Leslie Founders

Leslie Founders is a curated community of NYU’s most promising student founders committed to launching and scaling ventures while at NYU. Members enjoy exclusive perks, networking events, priority workspace at the Leslie eLab, and office hours with NYC entrepreneurs and investors. Running parallel to our Startup Accelerator Program, Leslie Founders welcomes applications from all teams that have completed the Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint, and/or Summer Launchpad.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis during the fall and spring semesters, and are reviewed regularly from October through April.

Who Can Apply?

Open to all NYU student-led startups that:

  • Completed the Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint and/or Summer Launchpad
  • Validated their initial target customer segment
  • Are building a highly-scalable, differentiated ventures

Benefits

  • Tight-knit community of NYU’s most promising entrepreneurs
  • Members-only workspace at the Leslie eLab
  • Office hours with investors, startup lawyers & immigration specialists
  • Cloud computing credits, software discounts & more

Tell Me More

Startup Day

Leslie Founders membership provides exclusive community, workspace, events, perks, and guidance to NYU’s top student ventures. All accepted members must complete an in-person Startup Day to unlock their membership benefits.

  • The membership starts with a half-day mandatory in-person Startup Day at the Leslie eLab, where:
    • Teams present their ventures and customer discovery findings. Founders receive targeted feedback from Leslie Institute coaches and founders-in-residence in small group sessions.
    • Workshops on competition and nailing your value propositions
    • Overview of membership perks
    • Tour of the dedicated workspace at the Leslie eLab
    • Networking over food and drinks

Fall ‘25 Startup Days are scheduled for:

  • Friday, Oct. 17, 1-6pm
  • Thursday, Nov. 13, 1-6pm

Benefits
  • After Startup Day, members gain access to an à la carte menu of perks available throughout the Fall and Spring semesters of their membership (which renews annually). Members join a tight-knit community of NYU’s most promising entrepreneurs with opportunities to participate in:
    • Leslie Founders Roundtable: Monthly social events featuring AMA conversations with successful founders or investors, followed by food and drinks.
    • Priority Coaching: Preferred booking and additional coaching slots with coaches and founders-in-residence at the Leslie Institute.
    • Application Support: Guidance to strengthen your applications for accelerators and fellowships including the Startup Sprint, Summer Launchpad, Female Founders Fellowship, and Venture Equity Programs.
    • Dedicated Work Space: Members-only co-working space at the Leslie eLab, plus exclusive rights to book Bootstrap and Pre-Money conference rooms for meetings of two or more people.
    • Office Hours: Direct access to investors, startup lawyers, immigration specialists, accountants, accelerator staff (Techstars, ERA, 500, etc.), and other startup founders.
    • Members-Only Slack & Member Directory: Exclusive Slack channel and a Notion-based directory of fellow members.
    • Technical Perks & Tools: Access to perks and discounts from our sponsors and partners including:
      • $2K in Google Cloud credits
      • Free access or discounts for Mercury, Airtable, Notion, and MongoDB
    • SWAG: Exclusive Leslie Founders merchandise for all members!
NYU founders that meet the following criteria may apply
  • NYU Status: Current students from all NYU schools and colleges who are enrolled in degree-granting programs.
  • Founder Status: Members must be founders of their ventures and hold significant leadership and ownership positions (incorporation is not required to apply). Non-founder employees and interns are not eligible.
  • Startup Accelerator Program Alumni: Founders must have completed the NYU Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint and/or Summer Launchpad for their current venture.
  • Other Team Members: Non-NYU founders (up to 2) can join you in co-working spaces and attend in-person activities, but cannot access office hours, coaching, or technical resources.
  • Venture & Founder Criteria: We evaluate members and their ventures based on five criteria:
  1. Growth Mindset
  2. Execution Ability
  3. Quality of Idea
  4. Scalability
  5. Progress

Full criteria coming soon.

FAQs
  • I was not accepted as a member. Can I apply again? Yes! Continue making progress on your venture and highlight this in your new application. We recommend meeting with a coach for guidance.
  • How long does membership last for? Membership covers fall & spring semesters. Annual reapplication is required (renewal forms are shorter than initial applications and evaluated based on venture progress).
  • I did a Bootcamp with a prior venture. Does that count as a pre-requisite? Yes, but your application must show thorough customer discovery for your new venture, matching or exceeding Bootcamp standards.
  • I’m about to graduate. Can I still be a member? In Fall ’25, membership will be limited to current students only. We may expand access in future semesters.
  • I’m studying abroad/not based in NYC. Can I be a member? In Fall ’25, membership will be limited to students/staff based in NYC only. We may expand access in future semesters.
  • I have several non-NYU team members on my team. Can they be members? No, membership is limited to NYU student founders. Up to 2 non-NYU founding team members may accompany you for co-working and events.
  • I invalidated my idea or shut down my startup. Can I still be a member? Unfortunately no. You’ll need to reapply with a new venture concept.
  • I can’t attend any of the orientation dates. Can I still be a member? Unfortunately no. All admitted members must complete an in-person orientation during Fall ’25 to receive membership benefits. Additional orientation dates will be offered in the Spring semester.
  • Do all team members need to attend the orientation? All admitted members must attend orientation together (same day). Up to 2 non-member team members (non-NYU, alumni, etc.) may also attend.