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How NYU Founders Leverage the Startup Sprint as Rocket Fuel to Launch

Posted By Rebecca Silver
on Mon, Oct 27, 2025

The NYU Startup Sprint is a two-week intensive accelerator for founders to pressure-test assumptions through real customer conversations, and make decisive progress on their business model. After seven years, over 200 alumni, and dozens of companies launching and raising capital post-Sprint, we can confidently say: the Startup Sprint has been the most productive two weeks in the lives of our founders.

How it works

Through daily workshops, feedback presentations, office hours with coaches, and structured experimentation, teams leave the Sprint with crystal-clear business models ready to inform a strong MVP and launch.

Why it Works

  • Speed with structure: Two weeks. Daily iteration cycles. Laser focus on key startup milestones.
  • Evidence over opinions: Real customer conversations pressure-test your business model and build unshakeable confidence in your strategy.
  • Focused experiments: Targeted experiments and prototypes sharpen your MVP, pricing, and go-to-market strategy.
  • Community: You don't do this alone—coaches and peers accelerate your insights and breakthroughs.
  • $1,000 in grant funding plus office hours with lawyers and $25K in Google Cloud Credits address your preliminary operational and financial needs.
  • Dedicated time and space: Two weeks working exclusively on your startup, with free coffee, lunch, and 24/7 workspace access—zero distractions, maximum progress.

"Amazing. Truly game changing. Completely exceeded my expectations" - Daniela Blanco, PhD (Tandon '20), Founder & CEO of Sunthetics

Startups That Leveled Up in the Sprint

These companies (and many more) got their start in the NYU Startup Sprint. Each used the program to validate core assumptions, design their business model, and chart a focused path to launch and scale. See where these ventures are now.

Rilla — AI-powered voice analytics for real-world field sales teams

  • Founder: Sebastian Jimenez, Co-Founder & CEO (CAS '19)
  • During the Sprint: Sebastian and his team completed over 50 customer interviews, leading to substantial pivots that shaped their future product direction.
  • Where they are now: Raised over $70M in venture capital at a valuation of $750M. Learn more about Rilla's story here.

Pepper — Intimates redesigned for real bodies

  • Founder: Lia Winograd, Co-Founder & Co-CEO (Stern '19)
  • During the Sprint: Pepper had already released their first product before the Sprint. They used the program to define the social and emotional needs of their customers and build out the brand's identity based on body positivity.
  • Where they are now: Pepper has scaled to over $30M in annual sales. Lia was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. Female Founders 100 lists, and served as keynote speaker at NYU's Female Founders Forum this past Spring.

Baton — Music collaboration platform for unreleased work

  • Founder: Gabe Warshaw, Founder & CEO (Tisch '23)
  • During the Sprint: Through intensive research with musician customers, determined the critical features for their minimum viable product.
  • Where they are now: Completed Techstars Music Accelerator and raised $4.3M from NYU's Innovation Venture Fund and other investors. Read more about Baton's origin story.

Dream Opportunity — Global nonprofit connecting under-resourced students to careers while helping companies achieve employee engagement goals

  • Founder: Joshua Pierce, Founder & CEO (Tisch '18)
  • During the Sprint: Explored corporate sponsor needs through rigorous discovery, validating their B2B model with corporate partners—then activated it during Summer Launchpad and beyond.
  • Where they are now: Generating multiple millions in annual revenue and operating across 6 countries on 3 continents.

Jones — FDA-approved nicotine mints with behavioral tools to help you quit for good

  • Founder: Caroline Huber, Co-Founder & Co-CEO (Stern '24)
  • During the Sprint: Invalidated their original business (Cozier) by week 2 of the Sprint, then started fresh with Jones. Completed 50 customer interviews in one week to validate their new concept. Were accepted to NYU Summer Launchpad, where they launched a pilot and raised a $1M pre-seed round.
  • Where they are now: Launched their mints and behavioral support app in 2023, on track to grow revenue 200% YOY, and raised over $15M. Caroline was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

Kaizntree — Inventory software for modern brands

  • Founder: Marcos Brisson, Co-Founder & CEO (Shanghai '23)
  • During the Sprint: Completed over 80 interviews to identify beachhead customers with urgent, painful problems—then converted customers into a waiting list activated during NYU Summer Launchpad.
  • Where they are now: Completed 500 Global accelerator and raised a pre-seed round with participation from NYU's Innovation Venture Fund.

Loopini — Healthy, delicious frozen pizza

Learn More and Apply

The next cohort of the Startup Sprint runs January 5th–16th. Learn more by attending a SAP info session, read about our favorite alumni, and apply by November 14th at 6pm.

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