Startup Bootcamp

The Startup Bootcamp at the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute is the first stepping stone in the award winning NYU Startup Accelerator Series.

Bootcamps are two half-day workshops and a week of customer discovery interviews in between. Selected teams will learn how to test the value of their ideas and validate (or invalidate) the problem they are solving for their target customer. As teams work to transform their assumptions into insights, they will refine their businesses and may even pivot on the road to building a more successful startup.

Bootcamps are designed for teams who have shown commitment to moving their ideas forward and have been working on their idea-stage venture for ~2–6 months before applying. Completing a Bootcamp is a prerequisite for the Startup Sprint and Female Founders Fellowship (>90% of teams accepted into these programs completed the Bootcamp).

Bootcamps are offered 3 times each fall/spring semester. NYU students are welcome to apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and applicants must apply >two weeks before the next Bootcamp starts.

The Customer Discovery Bootcamps dates for Spring 2022 are: February 11 & 18, March 4 & 11, and March 31 & April 7.

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What You Can Expect

The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute offers Customer Discovery Bootcamps for startups to learn the fundamentals of the Lean Startup approach and test the value of your solution with your future customers and partners by Getting Out of the Building

About Customer Discovery Bootcamps:

Each bootcamp is a two half-day commitment, held select Fridays during the semester at the Leslie eLab (virtually). Accepted teams can expect:
- In advance of the bootcamp: Come prepared having completed readings and presentations
- Day 1: Customer discovery workshops led by the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute teaching and coaching team; Participants will also each present their venture ideas and receive feedback during the session
- Between Day 1 & 2: In the week between each session, each team will endeavor to complete at least five interviews with their potential target customers and partners; Teams will also be offered dedicated coaching appointments from the Startup Coaching Program
- Day 2: Each team presents on what they learned from customer discovery, and receives "radical candor" feedback from the coaching team; The bootcamp concludes with an overview of select follow-on resources available to bootcamp participants
- Following the bootcamp: Teams will be offered continued coaching, and select teams will be invited to interview for the next Startup Sprint (only 30% of Sprint applicants make it to the interview round, so you'll have made the cut!)
Who It's For

Startup Bootcamps are open to any NYU student, Faculty or researcher-led team from across NYU who have:
- An idea for a startup
- Demonstrated passion for the problem you hope to solve with your idea
- Preference given to teams with two or more members
- Be committed to attending BOTH of the half-day sessions
- No prior business or startup experience is necessary.
NYU faculty, PhD students, clinicians and researchers who are working on innovative scientific research, technologies and ventures in fields such as biotech/life sciences, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, robotics, cleantech, blockchain, advanced material science, photonics and electronics, and quantum computing, should consider applying instead to the Technology Venture Workshop. The Technology Venture Workshop is similar to the Startup Bootcamp but is purpose built for deep tech/biotech ventures, and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Learn more about the Technology Venture Workshop and apply here.

Bootcamp Dates
- Spring 2022 Customer Discovery Bootcamp 1: Friday, February 11 & 18. Deadline to apply: Feb 2, 2022 at 6pm ET.
- Spring 2022 Customer Discovery Bootcamp 2: Friday, March 4 & 11. Deadline to apply: Feb 23, 2022 at 6pm ET.
- Spring 2022 Customer Discovery Bootcamp 3: Thursday, March 31 & April 7. Deadline to apply: March 22, 2022 at 6pm ET.
- Want a participant's perspective on the program? Check out this blog post!
Application opens in January 2022.