From Idea to Impact: Conversations on Starting and Scaling Tech Ventures


What does it take to turn an idea into a successful venture? Is entrepreneurship something you can learn—or is it innate? And when is the right time to take the leap?

Join Mukti Khaire and Fernando Gómez-Baquero for a fireside chat exploring the realities of starting and growing ventures in today’s fast-changing world. This conversation will cover:

• How entrepreneurial ecosystems shape innovation
• The difference between tech ventures and deep tech ventures—and why it matters
• Whether entrepreneurship can be taught or cultivated
• How to know when it’s the right time to start your entrepreneurial journey
• Practical advice for aspiring founders who haven’t yet taken the plunge

Whether you’re considering your first startup, planning to innovate within an organization, or simply curious about the entrepreneurial mindset, this discussion will offer insights and inspiration for your next big move.

We’ll wrap up with audience Q&A—bring your questions and join the conversation.
 

Mukti Khaire is the Girish and Jaidev Reddy Professor of Practice at Cornell Tech and faculty director of the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA program. An economic sociologist, she studies how pioneering entrepreneurs create new markets in creative and cultural industries and how technology reshapes these sectors. Khaire trains entrepreneurs and business leaders to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, has authored over 30 teaching cases, co-authored a Harvard Business Review “Classic,” and wrote Culture and Commerce: The Value of Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries, named one of Forbes’ Top 10 Books on Creative Leadership.

Fernando Gómez-Baquero is Director of the Runway Startup Postdoc and Spinout Programs at Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Technion–Cornell Institute, where he helps transform recent PhDs into tech entrepreneurs. With over 20 years’ experience in research and commercialization of nanomaterials—for semiconductors, energy storage, and other deep-tech applications—he has co-founded multiple hardware and software startups. Holding a Ph.D. in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, he is a national instructor for NSF’s I-Corps program and has served on boards such as NY-BEST and HITLAB’s Breakthrough Alliance.

Please note this is a virtual event