Masterclass

Supporting early-stage New York State-based ventures with curated resources and benefits. NYU Future Labs 3-month incubator program

ELIGIBILITY

Early-stage founders with technology-enabled ventures registered or operating in New York State no earlier than October 1, 2020 or aspiring entrepreneurs looking to launch a tech-enabled venture in NY.

PROGRAM LENGTH

3 months; October-December

A committed community
Network is critical, and yours starts here. Grow your startup with founders at the same stage, learn from the brightest minds at a world-renowned university, and join the NYU Tandon community.
The latest in entrepreneurship
What do you need to know to succeed in the ‘new normal’? Get up-to-date information and time-tested strategies for growing your venture and making the most of opportunities in the new business landscape, whether you’re launching an online store or tech startup.
Insights from the experts
Tap into NYU Tandon’s expertise at the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship. Hear from founders, investors, and industry leaders on how to build and grow strong companies. Learn the pitfalls to avoid and new success strategies adapted to a new workforce and business environment.
Your company, your schedule
Meet your cohort once a week, virtually, for deep dives into syllabus topics. Stock up on skills and assigned custom-created video content on your own schedule, and learn how to pull together all the information to achieve your goals.
Entirely subsidized resources
Built on the foundation of NYU Tandon’s commitment to innovation and bolstered by the Reimagine Workforce Preparation grant, the Future Labs, through Keystone curates expertise, educational materials, and training at no cost to admitted participants.

FAQS

WHAT IS THE FUTURE LABS AND WHAT IS OUR UNIQUENESS?

The NYU Tandon Future Labs offer the businesses of tomorrow a network of innovation spaces and programs that support early-stage startups in New York City. The first public-private partnership with New York City, the Future Labs’ uniqueness is by creating incubation programs focused on increasing the success rate of new ventures by connecting ventures to NYU resources and research.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN COMPANIES ADMITTED TO MASTERCLASS?

We accept companies across Tandon's Areas of Excellence, such as - Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Data & Analytics, HealthTech, Smart Cities, and the intersections between them. We look for a strong product-market fit, a demonstrated commitment to the venture, and the expertise of the founding team as related to the mission. We also ensure our team and resources can be useful to the company.

HOW DO I KNOW THAT I AM A GOOD FIT FOR MASTERCLASS?

If your venture is in the vertical of one of Tandon’s Areas of Excellence and you are getting ready to launch your product, you will be a good fit for the program. Masterclass is built to make sure our companies will be ready and have the best knowledge to reach their next goal, from fundraising to product launching.

IF I WAS ACCEPTED INTO MASTERCLASS, AM I AUTOMATICALLY ACCEPTED INTO OTHER FUTURE LABS PROGRAMS?

Acceptance into Masterclass does not guarantee admittance to other Future Labs programs.

WHAT IS THE MASTERCLASS PROGRAM’S SCHEDULE?

While building your venture, we know that you are very busy. For that, we are aiming to keep the program open to self-construction while having a learning session once a month. Our startups will be asked to attend the monthly session and send a weekly company update to Masterclass’s team. We are committed to treating our founders with the respect and maturity that they deserve, so meeting schedules and milestones are determined together.

WHAT NYU RESOURCES DO YOU OFFER?

The value of NYU’s resources is largely dependent on each company. We connect founders to NYU faculty and staff. Through Masterclass, companies have access to NYU Tandon’s MakerSpace facility. Also available is access to data sets, model sets, and other similar resources.

WHAT ARE OTHER MASTERCLASS BENEFITS?

Masterclass companies are eligible to apply for the START-UP NY program, receive pro bono legal hours with Goodwin, up to $100K in Amazon Web Services, up to $100K for Google Cloud, up to $5K in credits for use at Twilio, and discounts with a range of services that startups find useful. This is an ever-expanding selection — we work with our founders to identify and offer perks that they need.

I APPLIED TO YOUR PROGRAM AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. WHAT’S THE STATUS OF MY APPLICATION?

Upon closing the application, we will contact all applicants regarding next steps. If in any case, you wish to contact us please email us - hello@futurelabs.nyc

IS MASTERCLASS VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON?

Masterclass is an in-person program and we do ask our companies to attend sessions in our space in Brooklyn (about 1 session per month). Also, we highly recommend all companies to be working from our working space and attend other Future Labs events.

WHAT DOES ‘NO COST’ MEAN?

We do not take equity or other compensation from selected ventures for participation in Catalyst. We are able to keep this a no-cost program thanks to strong support from NYU Tandon, our founding partner, and our other valuable supporters and sponsors.