornell University to develop the Integrated Resort Leader Development Programme, an AI upskilling program delivered at Huawei's Global Training Center in Hangzhou, alongside Western Culinary Elite Programme at École Ducasse culinary school in France in partnership with Macao University for Tourism.
- NASAcoreNASA's Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program seeded Project Orion with $80,000 in 2024 through its University Student Research Challenge. Project Orion is an autonomous airspace coordination system developed by Cornell doctoral student Mehrnaz Sabet combining real-time simulation and validation technology with field testing and hardware-in-the-loop validation for drone operations.
- Technion - Israel Institute of TechnologycoreCornell Tech operates as a joint venture between Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology on Roosevelt Island in NYC, offering graduate-level technology programs including computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and operations research. Note: Cornell's Student Assembly debated Resolution 61 calling for termination of this partnership over ethical concerns regarding military technology involvement.
- NewYork-Presbyterian HospitalcoreWeill Cornell Medicine's primary affiliated hospital, providing clinical care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and multiple other campuses including Lower Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Westchester Behavioral Health Center.
- Johnson & JohnsonminorJohnson & Johnson sponsored the Cornell Health AI Hackathon in March 2026, an event with over 100 students from Cornell and 17 other universities developing AI-powered healthcare prototypes with mentorship from Weill Cornell Medicine faculty and industry professionals.
- NewYork-Presbyterian (Sponsor)minorNewYork-Presbyterian co-sponsored the Cornell Health AI Hackathon along with Johnson & Johnson and NextJump, supporting AI-powered healthcare innovation and student prototyping at the intersection of healthcare and technology.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Cornell University competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Princeton University: Private Ivy League research university with strong emphasis on graduate research and undergraduate teaching; competes directly with Cornell for faculty talent, federal grants, and top applicants in STEM and social sciences.
- University of Pennsylvania: Private Ivy League research university with a top-tier health system (Penn Medicine) and engineering school; directly comparable in commercialization activity, professional schools, and biomedical research scale.
- Stanford University: Private research university with the strongest tech-transfer record in higher education (Stanford OTL, Stanford Venture Studio); directly comparable in commercialization volume, Silicon Valley adjacency, and industry-funded research.
- Harvard University: Private Ivy League research university with comparable scale, multi-school structure, major endowment, and an affiliated academic medical center (Harvard Medical School). Most direct peer for elite private doctoral research profile.
- Johns Hopkins University: Private research university with the largest U.S. academic research budget and a leading academic medical system (Johns Hopkins Medicine); directly comparable for federal funding scale, biomedical commercialization, and clinical revenue.
- Duke University: Private research university with an integrated academic medical center (Duke University Health System); closely comparable to Cornell/Weill Cornell Medicine in scale of clinical enterprise and research commercialization.
- Columbia University: Private Ivy League research university in New York City with a major medical center (Columbia University Irving Medical Center); directly comparable to Cornell for NYC-based research, tech transfer, and clinical enterprise competition.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Private research university with similar strength in engineering, AI, quantum, and energy storage research; Cornell's NanoScale and battery programs are directly comparable to MIT.nano and MIT Energy Initiative.
- Yale University: Private Ivy League research university with similarly broad multi-disciplinary scope, comparable research expenditure, and affiliated medical school (Yale School of Medicine), competing for the same applicant and faculty talent.
Broad incumbents
- University of Michigan: Public research university with comparable scale of federal research funding, major engineering and medical programs, and a similarly extensive extension-style community engagement footprint (Michigan State University Extension is closer, but Michigan is the broader peer); relevant for public land-grant benchmark.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cornell University social profiles
Digital presenceCornell University financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cornell University leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Cornell University subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Cornell University funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds13 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cornell University M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments15 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cornell University
What does Cornell University do?
Cornell University is a private Ivy League federal land-grant research university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, professional, executive, and continuing education across 16 colleges and schools. It operates biomedical research and patient care through Weill Cornell Medicine, technology commercialization through the Center for Technology Licensing's Ignite Cornell program, statewide community engagement through Cornell Cooperative Extension, and produces externally funded research across AI, quantum computing, biotech, semiconductors, energy storage, and agricultural sciences.
Is Cornell University a public or private company?
Cornell University is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cornell University founded?
Cornell University was founded in 1865. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Cornell University based?
Cornell University is headquartered in Ithaca, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cornell University make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Educational Services are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Contracts, healthcare Services (Weill Cornell Medicine), philanthropic Giving and Endowments and technology Licensing and Commercialization.
Who are Cornell University's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Yale University. University of Michigan is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Cornell University have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cornell University.
What industry is Cornell University in?
Cornell University's product category is Higher Education Research University. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAA, Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary), with a secondary code of EDAHABAK, Land-Grant–Like/Extension-Oriented Private Research Universities (Applied Outreach). Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.