University programme · New York, New York, United States

NYU Summer Launchpad

A nine-week summer accelerator run by NYU's Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute for teams led by NYU students, faculty or staff, with a US$15,000 equity-free grant, mentors and co-working at the Leslie eLab.

Status unknown Run by NYU Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding
US$15,000 US$15,000 in equity-free, non-dilutive grant funding
Instrument
Grant
Equity taken
None (equity-free) Takes no equity
Programme fee
not published
Duration
9 weeks
Cohort size
not published
Cohorts
not published
Delivery
In person
Stages
Pre-seed
Sectors
Sector-agnostic
Open to founders from
not published
Perks
  • Entrepreneur and investor mentors
  • Pro bono legal guidance
  • Pro bono accounting services
  • 24/7 co-working space and lunch at the Leslie eLab
  • Demo day
  • US$25,000 in Google Cloud credits

Between 8 and 10 teams are selected each year.

Application dates

Status unknown

Dates not published. Applications for Summer 2027 open in February 2027.

Usual timing: Applications for Summer 2027 open in February 2027.

Who can apply

  • Teams led by NYU students, faculty or staff; one founder must be an NYU student, staff member or recent alumnus (graduated spring 2025 or later)
  • Teams must have validated their target customer segment and have a proof of concept or prototype
  • Teams must have completed a Startup Sprint and attended an info session
  • At least two team members must work on the venture full time (at least 40 hours a week) for all nine weeks
  • Stage: pre-seed

Companies it names as alumni

Brooklinen, Rilla, Medivis, MyWellbeing, Jones

What founders should check

  1. The programme says it takes no equity. Still read the agreement for warrants, revenue shares or rights in a later round.
  2. It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
  3. It runs in person in New York. Plan to be there for the length of the programme.
  4. Dates for the next cohort are not published. Applications for Summer 2027 open in February 2027.

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