How One Student Built a Selective Finance Club at Cornell
Episode 33 | November 17, 2025
When Cornell University senior Ben Gleeman was rejected from eight finance clubs during his freshman year, he didn’t take it as failure; he saw an opportunity. Instead of giving up, he founded Banking at Cornell, a now-thriving organization that bridges the gap between finance and education for hundreds of students.
In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, host Ben dives into Ben Gleeman’s journey from being an ambitious freshman to becoming a Goldman Sachs–bound senior and founder of one of Cornell’s most innovative finance clubs.
From Rejection to Reinvention
When Gleeman first arrived at Cornell, he quickly realized how competitive the finance ecosystem was. “It’s easier to get into Cornell than it is to get into a finance club here,” he explained. After multiple rejections, he decided to create something different, an organization that would make finance education accessible to everyone.
“I thought that if my end goal is to be an entrepreneur, I should be able to make a successful club on campus,” Gleeman shared. Drawing inspiration from his high school project, Doorstep Donations, which grew to 35 chapters and collected over 70,000 pounds of food nationwide, Gleeman applied his entrepreneurial mindset to Cornell’s finance landscape.
Building Banking at Cornell
Gleeman founded Banking at Cornell (BAC) during his freshman year with a bold but straightforward mission: create an inclusive, well-structured learning path for students interested in investment banking. His innovation came in the form of a two-tier membership model:
Analyst Program: A selective, intensive track for students dedicated to pursuing investment banking.
General Membership: Open to all Cornell students, providing educational resources, events, and workshops covering networking, technical prep, and resume building.
The club quickly gained traction. Gleeman and his team designed an internship tracker (note: they now use Adventis’s Internship Database), a resource students relied on during recruiting season, and leveraged clever marketing to grow the club’s visibility. Within one semester, they received over 80 applicants and have since expanded to over 600 general members.
Creating a Lasting Impact
To build credibility, Gleeman assembled an executive board of high-achieving peers and partnered with Adventis to integrate the Financial Modeling Certification® (FMC®) Program into BAC’s curriculum. “It’s much easier to learn something in practice than theoretically,” he said. “Adventis gave our students hands-on technical training that’s essential for IB recruiting.”
Today, BAC students have landed internships and full-time offers at top firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and Blackstone.
Advice for Aspiring Founders
For students looking to create their own clubs or initiatives, Gleman emphasizes mindset:
“Your future is determined by yourself, not the organization you’re in. If you try, you’re succeeding.”
He also stresses the importance of sustainability. BAC’s leadership structure, complete with vice presidents, documentation, and cultural continuity, ensures the club evolves with each new generation. “BAC is a canvas,” Gleeman said. “If we’re not iterating and improving every year, we’re bound to fail.”
Listen to the full episode to hear how Ben Gleeman built a selective and successful student finance organization at Cornell, and the lessons any aspiring entrepreneur or finance leader can take away.
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