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 new NYU Tech Venture Program, which offers >$50,000 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 workshop will take place on November 4th (9am-2pm ET), November 11th (9am-2pm ET), and November 18th (9am-2pm ET), via Zoom. Applications are due October 25th and applicants will be notified of their acceptance by October 27th.

Apply Here
  • Tell Me More
    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. They will also be eligible to advance to 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.).
    Who It's For

    Tech Venture Workshops are open to any NYU Faculty or researcher-led team 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 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 ten customer discovery interviews during the Workshop
    • No prior business or startup experience is necessary.

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

    Workshop Dates

    Tech Venture Workshop - Fall '21 #1

    • Application Link Here 
    • Application Deadline: September 20, 6pm ET; You will be notified of your acceptance by September 23rd
    • Technology Venture Workshop Fall '21 #1 (applicants must attend all three days, which will take place via Zoom):

      • September 29th, 8am-1pm ET
      • October 6th, 9am-1pm ET
      • October 20th, 9am-1pm ET

    Tech Venture Workshop - Fall '21 #2

    • Application Deadline: October 25th, 6pm ET; Application form coming soon; In the meantime if you're interested in participating in the program, please contact Dr. Dee Dao, dee.dao@nyu.edu.
    • Technology Venture Workshop Fall '21 #2 (applicants must attend all three days, TBD whether this will be held via Zoom or in Person at the Leslie eLab on the NYU Washington Square campus):

      • November 4th, 9am-2pm ET
      • November 11th, 9am-2pm ET
      • November 18th, 9am-2pm ET

    The Workshop will be offered again in Spring '22.

Apply Here