NYU Stern Venture Fellows

What NYU Stern Venture Fellows does

The NYU Stern Venture Fellows (SVF) program is the flagship summer accelerator housed within the NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship at NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. The center operates as an academic unit supporting NYU-affiliated startup founders across multiple interlocking programs: the SVF Summer Accelerator (a 10-week, industry-specific cohort program that awards each Fellow a $10,000 personal stipend), the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge (an annual venture competition offering more than $225,000 in combined seed funding across New Venture, Digital Tech, and Healthcare tracks), 1:1 Startup Advising, the ETA@NYU (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition) initiative, and a calendar of workshops and bootcamps. The Center is named after William R. Berkley (BS '66), and the Entrepreneurs Challenge carries a 25+ year legacy, with alumni placement in Forbes 30 Under 30 and recognition of NYU on Fast Company's 2025 Top 10 Ignition Schools list.

The program does not operate as a commercial enterprise. It is funded institutionally through NYU Stern and the Berkley Center, supplemented by philanthropic and corporate partners — notably the Rennert Family Foundation as primary prize funder (each track receives $75,000) and pro bono legal services from Cooley LLP, Dentons, and Foley & Lardner. There is no tuition, no equity participation, and no revenue model in the conventional sense; the $10,000 Fellow stipends and $225K+ prize pool are disbursements, not revenue. Selection is competitive and application-based, with founders recruited directly from across NYU's 19 schools.

The customer base is exclusively NYU student and alumni founders. The Berkley Center recruits through NYU internal channels, the annual Entrepreneurs Challenge visibility engine, speaking events featuring figures such as Bill Gurley and Malcolm Gladwell, and a newsletter distributed via eepurl. Past SVF and Challenge participants include ChopChop Eats (2026 Grand Prize, Food/Beverage marketplace), ScriptBio AI (AI-guided stem cell therapies), DEFI Snacks (clean-protein chocolate), Pupil (AI-enabled college guidance platform), Systema Med (clinical patient vitals platform), Heliotrope Photonics (solar panel coatings), and Rooted Fare. AI-focused programming has been layered in via partnerships with the NYU AI Innovation Accelerator and Google Labs.

Name

NYU Stern Venture Fellows

Legal name

NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship

Website

https://nyusternberkleycenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The NYU Stern Venture Fellows (SVF) program is a 10-week summer accelerator hosted within the NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship, providing NYU student and alumni founders with industry-tailored programming, a $10,000 personal stipend, and access to NYU's broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Accelerator Programs

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAKAK

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/College & Career Enrichment (Mentorship, Internships, Portfolio)

SECONDARYEDAMAKAA

Mentorship & Coaching (Career, Academic, Industry-Specific)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/College & Career Enrichment (Mentorship, Internships, Portfolio)

Keywords

• Startup accelerator programs
• Entrepreneurship education
• Venture fellowships
• Business plan competitions
• Student entrepreneurship

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-Dilutive Program Funding: The SVF program provides $10,000 personal stipends to selected Fellows. This is non-dilutive funding provided to support founders during the 10-week accelerator program. The program is funded through the Berkley Center and NYU's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NYU Stern Venture Fellows is a 10-week summer accelerator program for NYU student founders, providing each fellow with a $10,000 stipend, mentorship, and structured venture-building support. The program is paired with the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge, an annual business plan and venture competition offering more than $225,000 in prizes, including the Rennert Family Foundation Prize.

Product overview

The NYU Stern Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship operates several interconnected programs to support NYU startup founders. The flagship offerings include the Stern Venture Fellows Summer Accelerator, a 10-week intensive cohort program providing industry-tailored programming and a $10K stipend; and the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge, a premier venture competition offering workshops, coaching, and over $225K in seed funding. Supporting services include Startup Advising (1:1 mentorship sessions), ETA@NYU (Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition education), and Workshops & Events. The programs serve NYU student and alumni founders across all industries and stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYU Stern Venture Fellows Accelerator A 10-week summer accelerator program for NYU student founders providing a $10,000 stipend, mentorship, and structured venture-building curriculum delivered through NYU Stern's Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship.
• NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge An annual NYU-wide business plan and venture competition offering more than $225,000 in prize funding to NYU student founders, including the flagship Rennert Family Foundation Prize.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10-week intensive program duration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BylddminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting the Entrepreneurs Challenge ecosystem
• Cooley LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm partner providing pro bono legal services and support to Entrepreneurs Challenge participants
• DentonsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm partner providing pro bono legal services to startup participants in the Entrepreneurs Challenge
• Foley & Lardner LLPminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm partner providing pro bono legal services to startup participants in the Entrepreneurs Challenge
• Calm (David Ko, CEO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSVF supporter and Calm CEO David Ko joined the 2025 SVF Summer Accelerator Final Showcase to provide insights and mentorship to cohort founders, sharing real-world experience from scaling a major consumer app
• Deal UtilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization hosting joint panel events with the Berkley Center on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition topics, expanding programming for the ETA@NYU initiative
• NYU AI Innovation AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-convening partner for AI-focused founder events and programming, including discussions on deploying AI at scale for startups
• Google LabscoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Labs representatives (including NYU alumni) conduct workshops on AI tools like Gemini for startup applications, featured in SVF Week 6 programming
• LabCentral AI BioHubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the most competitive biotech incubator spaces in the country; ScriptBio AI was accepted to LabCentral's AI BioHub in Cambridge for lab space and startup support
• C10 Labs NYC AI NexuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC-based AI accelerator; ScriptBio AI was selected for the C10 Labs AI Nexus program alongside LabCentral acceptance
• NVIDIA Inception ProgramcoreTechnology or IntegrationScriptBio AI became an NVIDIA Inception program partner, providing access to NVIDIA's AI/ML technology ecosystem and resources
• Imagination in Action AI SummitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScriptBio AI was invited to present at the Imagination in Action AI Summit at MIT, expanding visibility within the AI/biotech ecosystem

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berkeley SkyDeck: UC Berkeley's flagship accelerator for student and alumni founders offering cohort-based programming with non-dilutive funding and mentor access. Comparable cohort length, founder audience, and academic-center sponsorship.
• Stanford StartX: Stanford-affiliated startup accelerator for student and alumni founders offering non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and office space. Operates as the equivalent of SVF within the Stanford ecosystem, with very similar cohort structure and prize-stage progression.
• Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab): Harvard's central entrepreneurship hub offering advising, programming, and venture competitions for Harvard students and alumni. Closely analogous to the Berkley Center as a multi-program university entrepreneurship center rather than a single accelerator.
• Columbia Startup Lab: NYC-based Columbia University accelerator offering workspace, mentorship, and programming to Columbia-affiliated founders. Geographically and structurally the closest NYC peer competing for the same metro founder pool.
• Cornell Tech Runway: Cornell-affiliated NYC startup program supporting student and alumni founders across stages. Operates in the same NYC geography and serves the same university-founder target customer, making it a direct NYC competitor for NYU founders.
• MIT delta v: MIT Sloan summer accelerator for student founders combining non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and Demo Day exposure. Directly comparable in duration, structure, and academic-affiliation model to NYU's SVF Summer Accelerator.
• Wharton Entrepreneurship: University of Pennsylvania's central entrepreneurship hub, providing venture competitions, mentorship, and accelerator programming to Penn/Wharton founders. Directly comparable to the Berkley Center's multi-program model housed within a business school.
• UChicago Polsky Center: University of Chicago's entrepreneurship center operating venture competitions, accelerators, and advising services for UChicago founders. Closely mirrors the Berkley Center's integrated advising/competition/accelerator stack within a research university business school.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network with multiple thematic programs and mentorship-driven cohorts. A larger, established incumbent in the same accelerator category that competes for NYU founders once they graduate from university-specific programs.
• Y Combinator: The world's largest independent startup accelerator, providing funding and mentorship across cohorts. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same accelerator category, accepting NYU-affiliated founders and competing for the same downstream capital and visibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyusvf

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 Stern Venture Fellows