Stay up to date on upcoming events, deadlines, news, and more by signing up for our newsletters!

We’re thrilled to announce the 2026  Summer Launchpad (SLP) cohort, our premier startup accelerator for NYU student and recent graduate entrepreneurs, and the culmination of NYU's Startup Accelerator Program. Now in its 14th year, SLP is where Rilla, Jones, Brooklinen, Loopini and many more ventures cut their teeth by building their business models, gaining traction, and positioning their ventures for scale and funding. The 2026 cohort will unlock:

• $15,000 in non-dilutive funding
• 1:1 mentorship from seasoned founders, investors, and experts
• Access to a powerful network of NYU alumni and funders
• Pro bono legal services from Brown Rudnick
• $25,000 in Google for Startups
• $25,000 in Microsoft for Startups credits
• 24/7 co-working space

We received a record breaking 242 venture applications, and are pleased to announce the 10 teams selected for the cohort.

Meet the teams in the 2026 Summer Launchpad Cohort:

Agora: Agentic tool for professional clothing resellers, automate 60% of listing workflows, so they can move inventory to market in seconds instead of sitting unlisted, enabling them to scale their businesses.

Team: Christian Herren, David Cui & Tomer Ben Yaakov (All Courant/Stern ‘26)

Aquon: AI-powered portfolio operating system for RIAs and wealth managers. It simplifies portfolio construction, optimization, and execution, reducing complexity while enhancing performance, speed, and client outcomes.

Team: Carlos De Oliveira (Adjunct Faculty, Tandon) & Priya Kundu (Tandon '24)

Altrovia: Study design intelligence platform with regulatory precedent, amendment prediction, and benchmarking for clinical development leads at small/mid-sized pharma companies. It minimizes costly amendments (30% of budget) at a fraction of CRO costs.

Team: Christos Zoukos (Stern '25), Nicholas Patas (Abu Dhabi, '21) & Georgia Lytra

Binder: Commercial insurance brokers reach out to 100 prospects per week, but don't have time to do the research, so every call is shot in the dark. Binder automates the research, so brokers land more clients and earn more commissions.

Team: Yannick Bierens (Courant/Stern ‘25)

Cargon AI: Small and mid-size privately owned trucking fleet owners (20 to 200 trucks) lose revenue and spend up to 21 days per hire on DOT-mandated pre-hire screening. Cargon AI automates the full DOT pre-hire process with voice agents screening candidates, capturing consent, verifying past employment in 1 to 2 days, cutting cost-per-hire and time-to-seat.

Team: Khon Sultan (Tandon ‘26), Azimkhon Sultankhodjaev & Yongnuo Liang

Clairdoc: AI revenue layer integrated into EHR workflows. Clairdoc validates claims, documentation, and payer rules in real time, reducing denials and driving measurable revenue growth without altering the EHR.

Team: Bakhtawer Baloch (SPS '26), Suleman Baloch & Momal Baloch

Cortile: AI verification layer for vendor security reviewers at regional  health systems — it runs the repetitive checks and flags gaps, so reviewers focus on the judgment calls only they can make.

Team: Nik King Fredel (SPS ‘26) & Owen Rice

melodi: Song & album release tool for independent musicians and producers committed to their careers. It provides a personalized, week-by-week release campaign paired with business guidance, helping artists stay consistent and organized.

MilkShaker: Hands-free wearable massager for breastfeeding mothers to treat mastitis, clogged ducts, and low milk supply. These painful and often recurring challenges affect 90% of moms, disproportionately harming working mothers and those without access to specialized postpartum care.

Team: Xiyan Zhu (Stern ‘27), Valentina Marini Fichera & Elise Yang

SAIL: Platform helping enterprise trade teams maintain supply chain resilience by reducing shipment delays, optimizing customs duty and tariff spending, and providing insights into evolving regulations.

Team: Ali Raza (Stern '25), Chansam Kim & William Reid

Stay tuned as we follow their journeys this summer and share key insights and milestones from their time in the program. And if you're building the next big thing at NYU, keep an eye out — applications for our Startup Accelerator Program and Leslie Founders membership will be opening soon for Fall '26!

Learn more about the Summer Lauchpad → entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/summer-launchpad

Learn more about the Startup Accelerator Program → entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/startup-accelerator-program/