Experience this year's eclectic mix of speakers and their personal stories and perspectives on building their iconic enterprises
NOTE:
This event is being held in-person in New York City in accordance with CDC guidelines, NYC guidelines, Cornell University and Cornell Tech guidelines that may be in place on the event date. In accordance with Key to NYC requirements, Cornell Tech will require that all event attendees over 12 years of age be fully vaccinated. In order to comply with the provisions of Key to NYC, there will be no option available to test out of the vaccination requirement. Proof of vaccination must be provided upon your arrival. Online viewing is an alternative attendance option. Registrants will be notified of any major changes as soon as possible.
Doug Lankler is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Pfizer. He reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is a member of Pfizer's Executive Leadership Team. Prior to being named General Counsel, Doug was Pfizer's Chief Compliance and Risk Officer, a role he assumed in 2006. Doug has been with Pfizer since 1999.
Prior to joining the Company, Doug was with the United States Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Doug was a recipient of the United States Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award.
Before joining the Department of Justice, Doug worked in the Litigation Department of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York.
Doug graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and Cornell Law School. He and his wife, Jill, have three children and reside in Larchmont, New York.
Jessica Rolph is Co-founder and CEO of Lovevery. Prior to Lovevery, Jessica was the Co-founder and COO of Happy Family, helping to launch, build and lead Happy Family to its position as a top organic baby and toddler brand in the US. Happy Family was acquired by Group Danone in 2013.
Jessica also co-founded the Climate Collaborative , a non-profit organization helping companies in the natural products industry take meaningful steps to reverse climate change. She is an Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow and was awarded the Park Leadership Fellowship, graduating from Cornell's Johnson School in 2004. Jessica also holds a BA from Cornell University, where she graduated cum laude.
Jessica and her husband, Decker, live in Boise, Idaho and are parents to Beatrice, Thacher and Leland.
Ryan Hudson is the co-founder of Honey, the LA-based tech company recently acquired by PayPal. Prior to Honey, he built, launched, (and shut down) several startups. He previously worked in venture capital and in product management roles at venture funded startups.
Ryan studied Operations Research and Computer Science at Cornell University and holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Monique Idlett is a globally recognized entertainment pioneer. Her power and influence stem from a unique blend of business acumen and innovative strategic vision. By adeptly traversing the spectrum from entertainment, marketing, press and entrepreneurship, she has earned a reputation as an industry visionary. Her expansive reach into the hearts and minds of people across the world is transforming the way people interact with each other and iconic brands.
For over fourteen years, she served as the CEO of Mosley Brands and Mosley Music Group, home to a multi-platinum roster of artists. In 2017, Monique founded Reign Venture Capital, an early stage investment firm that focuses on women and minority-led start-ups. Then, in 2018 she founded The Art of Collaboration to change the narrative of business. In addition to her entrepreneurial pursuits, Monique is well regarded for her philanthropic work. As the Founder of Always Believing Foundation, Monique finds innovative and empowering solutions to promote self confidence in young girls. She is also involved in several other nonprofit organizations. Since 2014, Monique has served as a National Trustee for The Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Colin Walsh is the founder and CEO of Varo Bank, the first consumer fintech to be granted a
bank charter in US history. Colin founded Varo with a specific vision: to advance the cause of
financial inclusion and opportunity for all.
Colin is uniquely positioned to lead the digital bank revolution and has more than 25 years of
experience in consumer banking at large global financial institutions. He led Europe's largest
credit and charge card business as an Executive Vice President at American Express. Colin
also led the UK's largest mortgage and savings businesses at Lloyds Banking Group, and
served as Managing Director for the firm's retail bancassurance, credit, debit and merchant
acquiring businesses.
Varo is banking reimagined - all-digital, mission-driven, FDIC insured and designed around the
way you live. From premium transaction banking accounts, to Varo Advance - a radically
transparent and instant cash advance - to instant peer to peer payments, a high yield savings
account, and amazing Utah-based customer service - Varo is a better alternative to traditional
brick and mortar banks. As a digitally native chartered bank, Varo's hyper efficient, tech-driven
model offers premium banking services that put real money back in the hands of consumers and
communities across the country. Varo is a new kind of bank, a bank for all of us.
Clif Smith, a US Army veteran, former diplomat, and intelligence officer, serves as EY's foremost advisor on mindfulness and is an internationally recognized leader for bringing mindfulness into the corporate world. He brings his inspirational poverty to prosperity story and over 25 years of experience leading through high-pressure situations into his teachings, and demonstrates the value of cultivating mindfulness as a fundamental part of our personal and professional lives. Following his passion for developing others, Clif built EY's Mindful Leadership program, delivering practical training to over 65,000 EY and client personnel with measurable impact on performance, leadership, and well-being. He’s the author of the new international bestselling book, Mindfulness Without the Bells and Beads, and is an accomplished public speaker who has inspired tens of thousands of conference participants, university students, and Fortune 500 company professionals across the globe.
Scott Belsky is an executive, entrepreneur, author, investor, and now serves as Adobe's Chief Product Officer. Scott's passion is to make the creative world more productive, connected, and adaptive to new technologies. He founded Behance, the leading online platform for the creative industry to showcase and discover creative work, and served as CEO until Adobe acquired Behance in 2012. He is a Venture Partner with Benchmark, and is an early advisor and investor in Pinterest, Uber, sweetgreen, and Periscope as well as several other startups. He is the author of Making Ideas Happen and The Messy Middle, and founded 99U, a publication and annual conference devoted to productivity in the creative world.
Check-in and "Box" Breakfast
Opening Remarks
Zach Shulman '87, JD '90, Director, Entrepreneurship at Cornell, and Greg Morrisett, Dean, Cornell Tech
Clif Smith
Colin Walsh '90
(fireside chat moderated by Scott Belsky)
Jessica Rolph '97, MBA '04
(fireside chat moderated by Zach Shulman)
Followed by presentation to Jessica of the 2021 Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Networking "Box" Lunch
Cornell Tech and CTL Startup Pitches
Ryan Hudson '02
(fireside chat moderated by Scott Belsky)
Monique Idlett
(fireside chat moderated by Scott Belsky)
Followed by announcement of startup pitch winner
Networking Break
Doug Lankler JD '90
(fireside chat moderated by Zach Shulman)
Closing Remarks, Scott Belsky
Access to all presentations, meals, and networking.
Includes 6 student tickets
Cornell and non-Cornell faculty
Cornell and non-Cornell students
