When changes in tariffs and regulations created trade uncertainty last spring, Salik Tehami, MBA '25, and four of his classmates recognized a business opportunity and formed a startup that has become one of many successes to arise from the Johnson Cornell Tech MBA program.
"Our product is an AI-native platform to help trade compliance teams be more proactive," said Tehami. The team's startup, SAIL, became one of the winners at Cornell Tech's annual Startup Awards this year, earning a $100,000 investment and providing a foundation for growth.
Startup bootcamps. Acquisitions. Millions in seed funding. Such opportunities are familiar to Johnson Cornell Tech MBA graduates, and today, the business education website Poets & Quants named the program No. 4 among the 2026 World's Best MBA Programs for Entrepreneurship.
"Our students bring their ambition and intellect, and our faculty and industry mentors create space for incredible growth and success," said Andrew Karolyi, Charles Field Knight Dean of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. "It is affirming to have our shared commitment recognized in this ranking."
Greg Morrisett, dean and vice provost of Cornell Tech in New York City, where the program is based, said the ranking reflects the program's commitment to students' success.
"The ranking underscores the value placed on entrepreneurship at Cornell Tech, where our Studio curriculum helps develop students into startup founders," Morrisett said. "By then investing into these startups, Cornell has helped these founders to become effective business leaders as well as valuable alumni contributors to the New York City tech ecosystem."
