The Cornell Tech Council, the primary governance group for Cornell Tech and a subsidiary body of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, has announced the appointment of Howard Morgan Ph.D. ’68 as its new chairman and Adam Jacobs ’09 as its newest council member. Their appointments began on July 1, 2024.
The Cornell Tech Council comprises 15 business and technology leaders who oversee the mission and strategic goals of Cornell Tech, a graduate campus and research center of Cornell University founded in 2012. Located on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Cornell Tech develops new technologies through research, educates tech leaders, and builds new ventures through its business startup programs. The council advises the dean and senior leadership of Cornell Tech and its members serve as active champions and supporters.
Morgan succeeds David Siegel, who previously served as chairman since 2018, and who will continue to serve as a member of the council. “My term as Chair of the Cornell Tech Council has been immensely gratifying,” said Siegel. “Not only was I able to work with an exceptional group of leaders and civic-minded individuals, but I also had the opportunity to collaborate with them on ensuring the success of an institution that will continue to play an important role in Cornell and New York City’s tech ecosystem. I can’t think of a better successor than Howard, and I look forward to partnering with him as I continue to serve on the council”
Morgan, who has served on the Cornell Tech Council since 2021, co-founded First Round Capital in 2004, a firm that has been instrumental in funding early-stage technology startups. He retired in 2017 after leading a career that nurtured over 200 high-tech ventures. He currently chairs B Capital Group in New York, continuing his commitment to fostering innovative technology companies. An alumnus and longtime supporter of Cornell, Morgan has also served on the Cornell University Board of Trustees since 2019.
“Howard’s extensive academic, business, and tech ventures experiences, as well as his longtime support of Cornell Tech and leadership at Cornell University, make him the ideal person to lead the council as chairman at this critical time of growth for our campus,” said Greg Morrisett, Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean and Vice Provost of Cornell Tech. “I look forward to working with Howard as we launch new initiatives that support our mission to educate tech leaders and contribute to the New York City tech economy. We are also thrilled to welcome Adam Jacobs, another esteemed Cornell alumnus, to the council this year. Adam’s focus on societal impact for businesses and entrepreneurial success make him a perfect fit, and we appreciate the influence and insight he brings to our campus.”
Morgan’s academic tenure includes professorships at the Wharton School and the Moore School at the University of Pennsylvania. He was pivotal in advancing user interface technology and optimizing computer networks. His work with ARPAnet in the 1970s laid the groundwork for modern internet technologies, influencing corporate and government agency communications. Beyond academia, Morgan’s leadership at Renaissance Technologies Corp. and his role in founding Idealab have underscored his influence in the tech industry. His contributions to public and
private boards, including Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Math for America and the New York Public Library, reflect his dedication to science, education, and service.
“I’m delighted to continue my service to Cornell by serving as the next Chairman of the Cornell Tech Council, especially, as we embark on this next phase of critical growth and expansion of the campus,” said Morgan. “I’m looking forward to building upon what David Siegel and other councilors have achieved.”
New Cornell Tech councilor Adam Jacobs graduated from Cornell University in 2009 with a B.S. from the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Today, as a founding partner of the San Diego-based Jacobs Scheriff Group, Jacobs works to enhance the value of businesses and organizations committed to societal impact. He is also a COO of a biotech startup and an investor in several startups focused on social change and a real estate entrepreneur. His philanthropic engagements in San Diego include volunteer leadership at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, La Jolla Playhouse, and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. Jacobs is actively involved with the San Diego Food Bank, San Diego Symphony, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, among other organizations.
His family’s legacy at Cornell includes his grandparents Irwin M. Jacobs ’54, BEE ’56, and the late Joan K. Jacobs ’54, who founded the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech with a transformational gift of $133 million in 2013. Irwin and Joan Jacobs also contr
ibuted to the education and aspirations of more than 500 Cornell University students through more than 1,300 awards over the past two decades.
“I am honored to join the Cornell Tech Council,” said Adam Jacobs. “As a proud alum of Cornell, I look forward to the opportunity to learn from the distinguished leadership, faculty, colleagues, and most importantly, students; contribute to the mission of creating lasting positive impact on our society; and continue my family’s connection and legacy with this esteemed institution.”
About Howard Morgan
Howard Morgan has more than 30 years of experience with over 200 high-tech entrepreneurial ventures. He is the Chairman of B Capital Group, New York, a venture capital fund that states that they back brash entrepreneurs building the next generation of groundbreaking technology companies. Dr. Morgan co-founded First Round Capital, a seed-stage venture capital firm, is president of the Arca Group, Inc., nurturing early-stage companies and taking them from seed stage through initial public offerings, and serves as a Director of Idealab, where he was a founding investor.
Previously, Dr. Morgan served as President of Renaissance Technologies Corp. in New York, where he supervised venture capital investments in high technology companies and was a founding board member and technical advisor of Franklin Electronic Publishers, one of the first manufacturers of personal computers. Dr. Morgan is a respected author and a frequent speaker at major industry conferences and has worked with many Fortune 100 companies and numerous government agencies.
Dr. Morgan also has an illustrious academic career; he was a professor at Cornell University and at the Wharton School and Moore School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has been a Visiting Professor at the California Institute of Technology and the Harvard Business School. Because of his early participation in the internet, he advised many corporate and government agencies on the uses of electronic and voice mail, implementing it throughout the Wharton School in the mid-1970s.
In addition, he has served on a number of public and private company boards and is a dedicated volunteer, leader and philanthropist. Dr. Morgan has been a member of the Cornell Tech Council since 2022, is a member of the Cornell Board of Trustees since 2019, and is an advisor to the Jacobs Institute Runway Program at Cornell Tech. He is also a Trustee of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Math for America, and the New York Public Library.
Dr. Morgan received a Ph.D in operations research from Cornell University and a B.S. in physics from City College of the City University of New York. Dr. Morgan and his wife, Eleanor Morgan, have made generous contributions to Cornell, including establishing the Howard and Eleanor Morgan Professorship at Cornell Tech and the Eleanor and Howard Morgan Professorship, both part of the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering.
About Adam Jacobs
Adam Jacobs is a founding partner of the San Diego-based Jacobs Scheriff Group, a business consulting company with a mission of enhancing the value of businesses and organizations that have a strong focus on societal impact, and the COO of a biotech startup. A graduate of Cornell University and three-year captain and starting catcher of the Big Red baseball team, Adam received a B.S. in applied economics and management from the Dyson School at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business in 2009. He is part of a multigenerational Cornell family, also including his grandparents Irwin M. Jacobs ’54, B.E.E. ’56, and the late Joan K. Jacobs ’54, who together founded the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. The Jacobs Institute advances graduate tech education, academic entrepreneurship, and innovation, and spans the Cornell Tech campus in New York City and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
In addition to his role with the Jacobs Scheriff Group, Adam is an investor in several startups focused on social change and a real estate entrepreneur. He is also highly involved in San Diego, enhancing and extending his family’s long tradition of engagement and philanthropy in the city. Adam serves as treasurer and executive board member of the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, as co chair of the La Jolla Playhouse’s Innovation Night, and as past chair of the board for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. He is also involved with the San Diego Food Bank, San Diego Symphony, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Jewish Family Service, and other organizations. He actively supports initiatives addressing housing, homelessness, and food insecurity, and is a member of The Giving Pledge Next Gen cohort and a former member of Forward Global.
Adam and his wife Amy, a trustee of the Salk Institute, have established the Amy and Adam Jacobs Family Philanthropic Fund through the Jewish Community Foundation and have a young daughter and son.
