Innovation Venture Fund

The NYU Innovation Venture Fund is a seed-stage venture capital fund created in 2010 to invest in startups founded by and/or commercializing technologies and intellectual property developed by NYU students, faculty and researchers.

NYU excels at turning federal research dollars into patentable inventions. In recent years, it has converted intellectual property into more licensing income than Stanford, Columbia, MIT, Harvard, and the University of California system. In two decades, over 100 startups have been built on NYU discoveries and innovations. The Fund will bolster that strength.

The Fund will consider proposals from students, faculty and researchers at the College/Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Polytechnic Institute, the Courant Institute, School of Medicine, College of Dentistry, Tisch School of the Arts and Stern School of Business, among others.

NYU initially capitalized the Fund with more than $3 million—much of which came from the proceeds of the sale of a company previously spun out of NYU—and anticipates this growing to $20 million, with tax-deductible donor contributions. The Fund makes approximately five to six investments per year, from $100,000 - $250,000 each, in partnership with other angel investors and/or venture capital firms. The Fund will recycle investment returns from the successful sale of portfolio companies back into the University to finance further research and spinout ventures. In time, recycling these proceeds could provide a self-financing means to enable NYU to continue these activities into the future.

The time is right at NYU today: The recent affiliation with the Polytechnic Institute, NYU’s school of engineering, brings a raft of capabilities that are important to product commercialization. And New York City’s burgeoning venture capital culture now offers tech startups an environment conducive to growth. But startups need early-stage support—financial as well as management and marketing talent, and connections to the entrepreneurial and venture community. The Fund is designed to fill that role.  

Read more about the Fund's investment approach and philosophy. »