Newlab’s Founder Fellowship is returning for a fifth year. In collaboration with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC)’s Venture Access NYC initiative, Bank of America, and Gunderson Dettmer, Newlab will be supporting a cohort of 15 critical technology startups founded by those from underrepresented backgrounds with the resources they need to scale their companies. 

Fellows will gain access to practical resources through hands-on workshops, connections to industry leaders, and one-on-one mentoring to help address their specific challenges, business development, and pilot and investment opportunities, including the opportunity to receive up to $75,000 investment from Newlab. Each founder will also benefit from a year-long membership at Newlab Brooklyn guaranteeing strong collaboration and community, prototyping workshops, and key connections to investors for fundraising support.

“The Founder Fellowship channels the energy and ambition that define New York,” said Michelle Brechtelsbauer VP of Strategy at Newlab. “Through access to community, capital, and mentorship we’re helping founders turn ambitious ideas into critical technologies that fuel economic growth in the city and across the globe.”

The Founders Fellowship is a key component of NYCEDC’s Venture Access NYC initiative, which was created to build a more inclusive tech startup ecosystem in New York City by connecting investors, founders, and industry leaders.

"Newlab has been a fantastic and longstanding partner in NYCEDC's ongoing entrepreneurship efforts, sharing the vision to help diverse founders across New York City scale and grow through the Founder Fellowship program," said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) Executive Vice President, Innovation Industries Jonathan Schulhof. "As we kick off the fifth year of this program, NYCEDC is proud to continue this partnership with Newlab to foster equitable growth in the city's innovation ecosystem, and we wish the best of luck to the 2026 incoming cohort!"

We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Bank of America. Their focus on transformative tech and unparalleled reach will help to expedite the progress made by each of the selected founders, increasing their potential to make a real-world difference.

"Bank of America is pleased to continue its partnership with Newlab and NYCEDC’s Venture Access NYC initiative. As a leading financial force in NYC with a focus on Emerging Tech, our support for emerging tech companies is core to our mission as the #1 bank for small businesses in the US," said Cathleen Callahan, Northeast Region Executive at Bank of America.

This year, Gunderson Dettmer is joining as a new partner of the Founder Fellowship.  This collaboration reflects their commitment to supporting innovation and fostering a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem by empowering up and coming founders alongside Newlab’s mission to accelerate innovation and commercialize climate tech solutions. Gunderson Dettmer’s deep legal experience and decades of supporting startups will be invaluable as their team provides our cohort with hands-on support to grow and scale their companies.  

“Gunderson Dettmer is pleased to announce its partnership with Newlab for the 2026 Founder Fellowship program. This collaboration underscores the firm’s commitment to supporting innovation and building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, while advancing Newlab’s mission to accelerate innovation and bring climate and deep tech solutions to market,” said Neil Toomey, Corporate Partner at Gunderson Dettmer.

The selection committee is comprised of the following representatives:

• Newlab: Sydnee Grushack - Senior Director; Damiano Salvatori, Ph.D. - Technical Program Manager; Sammie Hasen - Ventures Team Associate 
• NYCEDC: Daria Siegel - Senior Vice President; Erin Lee - Project Manager
• Bank of America: Farai Sanyangore – Market Executive, Senior Vice President; Debra Barry - Market Executive, Senior Vice President
• Gunderson Dettmer LLP: Neil Toomey - Partner

Applications are open now through December 31, 2025 and the program activities will start in March of 2026. Apply here.

‍

About Founder Fellowship 

Newlab’s Founder Fellowship will provide sponsored Newlab memberships and tailored founder support to critical technology companies led by founders from underrepresented backgrounds to support diversity and inclusiveness in race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, thought, culture, and economic experience.

Fellows will be awarded a 12-month membership (valid for two hot seats with lab access), which offers access to Newlab’s 84,000 square foot space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Newlab’s extensive global platform, and resources that support business growth, including:

‍

Business Development, Pilot & Investment Opportunities 

Newlab collaborates with and invests alongside top-tier funds with deep domain expertise—with an investor and partner network of over 400 organizations, including AlleyCorp, Activate, and New York Angels. Newlab frequently connects member companies with corporate and civic partners for business development opportunities and offers pilot opportunities through our commercialization projects and programs. Founders will also benefit from a direct connection to our investment team and access to investment opportunities.

This year, Newlab will make an investment of at least $75k across one or more startups participating in the Founder Fellowship program.

Additionally, founders will enjoy hands-on business and personal financial planning assistance from our program partner, Bank of America, as well as discounts on software and services.

‍

Collaboration & Community

With a peer community of over 250 high-velocity critical technology companies scaling transformative technology, Newlab encourages an environment of cross-functional collaboration and knowledge-sharing, with members regularly collaborating on new products. Fellows will receive highly curated one-on-one opportunities to meet mentors, investors, customers, partners, and talent.

Newlab also helps Founder Fellows navigate legal, marketing, fundraising, and offers skills-building events, workshops, office hours, and networking-focused gatherings.

Founders will also have access to the many high-profile events hosted at Newlab, such as New Climate Futures and Critical Mass. 

‍

Prototyping & Product Realization

Newlab provides access to  labs and shops for prototyping and product realization. Members have 24-hour access to facilities  containing state-of-the-art equipment designed to facilitate the product development workflow, from idea to design to a working prototype. Onsite prototyping resources include 3D printing, CNC milling, wood and metal shops, wet labs, casting and finishing, textiles, electronics, and more.

We encourage early-stage companies founded by entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds that are working on urban tech solutions to apply. Examples of urban tech solutions include transformative technologies applied to climate change, energy, circular economy, govtech, public health, safety, mobility, transportation, agriculture, water, infrastructure, and accessibility.

‍

About Newlab

Newlab is a venture platform for critical technology startups transforming core industrial sectors. We help startups commercialize faster by aligning Infrastructure, Commercialization Projects, and Capital in locations with strategic advantages. Newlab operates 5 innovation hubs globally and manages active pilot programming in additional regions. To date, Newlab has partnered with over 50 industry and government leaders and has supported its 400+ member companies in raising over $5.8B from venture capital firms, with over $2.3B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $20B. Visit www.newlab.com to learn more. 

‍

About New York City Economic Development Corporation

New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. 

‍

About Bank of America 

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving nearly 70 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,600 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 59 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 4 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 

‍

About Gunderson Dettmer 

Gunderson Dettmer is the preeminent international law firm with an exclusive focus on the innovation economy. We serve market-leading venture capital and growth equity investors and pioneering private companies through inception, growth and maturity, as well as the groundbreaking public companies that result from the global venture capital ecosystem.

‍