Endless Frontier Labs (EFL) is a structured, goal-oriented mentorship program that gives founders the resources, support, and guidance to optimize their chances for success. Over the course of the 9-month program, we host 5 Meeting Days (3 virtual and 2 in-person at NYU Stern in New York City) spaced 6-8 weeks apart, where founders set goals with their mentors and prioritize tasks between sessions.

EFL's mission is educational. Four features set us apart:

• We don't take any equity or charge any fees. We are an academic, non-profit initiative of NYU Stern

• The 9-month timeline gives founders ample time to set meaningful milestones and make real progress toward building a high-growth company.

• Our mentorship is performance-driven: at each Meeting Day, mentors work with founders to set concrete goals, and progress on those goals shapes the next session.

• Founders are encouraged to participate in other accelerators or programs simultaneously, as long as they disclose their involvement. We're additive, not exclusive.

EFL provides structure and accountability for startups by setting goals at each Meeting Day. Founders meet with a rotating group of mentors and together agree on 3 priority goals for the next 6-8 weeks. Goals are specific, measurable, and tied to the next milestone the company needs to hit (e.g., closing a customer, completing a key experiment, or finalizing a fundraising deck). At the following Meeting Day, the founder reports back on progress, and the cycle repeats.

Startups can raise funds at any point during the program, and all financing decisions sit outside of EFL's purview. That said, founders gain access to a deep network of seed-stage and Series A investors and angels through our mentor network. While mentors are under no obligation to invest, many do so or make warm introductions to outside investors originating from relationships built in the program. Since 2019, EFL graduates have collectively raised over $3 billion at a combined valuation north of $8.5 billion.

The startup's CEO is required to attend all five Meeting Days (3 virtual and 2 in-person in NYC), each of which runs roughly a full working day. Between Meeting Days, founders work with their assigned Stern MBA team on the goals set by mentors, with cadence and intensity determined by the founder and the team together. Founders are also welcome to join EFL workshops with our corporate partners covering legal, IP, banking, cloud infrastructure, and more.

Frontiers is EFL's capstone event, held each May, where the graduating cohort presents to an invited audience of investors, corporate partners, alumni, scientists, and members of the NYC entrepreneurial ecosystem. The program includes founder presentations across all four tracks, panels, and structured networking with mentors and investors.

We have a broad definition of early-stage. Some companies join us straight out of a university lab; others have already closed seed rounds and are looking to raise a large Series A. Any startup from Pre-Seed to Series A could be a good fit. We do require that the company be formally incorporated and have at least one full-time member driving the business forward. What matters more than stage is the team's readiness to set concrete commercial milestones and execute on them.

Our definitions are broad and our goal is to bring in the best startups with the most exciting technologies. Across all four tracks, we look for companies whose competitive advantage rests on an innovative core technology they are looking to commercialize, rather than primarily on execution.

• Life Sciences: startups working on breakthroughs in biology, medicine, and healthcare.

• Deep Tech: startups developing technologies in the physical and material sciences.

• Digital Tech: startups leveraging advances in software, data, AI, and machine learning.

• Digital Health: startups applying digital and AI-enabled technologies to improve health and wellbeing.

If you are unsure which track your startup fits into, please indicate your preference in your application and we will make a final determination after reviewing all applications in August.

No, any startup from anywhere in the world can apply. No prior connection to NYU is required, and most of our admitted founders have none.

No, we have had solo founders successfully complete the program. The key is that they are technically strong and able to execute on the advice provided by the mentors.

We believe that combining top scientists with elite business advice yields exceptional results. Our program works best when the core team includes technical talent, but a strong business founder with the right technical partner is equally welcome. The combination we look for is bold science backed by the business judgment to commercialize it.

Applications are open on our website from mid-May through the end of July. Top applicants are invited to interview virtually during the first week of September. Admission decisions and orientation take place in mid-September, with the first virtual Meeting Day held in October.

If you're viewing this page between August and mid-May, the application portal is closed for the current cycle. The best ways to stay in touch are to subscribe to our newsletter, attend an upcoming info session, or follow us on LinkedIn for cycle announcements.

MBA students are paired with each admitted startup and are there to help solve known and unknown business problems for their CEO. At a minimum, MBA teams complete structured assignments tied to the goals set by mentors, typically covering go-to-market strategy, market research, fundraising prep, customer discovery, and competitive analysis.

In practice, MBA students often go well beyond the required work by leveraging their networks to make introductions to major companies, accompanying founders to industry conferences, and joining high-stakes investor and partner meetings.

Our mentor network includes over 170 serial entrepreneurs, scientific and technical experts, and venture capital and angel investors. Many have founded and exited multiple companies; others are recognized leaders in their scientific fields. The full list is published on our Mentors page.

Mentors are not paid. They participate because they believe in the EFL mission and want to support the next generation of frontier-tech founders.

EFL takes no equity, no IP rights, and no licensing claims of any kind in participating startups. Mentors and Stern MBA students are bound by confidentiality expectations as part of their participation. We also connect founders with pro bono legal counsel from our partner law firms for questions on IP, equity structuring, and other early-stage legal matters.

Graduation isn't the end of the relationship. EFL alumni retain access to the broader EFL network, are featured in our newsletters and on our Startups page, and are regularly invited back to future Meeting Days and Frontiers events.

Email us at info@endlessfrontierlabs.com. We host info sessions throughout the application window, with dates posted on our Info Sessions page.