Cornell's annual entrepreneurship celebration gets underway this week.
Think of it as a cross between a carnival and a business school seminar about spinning off university research.
To help you gear up for the festivities, we put together a three-part radio series that looks at what the stakes are for the Ithaca region, and the challenges it faces as it chases big players on the start-up scene, like Stanford and MIT.
Part I: Ithaca is a bright spot in upstate jobs picture, but has its dark side too
The unemployment numbers in Ithaca and Tompkins County look good - really good - on paper. But it turns out that there's a more complicated picture behind the numbers, since Ithaca is so dominated by big educational institutions. Read the story.
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-962880.mp3
Part II: Start-ups seek a foothold in the Ithaca region.
We've tackled how Ithaca's relatively low unemployment numbers mask the need to create more jobs. One sector that could step in and create those jobs is the high-tech sector, driven by university research. In this second part of our three-part series on Ithaca, we look at what excites companies about Ithaca - and what makes them want look elsewhere. Read the story.
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-962888.mp3
Part III: A chicken and egg question
Throughout our Ithaca series it's become clear that if Ithaca wants to compete with the big guns - like Stanford and MIT - it needs to reach a point of critical mass, in terms of industry, ideas, and entrepreneurs. Cornell is chasing those front-runners, but it's a big job for a small place like Ithaca. Read the story.
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-963149.mp3
