Tech Venture Workshop (for faculty/PhD/researchers)

The Tech Venture Workshop is a three half-day immersive program where faculty entrepreneurs and their PhD/postdoc teams learn how to test the commercial potential of their research directly with customers and partners. Participating teams receive grant funding from the National Science Foundation, coaching, workshops on selecting the right market, customer segment, IP, and more.

The Tech Venture Workshop is the first of three programs in the NYU Tech Venture Program, which offers >$100,000 in grants plus training, mentorship & more to commercialize NYU research. Learn more about the Technology Venture Program here.

The Tech Venture Workshop introduces commercialization methodologies adopted by the NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, and other federal agencies: business model design and customer development (aka the Lean Startup). Participating teams will be eligible to apply for the NSF I-Corps program, and will qualify for the next phases of the Tech Venture Program, which comes with $50K in grant funding and another $15K in other benefits (legal, accounting, cloud hosting credits, etc.). Participants will also be well poised for a strong SBIR/STTR grant application in the future.

The next Tech Venture Workshop will take place over three days via Zoom (and you must attend ALL three days):

  • Monday, July 24 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)
  • Monday, July 31 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)
  • Monday, Aug. 31 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)

Applications are due on Tuesday, June 20. Apply today! 

Apply Here
  • Info Sessions and Deadlines
    Tue, Jun 20
    06:00pm ‐ 06:00pm

    DEADLINE: Tech Venture Workshop

    The Tech Venture Workshop is a three half-day immersive program where faculty entrepreneurs and their PhD/postdoc teams learn how to test the com...

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    What You Can Expect

    The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute offers Tech Venture Workshops for faculty, PhD, post-docs, and researchers to learn the fundamentals of the Lean Startup approach and begin to explore the commercial potential of their research and technologies.

    About Tech Venture Workshops:

    Each Workshop is a three half-day commitment, held online on select weeks during the semester. Accepted teams can expect:

    • In advance of the workshop: Come prepared having completed readings and presentations.
    • Day 1: Market opportunity exploration, customer segment and customer discovery workshops led by the NYU Entrepreneurial Institute teaching team; Participants will also each present their venture concepts and receive feedback during the session.
    • Day 2: Value proposition and value chain workshops; Each team presents on what they learned from their first week of customer discovery interviews and receives "radical candor" feedback from the teaching team.
    • Day 3: IP strategy workshop; Each team presents on what they learned from their second week of customer discovery interviews, and receives "radical candor" feedback from the teaching team; The workshop concludes with an overview of select follow-on resources available to workshop participants, including an overview of how to prepare an application for NSF I-Corps and upcoming grant and program opportunities of interest.
    • Between Day 1 & 2, and between Day 2 & 3: In the two weeks between each session, each team will endeavor to complete at least five customer interviews with their potential target customers and partners; Teams will also be offered dedicated coaching appointments from the Entrepreneurial Institute's Startup Coaching Program.
    • Following the workshop: Teams who successfully complete all three days of the Workshop will receive NSF-lineage on their venture, making them eligible to apply for the NSF's I-Corps program (which comes with $50K in funding). They will also be eligible to advance to the next phases of the Tech Venture Program, which comes with an additional $50K in grant funding and another $15K in other benefits (legal, accounting, cloud hosting credits etc.).
    Who It's For

    Tech Venture Workshops are open to any NYU full time/research Faculty or researcher-led teams from across NYU who are interested in commercializing new scientifically driven research developed at NYU in fields including biotech/life sciences, computer science including ML/AI, AR/VR, robotics, blockchain, material science, photonics, electronics, and quantum computing, among others with:

    • An idea for a startup (can be "just an idea" or may have been working on it for a significant period of time)
    • Novel technology (does not yet have to be patented or from published research)
    • Demonstrated passion for the problem you hope to solve with your idea
    • Commitment to attending ALL THREE of the half-day sessions and completing at least 10 customer discovery interviews during the Workshop
    • Preference for projects which are based on research conducted at NYU
    • No prior business or startup experience is necessary.

    NYU students, as well as faculty and staff, who are working on startup ventures that do not commercialize scientific research should consider applying to the Startup Bootcamp instead. The Startup Bootcamp is similar to the Tech Venture Workshop, but it is specifically built for more general types of ventures that do not have to be deep technology-driven. Learn more about the Startup Bootcamps here.

    Workshop Dates

    Tech Venture Workshop - Summer '23 Cohort

    • The next Tech Venture Workshop will take place over three days via Zoom (and you must attend ALL three days):
      • Monday, July 24 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)
      • Monday, July 31 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)
      • Monday Aug. 31 (10am-3pm ET, via Zoom)

      Applications are due on Tuesday, June 20. Apply here. Applications for the program are competitive, with less than half of applicants being granted acceptance.

    The Workshop will be offered again in Fall 2023.

Apply Here