New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced the selection of 75 early-stage startups, comprising of 119 founders and co-founders from across New York City, to participate in the fourth installment of the Founder Fellowship program. Since its launch in 2022, the program has empowered entrepreneurs and accelerated their business growth in New York City and beyond, by expanding their access to industry connections, venture capital and grant funding, mentorship, business development, and other opportunities necessary to build and scale their innovative enterprises.
Following three successful cohorts in 2022, 2023, and 2024, this year NYCEDC’s investment in the Founder Fellowship is resulting in nearly $1 million in capital commitments from its private sector partners, which will be invested across select startups in the 2025 program.
“Since its launch in 2022, the Founder Fellowship program has been instrumental in driving the equitable growth of NYC’s tech startup ecosystem, while generating enormous economic impact throughout the five boroughs,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. “NYCEDC is proud to continue this important work with a new class of 75 exceptional early-stage startups, working with our cohort partners to help this diverse community of founders access funding opportunities, industry networks, and other resources to scale their enterprises across New York City and beyond.”
