Cornell entrepreneur-in-residence program off to strong start

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Apr 13, 2007 by Tampone, Kevin

ITHACA - Cornell University has launched an entrepreneur-in-residence program, with two of its schools adding such a position to their employee rosters in the past year.

Cornell's first entrepreneur in residence was at the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. Brad Treat took on the position in June 2006.

"Basically, we're providing advice to young entrepreneurs and young companies on start up," says Zachary Shulman, director of entrepreneurship at Johnson. "We basically said 'Hey, there are a lot of other schools that have this program.' We thought it would be a great fit for us."

Treat signed on for a one-year stint at Johnson. He's leaving in July to join Mezmeriz, Inc., an Ithaca-based start-up firm using microscopic technology to create tiny video projectors.

The company currently has two employees - Treat and the firm's founder - but Treat says he hopes to have eight by the end of the year.

Treat became connected with Mezmeriz through his work at Johnson, which was part of the program's goal, Shulman says. The school has already lined up its next entrepreneur in residence, but Shulman says he cannot say who it is yet.

The hope is that all those entrepreneurs will work with the Johnson School for a period of time and then become involved with one of the companies they mentor.

Treat says his work at Johnson has involved everything from helping individuals determine if a business idea is actually viable to connecting a doctoral student in chemistry with an accountant.

"What I'm not doing is the 10,000-foot stuff," Treat says. "That's the domain of academics. I'm looking 1,000 feet or 100 feet. I'm trying to help people week to week. It's the really fundamental nuts and bolts stuff."

Treat has also worked with some people on big-picture strategy - especially when research has been involved.

Treat is co-founder and former CEO of SightSpeed, a video and voice-communieations company. He helped grow the firm from a Cornell research project to a company whose software ships with more than half the world's Web cams.

He has a degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina State University and a master's degree in business administration from Cornell.

"If you look at different areas around the country, they have entrepreneurs in waiting," Treat says. "They are people who are at a point in their lives where they could jump into an entrepreneurial endeavor.

"We were kind of missing that in Ithaca. There is lots of technology and eager people, but what we're missing is that experienced entrepreneur."

In March, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration became the second Cornell school to name an entrepreneur in residence. James Quest graduated from the school in 1956.

He has worked as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble Co. and also founded and ran an advertising agency specializing in the consumer-products sector.

He later founded Biocide, Inc. to market his invention of a small disinfectant spray for consumer use outside the home. He also manages a consulting practice that teaches business writing for young executives.

Quest's position at the hotel school is more long-term than Treat's. He is not looking to become involved with a company as Treat was.

He is teaching an introductory entrepreneurship class aimed at the hospitality industry and launching a second course on business-plan development. Treat has also done some lecturing during his tenure.

Quest says entrepreneurship is critical to strengthening the overall economy.

"That topic is really the source of American business," he says. "Entrepreneurs make American business. There are a lot of young people with good business ideas running around out there. We felt we should have the resources to help them at the hotel school."

Johnson's Shulman hopes to see more schools at Cornell add entrepreneurs in residence.

"The more the merrier," he says. "If we had 10 entrepreneurs in residence, we'd probably be better off."