FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship (formerly W. R. Berkley Innovation Labs) is your one-stop-ship for all of your entrepreneurial needs. We offer Startup Advising sessions led by industry experts, interactive and engaging workshops, summer accelerator programs and run the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge, and 8-month accelerator program. 

The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship is located at NYU Stern on the 4th floor of Tisch Hall. For the time being, our staff and volunteers are working remotely to support the daily operations of the Center.

We offer a wide variety of Startup Advising sessions, ranging from General Startup Advising to more niche topics such as Legal Help Desks and Branding Help Desks.

No. You can make as many appointments as you need, and in the different areas you may need assistance in. We actually encourage people to come back and make multiple appointments with us. 

The NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge (formerly $300K Entrepreneurs Challenge) is one of the largest entrepreneurial competitions in the country. Part accelerator, part competition, accepted applicants will have the opportunity to take advantage of intensive bootcamps and workshops, 1:1 mentorship pairings and a myriad of pro bono services, helping to take their ventures to the next level.

All current students and NYU Stern alumni are welcome to compete in the Challenge.

Yes, but teams must have at lease ONE qualified NYU representative. A qualified NYU representative = a current NYU student or Stern alumnus/a who holds at least 15% equity in the venture and intends to play a key role in its development both during AND after the Challenge. 

Of course! You can re-enter the same idea/concept into the competition if you DID not compete in the semi-finals round. OR, you can enter with a substantially different venture idea and submit that in your application.

Yes. You can also be a member of more than 1 team, BUT if two or more of your ideas/teams make it to the semi-finals round, you can only move forward with one.

This is an 8-month program, we kickoff mid-September, and our Final Pitch-Off and Awards Ceremony is in early May. There are also various clinics, workshops and coaching appointments available to you throughout the Challenge. Involvement is on you, if you want to take advantage of everything, there’s a good chance something will be on your calendar practically every week.

The Stern Venture Fellows (SVF) program supports NYU Stern’s high potential entrepreneurs in advancing their venture over a customized summer program. Fellows will spend 10 weeks, full-time, developing their startup ideas and nascent businesses with the guidance and support of NYU Stern’s faculty & staff, alumni, and bi-coastal mentor community. 

In order to apply for the Stern Venture Fellowship Accelerator Program, you must be a current NYU Stern undergraduate or graduate student, or a recent NYU Stern graduate (within the last 5 years). 

As a selected Stern Venture Fellow, selected candidates will receive: 

  • $10,000 non-dilutive, personal stipend
  • Access to up to an additional $5,000 for prototyping expenses 
  • Advisory services in business development, legal, marrketing, accounting, technology, design and more
  • 1:1 mentorship and coaching from successful entrepreneurs and early stage investors
  • Introduction to NYU alumni working in NYC, Silicon Valley, and other major tech hubs
  • Cohort-curated speaker events & workshops

Yes. We offer the Stern Venture Studio and Mobile App Accelerator programs over the summer. The programs themselves were just launched for summer 2020. These programs run for 6-weeks over the summer, and participants have access to workshops and mentors. Please note that there is no stipend provided to participants in these 2 programs.