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The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute is proud to announce the launch of the Tech Venture Accelerator, a new six-month program that provides NYU research teams with funding, mentorship, and resources to launch scalable startup ventures based on their research and discoveries while at NYU.

From February-July 2023, accepted teams will receive up to $50,000 in milestone-based grant funding from NYU’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research. Participants will partake in feedback sessions, workshops with investors and subject matter experts, and receive mentorship from veteran entrepreneurs.

The Accelerator is for NYU full-time/research faculty- or researcher-led teams that have already begun the process to explore the commercial potential of their STEM-based research. It represents the final phase of our three-part startup development series, the Tech Venture Program.

The Accelerator will play a significant role in advancing NYU's existing status as a hub of entrepreneurship-driven innovations and a leading independent research university in the United States. In recent years, NYU has invested in six main areas of growth for its research enterprise, including artificial intelligence, arts & humanities, cybersecurity, quantum phenomena, STEM learning, and strategies to reduce inequality.

Faculty and graduate students have the ability to tap into a global network of resources for innovation through the research institutes of NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, the Global Research Initiatives program, and the Global Institute for Advanced Study.

“Research commercialization is critical at NYU. The scope of our research enterprise and the broad interests of our scholars are key for advancing knowledge through applications that solve the problems of our society,” said Stacie Bloom, Vice Provost for Research and Chief Research Officer at NYU. “With this in mind, we created the Tech Venture Accelerator to provide the financial support, training, and mentorship to help our community take this essential leap.”

The Accelerator is made possible by the generous gift of NYU alumnus and trustee Mark Leslie (Arts ‘66), and his wife Debra. Participating grant recipients will receive the distinction of becoming Mark and Debra Leslie Fellows.                                       Mark Leslie (Arts ‘66)

By supporting the program, Leslie says he “hopes to foster a more porous relationship between academia and business at NYU.” While NYU has an esteemed research enterprise, faculty and their collaborators can face logistical and financial barriers while trying to bring their discoveries to market. The Entrepreneurial Institute can make the possibility of research commercialization more visible to NYU faculty, researchers, and their collaborators while providing access to essential training and funding, Leslie says.

“A lot of great ideas that change the world reside inside academic institutions, but a lot of them also die there,” he said. “I am hoping that the Tech Venture Accelerator program will provide an opportunity for those talented researchers and great ideas to actually change the world by emerging as a startup company. And maybe, over time, we change the culture of the institution.”
Are you a NYU faculty member or researcher looking to turn your discovery into a business? Click here to learn more about the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute’s resources for research commercialization.