Center for Regional Economic Advancement

At the Cornell Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA), our mission is to support economic impact in Upstate New York through entrepreneurship and innovation. We help people advance ideas that will create jobs in all fields in our region, to enrich the area’s economic diversity.

Whether someone has an idea for a new or growing business, a product, or a service, our mentors and programs can help them find their startup pathway.

Cornell has a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem for faculty and others, with many programs to support student innovators as they gain skills in classes, expand their horizons in co- or extra-curricular programs, and graduate into the community to grow their own startups.

CREA’s position as a Center at Cornell University and major hub in the regional entrepreneurial network gives our team the opportunity to connect the community at large with the University for collaboration, research, human resources, and education. CREA leads Cornell’s regional economic development efforts by:

• Developing and managing entrepreneurship programs such as Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, the Southern Tier Startup Alliance, and the Upstate New York NSF I-Corps Node
• Working with Empire State Development to coordinate Cornell’s response to START-UP NY initiatives
• Working directly with the Southern Tier’s Regional Economic Development Council
• Supporting the implementation of the Southern Tier’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative
• Promoting Cornell-supported projects with regional and state officials

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