This program is Part 1 in our

Tech Venture Program

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Tech Venture Workshop

July 15, 22 & 29

The Tech Venture Workshop is the first phase of the three-part NYU Tech Venture Program. The Tech Venture Workshop (TVW) is a three half-day immersive program where NYU faculty, and their PhD student/postdoc teams learn how to test the commercial potential of their research directly with customers and partners. Participating teams receive up to $1,000 in grant funding from the NSF, training and mentorship on selecting the right market, customer segment, intellectual property, and more.

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Faculty Entrepreneurs

Dates & Application Deadline

The next Tech Venture Workshop will take place (via Zoom) on:

• Mon, July, 12:30-5:30pm ET

• Mon, July 22, 12:30-5:30pm ET

• Mon, July 29, 12:30-5:30pm ET

Apply by Thur, June 13 at 6:00pm. ET

 

Who Can Apply?

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

Benefits

  • Up to $1,000 in non-dilutive funding for customer discovery and/or prototyping.
  • Hands-on training in evidence-based startup best practices
  • 1:1 coaching from startup experts, founders & investors
  • Secure eligibility to apply to NSF I-Corps

Success Stories

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

Nyamitse-Calvin Mahinda

Co-Founder & CEO

(Tandon '23)

Provides a cost effective chemical path to manufacture sustainable nylon.

Myriam Sbeiti

Co-Founder

(Tandon '18)
Meet the Founder

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)

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)

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

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

Founder(s)

  • Nyamitse-Calvin Mahinda (Tandon '23) |
  • Harsh Sonthalia (Tandon '23) |

Website

Social

Provides a cost effective chemical path to manufacture sustainable nylon.

Founder(s)

  • Myriam Sbeiti (Tandon '18) |
  • Daniela Blanco, PhD (Tandon '21) |
  • César Urbina-Blanco |

Website

Social

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

Founder(s)

  • Glennon Simmons (Dentistry) |
  • Michael McRae, PhD (Dentistry) |
  • Igor Muravchik (Stern '10) |

Website

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.

Founder(s)

  • Srushti Katore (Tandon '23)
  • Prithvinath Reddy Garigapuram (Tandon '23)

Website

Social

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.

Founder(s)

  • Alexandr Pak
  • Mukhtar Sadykov

Website

Tell Me More

What You Can Expect

The Tech Venture Workshop (TVW) trains researchers in the fundamentals of the Lean Startup approach as they begin to explore the commercial potential of their research and technologies. TVW is offered three times a year in the Spring, Summer and Fall semesters. It requires a three half-day commitment for the online workshops, and five to 10 hours per week to complete a total of 20 customer discovery interviews. Accepted teams can expect to learn:

  • Day 1: Market opportunity exploration, defining your initial target customer, and conducting customer discovery interviews;
  • Day 2: Value proposition and value chain workshops;
  • Day 3: Intellectual property strategy, working with TOV, and managing conflicts of interest and commitment

Following the Workshop: Teams who successfully complete all three days of the Workshop receive NSF-lineage on their venture, making them eligible to apply for the NSF’s I-Corps program, which comes with $50,000 in grant in funding for customer discovery.

Who is TVW For?

The TVW is open to NYU full-time/research faculty, as well as PhDs, Postdocs, researchers, and staff from across NYU who are interested in commercializing new scientifically driven research developed at NYU. Outside/non-NYU co-founders/collaborators are welcome to participate with their NYU cofounders.

Teams seeking to commercialize life science, physical science, computer/data science, or engineering research and technologies developed at NYU are welcome to apply.

Teams should have achieved proof of concept or working prototypes at the time of application. To advance to the next stage (NSF I-Corps), the NSF will look for evidence that the underlying research was published in peer-reviewed journals (if that’s in process, that’s ok), and/or that you have you begun the process to protect your intellectual property by filing a patent or invention disclosure with NYU’s tech transfer office (TOV).

Teams will be expected to:

  • Demonstrate passion for the problem they hope to solve with their idea
  • Commit to attending ALL THREE of the half-day sessions and completing at least 20 customer discovery interviews during TVW
  • No prior business or startup experience is necessary

NYU students, and faculty and staff who are working on startup ventures that do not seek to commercialize research should consider applying to the Startup Bootcamp instead.

Selection Criteria

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

  • NYU Research: TVW is for teams seeking 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).
  • Teams of 2+ People: Teams of 2 or more may consist of NYU faculty, researchers, graduate students, or research staff. There 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: Like in the lab, you will articulate hypotheses about your venture (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 or attend an info session to learn more.

Benefits

Participating in the Tech Venture Workshop 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 $1,000 to explore the commercial potential of their research.
  • 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: Participating in TVW helps teams systematically de-risk their venture by gathering evidence to make business decisions, in turn improving the likelihood of bringing their innovations successfully to market.
  • Market Insight: The program offers valuable insight into the marketing component of research and 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. TVW helps teams validate their assumptions before they launch, saving value time and resources. Failing early and small prevents big failures downstream.