Heads the Entrepreneurial Institute and is the Managing Director of the NYU Innovation Venture Fund which invests in early stage NYU startups. Frank also provides coaching to NYU startups. He is a member of the national teaching team for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program and an Adjunct Faculty at the NYU School of Engineering. He has been a venture capitalist for over 23 years.
Is the Director of the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute, where she leads the Institute’s programs portfolio, mentors entrepreneurs, and contributes to fundraising, operations, and strategy. Since joining NYU in 2017, Rebecca has designed and led the Institute’s award-winning Startup Accelerator Program series for students, and the Tech Venture Program series for faculty and researchers. Rebecca also spearheaded and leads the Institute’s Female Founders initiatives, launching five new programs aimed at supporting gender equity in entrepreneurship. As a result, since 2017 there has been a 31% increase in engagement from women-founded ventures on campus, and NYU is ranked in the top 10 universities globally for supporting women founders (via Pitchbook University Rankings).
Before NYU, Rebecca was an innovation and sustainability consultant working to build startup ecosystems and spur environmental innovation. Rebecca’s past clients include Adidas, Walmart, Merck, Sanofi, Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Defense Fund, and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Prior to this work, Rebecca was industrial designer and leader in the New York City sustainable design community, where she co-founded the non-profit O2-NYC. Rebecca has taught entrepreneurship, design and sustainability at Columbia University, the School of Visual Arts, Parsons the New School for Design, and at NYU. Rebecca holds an MBA as well as an MS in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan, and obtained a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Leads investments on behalf of the NYU Innovation Venture Fund in Information Technology and Consumer Products and provides coaching. Prior to joining the Fund, Darren co-founded a startup in construction tech (Summer Launchpad 2016). Darren later went on to participate in the Techstars NYC accelerator and moved on to operations in startups in real estate tech, mental health, and online education.
Leads investments in life sciences and healthcare on behalf of the NYU Innovation Fund, and provides startup coaching. Azade has worked in business development and operations for a number of venture-backed health and climate tech startups. Previously, she was Head of Business Development at the public-private accelerator Innouvo, where she built global innovation ecosystems, sourced deals for pharma companies, and helped scale >30 pre-seed to Series A stage startups. Prior to that, Azade was Senior Scientist at BioNTech (previously Neon Therapeutics). She completed her postdoctoral training at MIT, and earned her PhD in Chemistry from Boston College.
Heads marketing and communications for the Institute’s events and initiatives. Previously, she worked as a writer, editor, and digital content creator for news organizations and nonprofits. She holds a degree in print/digital journalism and Africana studies from the University of Central Florida.
Supports programs and operations at the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute. Previously, Zainab worked as a fashion stylist across commercial, editorial, and e-commerce. She has contributed works to Vogue Korea, Nike, Vice, and other publications. Zainab graduated from NYU Tandon with a bachelor’s in Science, Technology, and Society. She is a former Leslie eLab intern and participant in the NYU InnoVention Prototyping Competition.
Leads Institute programs and provides coaching. Keith has over 12 years of experience covering Management Consulting, Asset Management, Private Equity and Venture Capital. Most recently, Keith was COO of Flat World Partners an impact-focused investment & advisory firm. Keith has led the execution of over 9 dozen private market transactions on 4 continents. He has a double major in Economics & Politics from the University of Cape Town (South Africa), and received his MBA on scholarship at Hult Business School (San Francisco) in 2014.
The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute welcomes several startup founders who are alumni of the NYU Startup Accelerator Program, to serve as mentors and advisors to up and coming NYU startups. Meet the Founders In Residence:
Is a junior majoring in Interactive Media Arts and minoring in Psychology. Her passion lies in the creation of immersive experiences through design and technology. She is interested in the unique blend of psychology and design, which enables her to understand and cater to human behavior. Karen's design approach draws inspiration from the nuances of daily life, with the ultimate aim of creating practical and business-aligned designs that establish deep emotional connections with users.
Is studying Business and Technology Management at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. With a passion for leveraging technology to drive business growth and innovation, Chelsea enjoys merging her analytical mindset with strategic thinking. Actively involved in the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers, she is dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion within the STEM community. Outside of her academic pursuits, Chelsea is an avid water enthusiast and former coxswain, having honed her leadership and teamwork skills through her involvement in rowing.
Is passionate about merging healthcare and technology through entrepreneurship. She believes using technology to improve healthcare services and outcomes will advance global health and ensure equitable access to care for all. With a strong passion for patient care and nursing, Sofía understands the importance of trust and commitment in healthcare platforms. She is interested in finding solutions that enhance the collaboration and trust between patients, healthcare teams, and providers.
Is a sophomore with a concentration in Business and Technology. She serves as the Public Relations Chair for the Caribbean Student Association, where she actively engages the community and promotes cultural initiatives. Passionate about storytelling, Ja'Nae enjoys revisiting her favorite television series, particularly The Vampire Diaries and Pretty Little Liars. She values meaningful connections and often spends her evenings on reflective walks or catching up with friends, balancing her academic pursuits with personal wellbeing.
(Abu Dhabi '26)
(Abu Dhabi '26)
Tahsin is studying Economics at NYU Abu Dhabi, with a minor in Data Science at NYU CAS and a concentration in Finance. He enjoys working at the intersection of finance and data, where he uncovers insights, analyzes trends, and creates meaningful stories from numbers. His analytical skills and curiosity fuel his drive to solve complex problems and bring fresh perspectives to decision-making. Outside of academics, Tahsin is passionate about filmmaking, channeling his creativity to craft visual stories that leave a lasting impact. A lifelong cricket enthusiast, he loves the strategy and camaraderie of the sport. When he’s not on the field or behind a camera, he’s exploring new cuisines, believing that food is one of the best ways to connect with people and cultures. You can often catch glimpses of his visual work on Instagram at @tahsin.films.
(Gallatin '27)
Our Faculty Advisory Board helps us address the needs of NYU faculty and researcher entrepreneurs. We thank them for their continued support of entrepreneurship at NYU!
We thank the fantastic group of experts in our Executive Advisory Board for their continued guidance and support of NYU entrepreneurship.
Is an early stage venture investor and operator. Clayton has spent time at some of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley. He has built expansive online communities, scaled marketplace businesses, and facilitated million dollar deals. At Yahoo he worked on award winning products and helped lead a team pioneer a new set of tools that started the social commerce movement. With Diversity as a guiding principle, Clayton has spent the entirety of his career within venture capital focused on supporting underrepresented founders.
Is the founder and CEO of One Drop, a precision health company that's combining continuous diagnostics, predictive analytics, and machine learning in an award-winning digital solution to deliver cost-saving outcomes for people living with diabetes and other chronic conditions. Prior to that, Dachis co-founded digital marketing solution Razorfish and bootstrapped through it's $55 million IPO. He also founded social marketing and analytics startup Dachis Group, which was venture growth funded and sold to Sprinklr.
Is the Co-founder and CEO of Brooklinen. Prior to Brooklinen, Rich spent four years in the finance industry. He believes in responsive manufacturing, authentic customer service, supporting small-scale entrepreneurs, and giving back, for example by donating all Brooklinen returns. Rich is also a first-generation American, an avid skier, and a huge Arsenal fan.
Is a Distinguished Scientist in Residence at NYU, and previously served as NYU's Senior Vice Provost for Research and Senior Vice Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Entrepreneurship, Tandon School of Engineering. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of the NY Academy of Science and is a founding partner of Venly Corp. He previously served as Senior VP and Director of Research at IBM.
Is a VC and managing director at 2048 Ventures. Previously, he was founder/CEO of Information Laboratory (acquired by IBM) and chief architect at DataSynapse (acquired by TIBCO). An engineer by training, Iskold has deep passion and appreciation for startups, digital products and elegant code.
Is an entrepreneur, CEO, and currently a board member & investor in several technology companies. He has an accomplished record over 25+ years, building multiple $Billion+ businesses in the technology infrastructure area as co-founder/CEO Innovium (acquired for $1.3B), COO Cavium (IPO, followed by acquisition for $6B) & GM Intel (INTC). His focus areas include Cloud, Data infrastructure, Web3, SaaS and AI. Rajiv has served on the Management Board of the Stanford Business School. He holds an MBA from Stanford, an MS CS from NYU and a BS in CS & Engineering from IIT Delhi.
Is a Trustee at NYU and the Managing Director of Leslie Ventures, a private investment company. Previously, he ran three Silicon Valley startups, including Veritas Software where he was founding CEO. He is also a lecturer in management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Is a a 20+ year veteran leading media, marketing and digital growth companies from early stage through IPO. He is currently the Executive Advisor and former COO of Redesign Health, a venture studio firm focused on the health and wellness vertical. Jeff was most recently the CEO of The Players’ Tribune, a new media company founded by Derek Jeter that provides athletes with a platform to connect directly with their fans.
Is a co-founder and VP of Context and Brand at Thrive Market. Along with her co-founders, Mulling is creating a simple and affordable solution for democratizing access to healthy products and food — a membership-based wholesale buying club for the top natural brands. She leads the creative, content, marketing, and giving teams at Thrive Market, which went live in 2014 and has seen explosive growth since its launch. Previously, Mulling held positions at Condé Nast, Who What Wear, and Refinery29. She also founded The Chalkboard Magazine.
Is a recognized Silicon Valley entrepreneur, expert and thought leader. He has a proven 20+ year track record of leading both pre-IPO startups and established companies, to growth and successful exits. He’s built and mentored dozens of top technical teams, designed strategies, and driven innovative products and solutions to market. His latest company, Gemini Solutions, was acquired by Thoughtworks, Inc, the world leader in high end software engineering consulting.
Is currently serving as the President & CEO of Airvine. Prior to that, he served as CEO at The Nalanda Project - Education Technology for underesourced Schools in India. Vivek has been a member of the Advisory Council at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering since 2000. Other past roles include acting as the President, CEO, & Co-Founder of Siaras, a Board Member at PureWave Networks, President & CEO of Actelis Networks, CEO of XORP Inc., and CEO of Atrica.
Is a Co-Founder and the Chief Strategy Officer of CityMD Urgent Care. He has served in several academic and administrative roles, with appointments at both Saint Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital and The Valley Hospital. He continues to serve as an associate professor at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Is an anchor LP and Senior Advisor for Max Ventures, an early stage venture fund that focuses on digital health, digital media, and digital commerce. Sophie has extensive experience investing globally for over a decade. She also co-founded Imperative, a company focused on bringing purpose to the work environment for the millennial generation. Additionally, Sophie is a dedicated philanthropist through the Sophie Stenbeck Family Foundation, focusing on child rights, education, and the fight against trafficking.
Is a biopharmaceutical executive with 7+ years of experience in strategic advising, R&D, commercialization, and business development. She is a leading expert in regenerative medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and pain, and has previously served as a member of NYU's Board of Trustees.