Some of Newlab’s most successful member companies emerged from the halls of a university. Academic institutions breed ambition, curiosity and experimentation—they offer support for startups at the concept stage. Newlab is partnering with universities across New York City to make sure that support doesn’t stop at graduation. 

This fall, NYU, Cornell Tech, Columbia University, and CUNY are each opening a direct pathway for nominated founding teams into Newlab's place-based commercialization ecosystem. 

Through specific programs and departments at each institution, eligible founders may receive one complimentary year of Newlab membership as they move beyond university entrepreneurship and venture programs. While partners nominate founders for consideration, Newlab retains final approval authority. 

A membership unlocks technical infrastructure, hands-on support from Newlab’s Product Realization team, and 24/7 access to shared workspace at Newlab Brooklyn. Selected founders will also get preferred admission to Newlab-hosted events, introduction to industry partners and investor networks, and access to Newlab’s expansive international platform across Brooklyn, Detroit, New Orleans, and Riyadh. 

“This partnership gives founders a clear way to stay in New York and keep building. They've proven the concept, and now they can carry that momentum straight into building a product, a team, and a company,” said Michelle Brechtelsbauer, Vice President of Strategy, Newlab. 

“We're proud to join Newlab to give Columbia founders across disciplines a launchpad to solve complex problems. Universities have a critical role to play in mission-driven innovation, and we’re thrilled to actively support the robust ecosystem of world-class organizations like Newlab in New York City and beyond.” said Alexis Abramson, Dean, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University

“The Runway Startups Program at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech is thrilled to partner with Newlab to support more startup founders building great academic startups and delivering impact from the lab to the market. Our long-standing partnership with Newlab has allowed our startups to remain in New York City, creating great technologies and fueling the tech jobs of the future.” said Fernando Gómez-Baquero Ph.D., Director of Runway and Spinouts, Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute.

"We're proud to partner with Newlab, giving NYU founders a home in New York City to commercialize the critical technologies coming out of our labs. Newlab is one of the best places to build in energy, mobility, climate, and advanced manufacturing, and its community of founders, engineers, and investors is exactly the environment NYU's researchers need to move breakthroughs out of the lab and into the industries that depend on them." — Frank Rimalovski, Executive Director, NYU Leslie Entrepreneurial Institute

"Newlab is an important partner in connecting New York’s extraordinary research capabilities with the entrepreneurs, industry relationships, capital, and commercialization pathways needed to bring new technologies to market. By combining Newlab’s deep-tech ecosystem with the scientific expertise and research facility infrastructure at CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC), we can help founders de-risk innovation, accelerate commercialization, and build the next generation of technology companies here in New York.” said Tavis Ezell, Managing Director, Industry Partnerships, CUNY-ASRC.

Institutional collaboration is fundamental. This strategic collaboration gives incentive to the next generation of New York City founders with big ideas. Meanwhile, expanding Newlab Brooklyn’s community keeps pace with the evolving frontier of critical technology. By forging a faster path to commercialization between Newlab and NYC universities, founders can turn an idea into a reality without having to leave the city that helped spark it.