New York City is one of the hottest places to build a startup. With a large population of tech and creative talent, and an even bigger source of customers, it’s no wonder why some of the most promising on the planet are coming from the Big Apple.
One of the biggest reasons for NYC’s startup community, however, is its vast number incubators, accelerators, and other founder-friendly communities, many of which are listed out below for your convenience.
1. AngelPad
Description: AngelPad is a seed-stage accelerator program that focuses on everything from finding product market fit to defining a target market to getting first validation.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Apply for more details
2. Barclays Accelerator
Description: Barclays is an intensive 13-week program with mentorship from some of the smartest minds in the start-up and FinTech worlds.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: FinTech
Requirements: Must have a team with business and technical experience
3. BetaWorks
Description: Betaworks is a start-up platform based in New York that focuses on the intersection of media and technology.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Frontier technology, social media
Requirements: Apply for more details
4. Blueprint Health
Description: Blueprint Health is a community of healthcare entrepreneurs helping build the next generation of healthcare IT companies.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Healthcare IT
Requirements: Companies should have a strong business model and a team, but solo founders are occasionally admitted.
5. Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator
Description: This accelerator provides designers with the resources they need to transform their ideas into successful businesses.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: High-potential fashion designers, industrial designers and technologists
Requirements: Applicants are selected on the following criteria: design and innovation, social and environmental values, growth potential, financial security, and cultural fit.
6. Bullish
Description: Bullish is an accelerator agency that is one part strategic creative agency, and one part consumer investment firm.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Financial services
Requirements: Must be a pre-launch business that needs capital.
7. Cofound Harlem
Description: Cofound Harlem is a non-profit incubator on a mission to incubate over 100 companies north of 96th street.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: digital marketing, education, fintech, gaming, media and entertainment, real estate, software, and more.
Requirements: Apply for more details.
8. DreamIt
Description: Dreamit is an early-stage venture fund that also operates as an accelerator. They're focused on startups who've already reached revenue or who've launched pilots that are ready to scale.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Healthtech, Securetech, and Urbantech.
Requirements: Revenue or a pilot.
9. Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator
Description: ERA combines seed capital, hands-on help, and a great co-working location with an expert team to positively impact the trajectory of early-stage startups.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Venture-scalable businesses
Requirements: Applicants should have assembled a team and developed an initial product.
10. FinTech Innovation Lab
Description: The FinTech Innovation Lab is a 12-week program that helps early- to growth-stage startups refine and test their value proposition.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: FinTech
Requirements: The FinTech Innovation Lab focuses on early and growth-stage companies with at least a beta technology/product.
11. FoodFutureCo
Description: FoodFutureCo is a scale-up accelerator for established yet small organizations that are providing unique food products and solutions.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: consumer products, local food, plant-based food, sustainable seafood, ag tech, food tech and food waste
Requirements: The prefer companies who are ready to raise their Series A round within one year, or at an equivalent stage with organic growth.
12. Fordham Foundry
Description: Companies that get their start here share the common thread of sharp thinking about how to financially succeed while adding value to the world.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Mission-driven companies
Requirements: The Foundry is open to all Fordham students, alumni, and community members, as well as the entrepreneurial organizations they are a part of.
13. Founder Institute
Description: The Founder Institute, whose mission is to "Globalize Silicon Valley", is the world’s premier startup launch program for talented entrepreneurs.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Both solo founders and teams are welcome, including those at the idea or very early-stages of a company (including pre-incorporation).
14. Grand Central Tech
Description: GCT is a community of startups and strategic partners that breaks from the traditional accelerator model by providing an unparalleled value proposition.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Apply for more details.
15. J.P. Morgan
Description: J.P. Morgan’s In-Residence program builds partnerships with the best and brightest to co-create solutions to wholesale banking and capital markets challenges.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Financial services
Requirements: Applicants are selected for the validity of concept, the stage of their product, the competitive landscape, and the experience of the team.
16. Made in NY Media Center
Description: Made in NY Media Center is a collaborative workspace and community designed to support and connect the next generation of media and tech entrepreneurs.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Media
Requirements: Apply for more details.
17. MetaProp NYC
Description: MetaProp NYC works with the smartest entrepreneurs, technologists, investors and partners to fund and help build the real estate tech industry’s best ideas.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Real estate tech
Requirements: Companies should have an MVP and existing pilots or customers to demonstrate product-market fit.
18. Monarq Incubator
Description: The Monarq Incubator provides women-led startups with all the resources, mentorship and introductions they need to raise their next round.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Women-led early stage startups
Requirements: Women-led companies targeting a massive market in any vertical with an early stage product. Must be on a clear path to revenue and prepared to fundraise within 6-12 months.
19. New York Digital Health Accelerator
Description: NYDHA helps growth-stage digital health companies that are developing technology products in care coordination, patient engagement, and more.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Digital health companies
Requirements: Only companies that already have provider engagement (or are in advanced discussions) are invited to apply.
20. New York Fashion Tech Lab
Description: The New York Fashion Tech Lab is a community-driven, relationship building, collaboration, and business development platform that supports women-led companies that have developed innovations at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: 3D Printing/Manufacturing, Al/Chatbots, Fit-Tech, IoT/Connected Product, Security, Wearables, and more.
Requirements: At a minimum, companies should have a working beta version of its technology and at least one technical team member.
21. NYC Seed
Description: NYC Seed funds seed-stage technology entrepreneurs in New York City, focusing on driven, small teams move from an idea to a product.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Software, web, service
Requirements: A team of at least two founders - one technical founder is preferred - along with a working prototype.
22. NYU Tandon Future Labs
Description: The NYU Incubator is a sustainable incubation program focused on increasing the success rate of new ventures and generating positive economic impact.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Data, cyber security, financial tech, IT, clean energy, hardware, veterans.
Requirements: Must be a high-potential, high-growth tech startup that will create jobs, wealth, and new products and services in NYC.
23. Prehype
Description: Prehype is a venture development firm that launches startups with the world's finest corporations and entrepreneurs.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Apply for more details.
24. R/GA Accelerator
Description: The R/GA Accelerator helps startups developing connected hardware products and software services.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: IoT
Requirements: Apply for more details.
25. Samsung Accelerator
Description: The Samsung Accelerator empowers founders and early-stage software startups with funding, deep domain expertise, co-located work spaces, and more.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Software and services
Requirements: Apply for more details.
26. Startupbootcamp
Description: Startupbootcamp supports early-stage tech founders to rapidly scale their companies with an international network of mentors, partners, and more.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Apply for more details.
27. StartUp Health
Description: StartUp Health transforms health by organizing and investing in a global army of thousands of entrepreneurs passionate about reinventing the future of health.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Health
Requirements: Apply for more details.
28. TechStars
Description: Techstars enables founders and their teams to connect to other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, and more to will help their companies grow.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: Applicants ideally should have a strong team, a working prototype or product, and early traction.
29. timeSpace
Description: timeSpace is an initiative from the New York Times that helps entrepreneurs specializing in in digital media, technology, and journalism grow their businesses.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Media
Requirements: Applicants should be early-stage with a product launched and at least seed stage funding.
30. TrendSeeder
Description: TrendSeeder is a platform collaborating with fashion, beauty and health & wellness innovators through education and community.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Fashion, beauty, and health & wellness
Requirements: Applicants should have a product developed and marketed.
31. Value Stream Labs
Description: Value Stream Labs fosters a community of customers, professionals, and investors, and partners with emerging technology enabled FinTech startups.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Financial services
Requirements: Applicants should have a fully or near fully built product, and be seeking to increase sales to professional and enterprise customers.
32. VentureCrushFG
Description: Accepted companies learn about fundraising, product/market fit, pacing and development milestones, culture building, customer acquisition and more.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Any/All
Requirements: VentureCrushFG strongly prefers more than one full-time founder per company.
33. XRC Labs
Description: XRC Labs is an innovation accelerator for the next generation of disruptors in the retail and consumer goods sectors.
Sectors / Markets / Who they’re looking for: Retail and consumer goods.
Requirements: Referrals are ideal, so knowing an XRC Labs mentor increases your chances.
