NYU’s premier startup accelerator and venture-building competition, helping early-stage founders sharpen their strategy, build community, and compete for funding.
further, faster.
For nearly 30 years, the Entrepreneurs Challenge has helped NYU founders build stronger, more competitive ventures. The six-month program begins with the Entrepreneurs Challenge Studio, a selective startup accelerator where teams receive practical workshops, intensive bootcamps, and personalized coaching to advance their ventures. The strongest Studio teams are then invited to compete in the Entrepreneurs Challenge Venture Competition, pitching for more than $75,000 in seed funding plus pro bono services. Ventures from across the NYU community are welcome.
Acceptance rate into the 2026 Entrepreneurs Challenge Studio
NYU Schools represented in NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge cohort (2025-26)
Kick Off & Info Session
Ready to take your startup further, faster? The NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge is back with six months of coaching, expert guidance, hands-on workshops, and a community of NYU founders, plus the opportunity for top teams to compete for up to $75K in seed funding. Join us for the virtual Kick-Off on September 29 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM ET to learn more and get started.
Choose the track that fits your venture
For ventures reinventing consumer products, commerce, marketplaces, and experiences through technology, data, or new business models.
For ventures using technology, connected products, or new care models to improve health outcomes, access, affordability, or healthcare delivery.
Moves Your Venture Forward
Gain access to a comprehensive program that combines structured support, a strong community, and expert guidance.
Further Validate customer demand and strengthen your value proposition
Refine your business model and go-to-market strategy
Identify and address your venture’s most important risks
Establish clear milestones and funding needs
Make a stronger case for your venture with customers, partners, and investors
Pressure-test your assumptions and sharpen your business model, go-to-market strategy, financials, and milestones through hands-on workshops and bootcamps. Build a clearer, more evidence-backed path forward.
Work one-on-one with experienced entrepreneurs and specialists to address the challenges most critical to your venture’s progress. Make stronger decisions and move past obstacles faster.
Get partnered with a Stern MBA Venture Associate who will tackle a focused strategic project for your team—from market analysis and financial modeling to go-to-market strategy and investor preparation. Gain deeper analysis and a concrete venture-building deliverable.
Learn alongside ambitious founders from across NYU, exchange candid feedback, and expand your entrepreneurial network. Gain perspective, accountability, and valuable connections.
More than $100K in legal, design and other professional services.
Awarded across the three competition tracks to the strongest ventures.
Everything you need to know about eligibility, application requirements,
and key dates for the Entrepreneurs Challenge.
To apply, teams must submit provide the following:
Tell us about your venture:
The basics on your team, idea, and progress to date
Share your Concept Summary:
What you’re building, for whom, and why it matters
Bring your venture to life:
An optional video of up to two minutes
Confirm your eligibility:
An eligibility statement signed by each team member
Submit your application:
$50 application fee per team
The Entrepreneurs Challenge Studio and Venture Competition is for ventures that meet the following criteria:
Team: Promising early-stage ventures that have moved beyond the idea stage are welcome to apply. Teams with a working product or prototype, demonstrated customer validation, and early signs of traction will be most competitive.
Funding: The Challenge does not impose a fundraising cap on those selected for the program. However, ventures that have raised less than $1.5 million at the time of application typically benefit most from the program.
Venture Type: The Challenge is best suited to scalable, venture-oriented businesses. Consultancies, real estate syndications, franchises, nonprofits, and certain other business models are generally not a good fit for the program.
Past Participation: Venture concepts that have gone through the program in a prior year and advanced to the Final Round are not eligible to re-enter.
September 29, 2026 Register Now!
November
January
February - March
April 2, 2027
& Awards
April 30, 2027
Meet the founders, mentors, and ventures that make the Entrepreneurs Challenge one of NYU’s most vibrant entrepreneurial communities.
The latest stories and firsthand accounts from our Challenge teams
Former Healthcare Venture Competition winners continue their momentum with acceptance into a nationally recognized venture development program.
NYU’s top startups took the stage at the 2026 Entrepreneurs Challenge Final Pitch-Off, the University’s largest celebration of entrepreneurship. With hundreds of guests in attendance, ventures competed for $225K+ in prizes. See the winners across New Venture, Digital Tech, and Healthcare tracks!
This track includes consumer applications, marketplaces, financial services, media, entertainment, retail, education, travel, gaming, and technology-enabled consumer products. Technology should be central to the customer experience, business model, scalability, or competitive advantage—not simply used for marketing or operations.
This track includes ventures working across the full health journey – from prevention and wellness to diagnosis, treatment, and care coordination – regardless of whether the customer is a consumer, provider, or health system.
Emerging Tech
This track is for ventures where technology is the core product, platform, or competitive differentiator—not simply a tool used to run the business. It includes software, AI, robotics, connected devices, infrastructure, and other ventures building technology-driven products or systems.
