Meet Tessa Lau ’95, Founder & CEO of Dusty Robotics and learn about her journey from Cornell to being a founder. 

Construction workers spend hours on their hands and knees snapping chalk lines to mark where walls, plumbing and utilities should go. It’s painstaking, back-breaking labor. And that’s how it’s been done for centuries. Tessa saw an opportunity — and built a robot that does it faster, safer, and with surgical precision. Learn how Tessa transitioned from a researcher to a deep tech founder (she’s also got a Ph.D. in machine learning with an emphasis on HCI) and built Dusty Robotics. If you’re a Cornell founder in Northern California and interested in speaking and hosting an event at your venue/office, please reach out to John Lin.

When: Wednesday, October 22, 2025 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 
Location: Dusty Robotics, 909 San Rafael Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043
Dress Code: Casual; remember to wear your Cornell red!
What’s included: Amici’s vegetarian & meat pizza (Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria was established in 1987 by Cornellian Peter Cooperstein’78 with locations all over the San Francisco Bay Area). Drinks: water, soda, non-carbonated drinks

REGISTRATION
Cornell NorCal dues paying members: $10 
All other members: $15 
+1s and children are allowed. Please register your guests (including children) in advance.
Deadline to register: Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Due to venue requirements, no refunds on ticket purchases will be allowed. However, tickets are transferable to others for the same event.

Transportation: Street parking is available and free around Dusty Robotics. Please allow for some time to park. Also consider a rideshare app if you will be drinking. Public transportation: drop off at Mountain View Caltrain station. Check Google maps for the quickest bus route from there, take a rideshare app or walk 26 minutes to the venue. 

Questions? Contact John Lin ’93