New York is the startup ecosystem, ranked #2 globally by StartupBlink in 2026, and the fastest-growing of the top three, up 11.6% this year and outpacing San Francisco and London. Nearly 12,000 startups call this city home, with over $20 billion in startup funding moving through it this year.
NYU founders build inside that, not next to it; a few subway stops from the investors and companies driving those numbers. The Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute is how that access turns into real programming, mentorship, and capital.
This fall, here's where that shows up
For students:
Got an idea and want to test it? Start with Startup Bootcamp. From there, the path runs Bootcamp → Startup Sprint → Summer Launchpad ($15,000 in funding and mentorship).
- Startup School workshops run all semester
- Startup Bootcamp: four cohorts (I–IV), Oct–Dec
- Startup Sprint: J-Term applications open Oct 26
- Startup Accelerator Program: info sessions Oct 26 / Nov 3 / Nov 13
- Leslie Founders: applications due Oct 9 and Nov 3
For faculty & researchers:
Exploring whether your research could be a company? See our Tech Venture Program. The path runs Tech Venture Workshop → NSF I-Corps ($50,000) → Tech Venture Accelerator ($50,000).
- Tech Venture Workshop: Fall '26 cohort kicks off Oct 30
- Pathways to Impact: 11-week program runs Sep 30–Dec 9
- Tech Venture TeamUp: Runs Oct 8–Dec 10
For both — open to students and faculty/researchers alike:
- Entrepreneurs Festival: Date coming soon!
- Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program: five sessions, Oct 27–Dec 8
- Female Founders Lunches Sep 18 / Oct 16 / Nov 13
- Leslie eLab Open House: Sep 24
Behind all of it: the Innovation Venture Fund
Every program above feeds the same place: the NYU Innovation Venture Fund, the Institute's own seed-stage fund for NYU-founded startups. It's open to student and faculty/researcher founders alike. Our programming isn't just training, it's a pipeline to real capital.
This fall marks 15 years since the Fund's first investment, in Fondu (formerly SpotOn), founded by Gauri Manglik (CAS '10) and later acquired by Airbnb. Since then, the Fund has backed numerous NYU startups.
