The campus field guide
New York University
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Inside this ecosystem · 7 linked sources
New York University (NYU) is a private research university founded in 1831, with its main campus in Greenwich Village (Washington Square Park) and a satellite engineering campus in Downtown Brooklyn (Tandon). Total enrollment of ~57,000 (Fall 2024) across 14+ schools including Stern (Business), Tisch (Arts), Courant (Math/CS), Tandon (Engineering), Wagner (Public Service), Steinhardt, CAS (Arts & Science), Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.
Include (top-tier). NYU has one of the most comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystems among US universities. The combination of a mature $20M evergreen venture fund (15+ years), multiple accelerators, a major pitch competition ($225K+), a multi-lab incubator network, a dedicated tech transfer office managing $1.3B+ in research, extensive academic offerings, and a long list of notable startup outcomes (Etsy, Foursquare, Glossier, Brooklinen, Perplexity AI) places NYU in the highest tier. This is the flagship entrepreneurship institution in the vault.
How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-06-22); what those sources do not state is left unknown.
At a glance
Indexed programs
7
All currently active
Top direct funding
$250,000
NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Equity
Mixed equity terms
Program mix
5
Pitch Competition · Entrepreneurship Center · Venture Capital
Programs to explore
Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.
7 programs indexed
Pitch Competition
InnoVention
Pitch CompetitionAlso: InnoVention Competition, NYU InnoVention
$25,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2025-06-02
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge
Pitch CompetitionAlso: NYU EC, Berkley Center Entrepreneurs Challenge
$75,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-05-01
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Accelerator
$2,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-10-08
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
$15,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-06-09
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Incubator
NYU Tandon Future Labs
IncubatorAlso: Future Labs, NYU Future Labs
—
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-01-01
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
Entrepreneurship Center
Leslie eLab
Entrepreneurship CenterAlso: Mark and Debra Leslie Entrepreneurs Lab, NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
—
funding range
- Last activity
- —
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
From students
Be the first student from New York University to post a startup.
Post a startupFunding and Equity
NYU operates a $20M evergreen venture fund (equity investments), a $225K+ annual pitch competition (KISS agreements), a $15K non-dilutive accelerator grant program, a $10K stipend summer accelerator (SVF), and $75K tech commercialization grants (TAC Awards). The combination of equity and non-dilutive capital across multiple programs provides comprehensive funding coverage from ideation through seed stage.
Recent Activity
2026 (Jun): 14th Summer Launchpad cohort selected (242 applicants). 2026 (May): Entrepreneurs Challenge winners announced. 2026: Tandon AI NexusLab accelerator active. 2025: Startup Tech Central opens at Innovation Academy (NYIT — separate institution). 2025: SVF cohort active. 2024-2026: Leslie eLab continuous programming. 2023: TOV redesigned website launched.
Known startups and winners
Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.
21Shares
New York University
Crypto ETP provider co-founded by NYU Stern MBA alum Ophelia Snyder; $11B AUM.
Brooklinen
New York University
Direct-to-consumer bedding brand co-founded by NYU Stern and CAS alums.
Clarifai
New York University
AI and computer vision company founded by NYU PhD alum Matt Zeiler.
Etsy
New York University
Online marketplace for handmade goods founded by NYU Gallatin alum Rob Kalin; public company (~$7B market cap).
Foursquare
New York University
Location intelligence company founded by NYU ITP alum Dennis Crowley.
Glossier
New York University
Beauty brand founded by NYU Steinhardt alum Emily Weiss; reached $1.2B valuation.
Schnell AI
$25,000
prize won
New York University · InnoVention
2025 NYU InnoVention winner of the $25,000 prize. Founders Apoorv Waghmare and Ishan Kawathekar. Generates FDA-oriented documentation for software as a medical device.
Kinvolved
New York University · NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Education engagement platform acquired by PowerSchool; NYU Innovation Venture Fund exit.
numberFire
New York University · NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Sports analytics company acquired by FanDuel; NYU Innovation Venture Fund exit.
Opentrons
New York University · NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Lab robotics company in the NYU Innovation Venture Fund portfolio.
Perplexity AI
New York University
AI search startup with NYU-affiliated founding team; valued above $3B.
Revelio Labs
New York University · NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Workforce intelligence startup in the NYU Innovation Venture Fund portfolio.
Systema Med
$300,000
prize won
New York University · NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge
Grand Prize winner at the 2026 NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge, NYU's flagship cross-school venture competition with $300K+ in total prizes.
Tumblr
New York University
Microblogging platform founded by David Karp; sold to Yahoo for $1.1B.
Vitalis
New York University · InnoVention
2025 NYU InnoVention Audience Favorite, founded by Tandon undergraduate Asser El Ashwah, for tendon-repair biomaterials. A separate YOPE x NYU Founder Award of $100,000 is mentioned in the same article and is not the InnoVention prize.
Wrapbook
New York University · NYU Innovation Venture Fund
Production payroll platform in the NYU Innovation Venture Fund portfolio.
Historical winners (research notes)
- Etsy — Rob Kalin (Gallatin '03). Public, ~$7B market cap.
- Tumblr — David Karp. Sold to Yahoo for $1.1B.
- Foursquare — Dennis Crowley (ITP '04). Location intelligence.
- Glossier — Emily Weiss (Steinhardt '07). $1.2B valuation.
- Brooklinen — Rich Fulop (Stern '14), Vicki Fulop (CAS '07). DTC bedding.
- Clarifai — Matt Zeiler (NYU PhD). AI/computer vision.
- Perplexity AI — NYU-affiliated team. AI search, $3B+ valuation.
- Opentrons — Lab robotics (Innovation Venture Fund portfolio).
- Wrapbook — Production payroll (Innovation Venture Fund portfolio).
- Revelio Labs — Workforce intelligence (Innovation Venture Fund portfolio).
- 21Shares — Ophelia Snyder (Stern MBA '16). $11B AUM crypto ETPs.
- numberFire — Acquired by FanDuel (Innovation Venture Fund exit).
- Kinvolved — Acquired by PowerSchool (Innovation Venture Fund exit).
Research gaps & things to verify
Missing Information
- Innovation Venture Fund specific check sizes and equity terms (general range known, specifics per deal not public)
- Total capital deployed by Innovation Venture Fund since inception
- Future Labs tenant graduation rates and aggregate startup outcomes
- TAC Award-funded startup formation outcomes
- Specific current membership numbers for Leslie eLab and student clubs
- Recent Female Founders Fellowship cohort details
More about this ecosystem
New York University
News & articles
7 news articles and official sources documenting entrepreneurship programs, winners, and activity at New York University.
7 sources
News & articles(1)
Official sources(6)
# NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge Sources NYU Stern Berkley Center page for the Entrepreneurs Challenge. $225K+ total prize pool (3 tracks x $75K). KISS agreement structure. 25+ years running. Open to all NYU students, alumni, faculty, staff. 94% of 2022-23 winners raised additional funding. 2026 winners: Systema Med, STARDUST, VenueHopper, ChopChop Eats.
# NYU Tandon Future Labs + Ecosystem Sources NYU Tandon Future Labs network page and program pages. Multi-lab incubator network (Data, Urban, Veterans, Game Design, AI NexusLab) with no equity taken. Public-private partnerships with NYCEDC. Additional sources cover TOV tech transfer office ($1.3B research base, 42.5% to innovator) and academic programs (Stern BTE degree, Tandon MOT, Tandon MakerSpace).
# NYU Innovation Venture Fund Sources NYU Entrepreneurial Institute page for the Innovation Venture Fund. $20M evergreen seed-stage fund ($100K-$250K checks). Founded 2010. Exclusively for NYU-affiliated founders. Managing Director: Frank Rimalovski. Portfolio of 20+ active companies including Opentrons, Wrapbook, Revelio Labs, GigFinesse, Sabai, and others. Exits include numberFire (FanDuel) and Kinvolved (PowerSchool).
# NYU Summer Launchpad Sources NYU Entrepreneurial Institute page for the Summer Launchpad. 9-week summer accelerator, $15K non-dilutive grant per team. 14th year in 2026. Record 242 applications for 10 spots. >$90K total value per team including mentorship, legal, cloud credits. Notable alumni: Brooklinen, Jones, GigFinesse, Pepper, Sabai.
NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
Leslie eLab
Official Leslie eLab page. 6,800-square-foot lab at 16 Washington Place for NYU students, faculty, and researchers. The Entrepreneurial Institute hosts programs there. Fall hours are printed.
Read on NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
NYU Startup Sprint
Official Startup Sprint page. Two-week customer-discovery program at the Leslie eLab, in January and May. Teams receive $1,500 and may apply for $500 more. January 4–15, 2027 is listed.
Read on NYU Entrepreneurial Institute
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