Skip to Main Content

Our Impact.

The power of innovation and entrepreneurship has never been clearer. We provide students and faculty with the resources and support they need to create the world they want to live in.

Scroll to view highlights

NYU founders working together on their startup pitch

NYU Innovation Venture Fund

Ten years of impact

Since we made our first investment ten years ago, the IVF’s impact has deepened and broadened—with portfolio companies ranging from robotics, healthcare and AI to education technology, ecommerce and entertainment. Several have already enjoyed multiple significant liquidity events, and two unicorns were recently minted, Opentrons and Wrapbook.

26

investments

$647m

total capital raised by portfolio companies

32.0%

internal rate of return

NYU startup community members are shown wearing masks while sitting in a circle discussing COVID-19 related challenges

Navigating the Pandemic

Creating opportunity and change

After the initial New York City shutdown in March 2020, NYU startup teams got back to innovating at a record pace and with record demand for our programs. Characteristics needed to navigate the pandemic—flexibility, agility, teamwork—are also those at the heart of entrepreneurship.

Director's Letter
72%

increase in accelerator program applications

411%

increase in funding raised by alumni we’ve supported

58%

increase in demand for coaching (2,494 sessions in one year!)

A panel of women founders and investors discuss challenges for women founders at the Female Founders Forum

Female Founders

Expanding Access

Our award-winning Female Founders Fellowships and the inclusive ethos we foster are making a meaningful impact on diversifying entrepreneurship coming out of NYU and driving demand across all our programs. Fellows receive mentorship, community support and the opportunity to apply for student loan alleviation grants, thanks to a generous donation from Mark & Debra Leslie.

11

Female Founders Fellows selected in inaugural year of Fellowship

42%

YOY increase in accelerator series applications from female founders

63%

CEOs in NYU’s Launchpad accelerator identify as women

NYU researcher is shown working in a lab on commercializing their research

Technology Venture Program

Driving What’s Next

The Entrepreneurial Institute has always been about advancing new frontiers, so it’s no surprise that the Tech Venture Program is off to a strong start, with an impressive pipeline of teams. In addition, we received an NSF I-Corps Hub grant in 2021, which complements the Tech Venture Program and is adding to our support of faculty, postdoc and PhD founders.

49

TVW teams selected

11

NYU schools & colleges represented

Two Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) awards on a table in the Leslie eLab, demonstrating our excellence in entrepreneurship education and outstanding contributions to venture creation

Best in Class

Rewarding Success

We are proud of the recognition we have received for the programs that are helping our teams form and thrive. The Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) recognized the Entrepreneurial Institute as Best in Class for our Startup Accelerators Series and Female Founders programs. We were the only university to win two awards in the same year. We believe these awards speak to our success in achieving our mission, in changing the world through innovation and in diversifying the playing field for talented founders typically underrepresented in the entrepreneurial space.

View of the Leslie eLab, with entrepreneurship enthusiasts and founders moving about the space

Donate

Fuel the Startups That Fuel the Future

With our record demand for startup support, your contribution has an immediate impact. When you support innovation and entrepreneurship, you foster new ways of thinking and working for a better world.