Dairy Runway's Fourth Cohort Caps Entrepreneurship Training with Virtual Pitch

ITHACA, N.Y., Dec. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The fourth cohort of Dairy Runway, an entrepreneurship program supporting early-stage food innovators developing value-added dairy products, participated in a virtual pitch session Friday, Dec. 5, marking the culmination of the cohort's experience. The program is administered by Cornell University'sCenter for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) and funded by the New York State Dairy Promotion Order.

The six participants completed an online, synchronous entrepreneurship course focused on customer discovery. Building on this foundation, each team then worked toward an initial product prototype with support from dairy specialists and food technicians within Cornell's food innovation and product development facilities. During this phase of the program, teams received one-on-one business coaching from experienced entrepreneurs, who guided participants in developing preliminary business models and supported the creation of pitch decks for the final session.

The cohort's products range from high-protein desserts to European-style yogurts, each demonstrating new approaches to meeting consumer demand for healthy and convenient dairy foods. Following the virtual pitch session, the teams will continue refining their business models and prototypes as they pursue additional resources to further advance their products.

"I entered Dairy Runway making small kitchen prototypes, but I lacked the technical knowledge to scale. Working with Cornell's specialists bridged the gap and taught me how to modify my formulation to fit the industrial process, without compromising on my vision," said Yogini Borgaonkar, cohort participant. "Thanks to the Dairy Runway team, I've refined my value proposition and can speak with co-packers confidently about a viable, scalable product." 

Since its launch in 2023, over 100 innovators have applied to the program, which has supported two cohorts per year, each comprising six to ten teams. To date, 24 teams have successfully completed the entrepreneurship course, prototyping training, and virtual pitch session.

Several graduates from previous cohorts have secured funding and additional resources through accelerator or grant programs for food innovators. In November, Dairy Runway graduates Adrienne Bitar and Jenny Han, founders of Seen Nutrition, a women's bone-health startup located in Ithaca, NY that produces a calcium supplement, were selected Grow-NY competition winners at the $500,000 level.

"The Dairy Runway program was a springboard for our success at Seen, connecting us to local producers, ingredient suppliers and resources that allowed us to successfully prototype and test our dairy-derived calcium chew for better bone health," said Adrienne Bitar, co-founder of Seen Nutrition.

Similarly, Carol Fitzgerald, founder of Hazy Fudge and a Dairy Runway graduate, continues to grow her alcohol-infused fudge business in Upstate New York after securing a grant from the USDA's Northeast Regional Food Business Center.

Carol Fitzgerald, founder and CEO of Hazy Fudge, said, "From the first 20-pound test batch to thousands of units sold across dozens of locations to being selected as a finalist for the Specialty Food Association's 2026 sofi Awards, Hazy Fudge is proof that with the right education, mentorship and commitment to local agriculture, food innovation can create lasting economic impact in New York State."

CREA is currently supporting a fifth cohort, funded through the USDA's Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center. This cohort will complete the program in June 2026.

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SOURCE Cornell Center for Regional Economic Advancement