NYU Entrepreneurial Institute

What NYU Entrepreneurial Institute does

NYU Entrepreneurial Institute (rebranded as NYU Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute in November 2025 following a $25 million gift from Mark and Debra Leslie) is a university-affiliated nonprofit organization operating within New York University. Tracing its roots to the launch of the NYU Innovation Venture Fund in 2010, the institute serves NYU students, faculty, postdocs, PhD candidates, and researchers by providing accelerator programs, mentorship, seed and grant funding, and a physical co-working space (Leslie eLab) to support venture creation and the commercialization of NYU deep tech research. Its offerings are structured into two sequential pathways: a student-facing Startup Accelerator Program (Startup Bootcamp → Startup Sprint → Summer Launchpad, the last offering $15,000 grants) and a faculty/researcher-facing Tech Venture Program (Tech Venture Workshop → NSF I-Corps with $50,000 → Tech Venture Accelerator with $50,000), with cumulative grant capacity of up to $102,000 per team.

The institute's product portfolio also includes the Innovation Venture Fund (a seed-stage investment vehicle dating to 2010), the Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program, curated communities (Leslie Founders, Female Founders Fellowship, NYU Entrepreneurs Network Slack, NYU Startup Catalog), individual Startup Coaching & Mentorship, and a content/resource library covering pitching, fundraising, legal, and NYC startup community guidance. Distribution is regional and anchored at the NYU campus in New York City, with multi-channel marketing through Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, a newsletter, blog, events calendar, and major in-person gatherings such as Startup School, the NYU Entrepreneurs Festival, the Female Founders Forum, and Startup Team Hunt.

The institute does not generate commercial revenue and is funded through NYU's institutional budget, philanthropic donations (most notably the Leslie gift), and external grants including the NSF I-Corps program. Customer segments are exclusively NYU-affiliated, with students as the primary persona and faculty/researchers commercializing deep tech as a secondary persona. The organization is led by Executive Director Jeff Levick (CAS '93), a former Spotify CRO who scaled the platform from 1M to 40M+ subscribers and an original member of Google's advertising team, and operates with 11–50 employees from a single headquarters on Greene Street in New York City.

Name

NYU Entrepreneurial Institute

Legal name

NYU Entrepreneurial Institute (New York University)

Website

https://entrepreneur.nyu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NYU Entrepreneurial Institute (now NYU Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute) is a New York University-affiliated nonprofit that runs accelerator programs, mentorship, and seed/grant funding for NYU students, faculty, and researchers to launch ventures and commercialize deep tech research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education and Startup Acceleration Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Startup accelerator services
• Venture funding programs
• Mentorship and coaching
• Deep tech commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding & Philanthropy: The institute operates as a university-affiliated nonprofit, funded through institutional budgets, the Mark & Debra Leslie gift, and philanthropic donations. Revenue is not generated from client payments but from NYU's operational funding and external grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The NYU Entrepreneurial Institute is a university-wide accelerator and entrepreneurship support organization that provides NYU students, faculty, and researchers with sequential training programs, one-on-one coaching and mentorship, seed and grant funding (up to $102,000), and a physical co-working space (Leslie eLab) to transform ideas and research into commercial ventures. Its offerings span student-facing programs (Startup Bootcamp, Startup Sprint, Summer Launchpad) and faculty/researcher-facing programs (Tech Venture Workshop, NSF I-Corps, Tech Venture Accelerator), all delivered free of charge through institutional and philanthropic funding.

Product overview

NYU Entrepreneurial Institute (Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute) operates as an institutional accelerator and entrepreneurship support organization, not a technology product company. Its offering consists of a portfolio of accelerator programs, physical co-working spaces, funding vehicles, and advisory services. The core programs include: (1) Student-focused Startup Accelerator Program with sequential tiers (Startup Bootcamp → Startup Sprint → Summer Launchpad offering up to $15,000 funding); (2) Faculty/Researcher-focused Tech Venture Program with three stages (Tech Venture Workshop → NSF I-Corps → Tech Venture Accelerator) offering up to $102,000 in grant funding; (3) Physical Leslie eLab co-working space; (4) Innovation Venture Fund seed investment vehicle; (5) Specialized communities including Leslie Founders and Female Founders Fellowship; and (6) Individual Startup Coaching & Mentorship services. These programs collectively support NYU students, faculty, and researchers in transforming ideas into commercial ventures through community building, training, mentorship, and funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Accelerator Program Award-winning sequential accelerator program providing essential training, mentorship, and funding to help NYU student founders start and scale ventures and prepare for venture investment.
• Startup Bootcamp Entry-level program in the startup accelerator series that helps founders test the value of their business ideas directly with customers.
• Startup Sprint Intensive two-week accelerator program that helps founders develop a scalable business model, including a $1,500 grant and up to $500 additional funding for select teams.
• Summer Launchpad Summer accelerator program offering $15,000 in funding plus mentorship to help NYU student founders launch scalable startups, with access to workshops, coaching, and networking events.
• Tech Venture Program Three-part venture development program for teams of NYU faculty, postdocs, PhD candidates, and researchers, offering training, mentorship, and up to $102,000 in grant funding to commercialize deep tech research.
• Tech Venture Workshop First stage of the Tech Venture Program where research teams test the commercial potential of their deep tech research directly with customers.
• NSF I-Corps National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program providing $50,000 in grant funding to help NYU researchers develop a business model for their deep tech research.
• Tech Venture Accelerator Final stage of the Tech Venture Program providing $50,000 plus training and mentorship to help researchers launch a scalable startup based on deep tech research.
• Leslie eLab Physical co-working space and hub for NYU entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate, and access resources to develop ideas and inventions into startup companies.
• Innovation Venture Fund Seed-stage fund that invests in NYU-founded startups, tracing its roots to 2010 and operating as part of the Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute.
• Max Stenbeck Venture Equity Program Venture equity program supporting NYU student founders in scaling their ventures.
• Startup Coaching & Mentorship One-on-one coaching services for founders with ideas for new ventures or those needing help scaling startup operations.
• Female Founders Fellowship Fellowship program supporting female founders with dedicated resources and mentorship within the NYU entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NYU Stern Berkley Center for EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated entrepreneurship center at NYU Stern School of Business, collaborating on programs like Entrepreneurs Challenge and shared resources for NYU founders.
• Technology Opportunities & Ventures (TOV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU's technology transfer office providing funding programs including MedTech Venture Prototyping Fund, Therapeutics Alliances, Technology Acceleration & Commercialization Awards, and NYU Langone Health Venture Fund.
• Tandon MakerspaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysical maker space at NYU Tandon for prototyping and hardware development, available to NYU entrepreneurs across schools.
• Tandon Future LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIncubator and accelerator ecosystem at NYU Tandon focused on hardware and deep tech ventures.
• Fenwick & WestminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal firm providing guidance to Summer Startup Sprint participants as part of program perks (valued over $5,000).
• Google CloudminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides cloud credits (over $5,000 in perks) to Summer Startup Sprint cohort participants.
• NYU Langone HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partner for healthtech and medtech ventures, including neurology program collaboration (Dr. Albert Favate) and validation studies for startups like CARA Systems.
• Game Center IncubatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGaming and interactive media incubator at NYU, affiliated resource for student game and entertainment entrepreneurs.
• I-Hub IncubatorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospitality innovation incubator at NYU Jonathan M. Tisch Center, supporting hospitality and tourism entrepreneurs.
• Production LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia production incubator at NYU for film, TV, and digital content entrepreneurs.
• Law Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic program at NYU Law focused on entrepreneurship and venture capital law, providing resources and expertise for student founders.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford StartX: Stanford University-affiliated startup accelerator supporting Stanford founders through mentorship and funding; the most comparable elite-university accelerator to NYU's Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's university-wide entrepreneurship hub offering co-working space, programs, mentorship, and venture support to Harvard students, faculty, and alumni—directly comparable in mission and structure to NYU's institute.
• MIT delta v: MIT's summer accelerator for MIT student founders, providing mentorship, workspace, and funding—closely mirroring NYU's Summer Launchpad and Tech Venture Accelerator offerings.
• Columbia Entrepreneurship (Startup Lab): Columbia University's entrepreneurship initiative serving NYC-based student and faculty founders; the closest in-market NYC competitor to NYU's Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute.
• Cornell Tech Runway: Cornell Tech's startup program supporting founders commercializing Cornell research in NYC, overlapping with NYU's Tech Venture Program for deep tech faculty commercialization.
• UC Berkeley SkyDeck: UC Berkeley's accelerator offering six-month cohorts with mentorship and investment to Berkeley-affiliated startups; comparable in scale and ambition to NYU's Startup Accelerator Program.
• Princeton Entrepreneurship Council: Princeton's central entrepreneurship hub serving students and faculty with programs, funding, and mentorship—a structural peer in the elite-university accelerator category.
• Wharton Entrepreneurship (Penn): University of Pennsylvania's entrepreneurship center providing programs, mentorship, and venture competitions; affiliated with NYU's Stern Berkley Center partner and structurally analogous.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global accelerator network running multi-sector cohorts with mentorship and seed investment; broader incumbent serving founders across geographies rather than a single university.
• Y Combinator: Premier independent startup accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, and network access to founders globally; the broad incumbent against which all university accelerators benchmark their outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyu-entrepreneurial-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/nyuentrepreneur
• TikToktiktok.com/@nyuentrepreneur
• Xx.com/NYUEntrepreneur

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NYU Entrepreneurial Institute