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This is the three-part

Tech Venture Program

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tech Venture Program

This three-part provides NYU faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and researchers with essential training, mentorship and non-dilutive grant funding to support deep tech research commercialization. TVP provides grant funding of up to $101,000, and introduces teams to evidence-based commercialization best practices embraced by VCs, startup accelerators, and federal agencies including the NSF, NIH, DOD, and others. Participating teams benefit from 1-on-1 coaching and mentorship with experienced deep tech entrepreneurs, executives and investors. Teams from all NYU schools and colleagues across all science and engineering disciplines (life science, physical science, computer & data science, etc.) seeking to build a venture-scale startup are encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline

Teams just getting started should apply to the Tech Venture Workshop (TVW), to test the commercial potential of the research. TVW is offered three times per year every fall, winter and summer. Click here to learn more about upcoming TVW cohorts.

Who Can Apply?

Teams of faculty, postdocs, PhD students & researchers from any NYU school or college
Teams seeking to commercialize NYU life science, physical science, computer/data science or engineering research
Teams that have achieved proof of concept or working prototypes

Benefits

Up to $101,000 in non-dilutive grant funding
1:1 coaching & mentorship from startup experts, founders & investors
Hands-on training in evidence-based startup best practices
Legal counsel, cloud computing, banking & more

Success Stories

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Portable Diagnostic Systems's Integrity-1 Analysis System was designed to detect over 100 different substances simultaneously, allowing practitioners to build comprehensive test menus.

Glennon Simmons

Co-Founder

(Dentistry)

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Vital Audio makes quality healthcare more efficient, affordable, and universally accessible through voice-based cardiac monitoring.

Nyamitse-Calvin Mahinda

Co-Founder & CEO

(Tandon '23)

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AI-enabled robotic systems designed to find building envelope issues by providing inspection reports to building scientists to lower inspection costs and increase safety.

Bilal Sher

Co-Founder

(Tandon '22)

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Provides a cost effective chemical path to manufacture sustainable nylon.

Daniela Blanco, PhD

Co-Founder

(Tandon '21)

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ViBILLER aims to develop technology to measure group engagement and emotional arousal in real time and in naturalistic settings like live concerts and performances.

Dana Bevilacqua

Co-founder

(GSAS '17)

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CARA Systems is dedicated to pioneering a transformative innovation in the field of medical science and engineering. Its dynamic risk assessment tool for intracranial aneurysms is guided by a well-structured three-year plan.

Srushti Katore

Co-Founder

(Tandon '23)

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Flection.ai is a digital platform featuring AI-powered therapeutic games. It’s an affordable and accessible solution for stroke patients to regain lost motor function and speech from the comfort of their homes.

Alexandr Pak

Co-Founder

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What You Can Expect

The NYU Tech Venture Program has three constituent phases that each build upon each other:

Technology Venture Workshop (TVW): Three half-day immersive program for teams to learn how to begin to test the commercial potential of their research directly with customers and partners. Teams receive a $1,000 grant for prototyping and customer discovery. By the end of TVW, teams will learned the art of customer discovery and will have begun to validate their initial target customer, value proposition and use case.
NSF I-Corps: Upon completion of the TVW, teams are eligible to apply to I-Corps, an immersive 7-week research commercialization training program taught by startup experts. Participating teams receive a $50,000 NSF grant to support their customer discovery efforts. By the end of NSF I-Corps, teams will have mastered the art of customer discovery and have identified a scaleable and repeatable business model for their research.
Tech Venture Accelerator (TVA): Upon completion of NSF I-Corps, teams are eligible to apply to TVA, a 6-month startup accelerator to support teams efforts to launch products and services into the market and begin revenue generation. Participating teams receive a $50,000 grant from NYU, pro-bono legal services, cloud computing credits, commercial banking, SBIR/STTR consulting, accounting/bookkeeping services, discounts and more. By the completion of TVA, teams can expect to have an incorporate their venture, validated a scalable business, have customer pilots in place and/or generating revenue, and will be well positioned for SBIR/STTR grant funding and/or to raise its first pre-seed venture round.

Who the Tech Venture Program is For

The Tech Venture Program is open to any NYU research faculty or researcher-led teams who are ready to explore the commercial potential of their research that:

Consist of two or more faculty, postdocs, PhD students & researchers from any NYU school or college. Non-NYU cofounders are welcome to join NYU led-teams.
Have two or more team members that can participate in all program sessions, events and meetings.
Seek to commercialize life science, physical science, computer/data science or engineering research developed at NYU
Possess technology that has achieved proof of concept or working prototypes at the time of application.
No prior business or startup experience is necessary.

Selection Criteria

In short, we are looking for teams that meet the following criteria:

NYU Research: TVP is for teams looking to explore the commercial potential of faculty-led research developed at NYU
Proof of Concept: Technology has achieved proof of concept or prototype and is ready for commercial development (not further scientific research)
Team of Two+: Teams of 2 or more may consist of NYU faculty, researchers, graduate students or research staff. Their must be at least one NYU founder that was materially involved in the research in question.
Interested in Starting a Startup: The funding, training and mentorship provided is to assist NYU researchers in exploring the commercial potential and pathways for their research via the creation of a startup venture. If you’re just looking for additional research funding for your lab, this is not the program for you.
Committed: While committing to leaving NYU and joining the startup may be months to years away, we are looking for teams that are eager to explore the commercial potential of their research and can commit now to 100% participation in all programs, activities and events in the TVP.
Looking to Learn: Just like in the lab, you will articulate hypotheses about your business (who is your customer, what problem are you solving, how will you make money, etc.), and then learn how to test them in the real world with customer and partners. Invalidation of your hypotheses is common along the path to success.

Not sure if this is for you? Come in and meet with a member of the Entrepreneurial Institute team members or attend an Info Session to learn more.

Benefits

The Tech Venture Program offers numerous benefits, including:

Training & Guidance: Participants receive training to identify valuable commercial opportunities emerging from academic research and guidance from established startup experts, entrepreneurs and investors.
Funding Opportunities: Teams can receive up to $101,000 to explore the commercial potential of their research, strengthening their applications for SBIR/STTR grants of up to $1.5 million, and setting themselves on the path to raising venture capital.
Networking: Learn from other startup founders and investors, gaining valuable insights and networking connections that can be beneficial for future endeavors.
Commercialization Skills: The program helps participants develop and practice business and entrepreneurship skills through hands-on experience in customer discovery, commercialization, and pitching their product.
Enhanced Chances of Startup Success: Helps teams systematically de-risk their venture by gathering evidence to make business decisions improving the likelihood of successfully bringing their innovations to market.
Market Insight: The program offers valuable insight into customer development, helping participants understand market demands and evolve their innovations accordingly.
Saving Time & Resources: Speed is essential, but so is moving in the right direction. TVP helps teams validate their assumptions before they launching saving value time and resources. Failing early and small, to avoid big failures downstream.