The NYUAD Entrepreneurship Program (NYUADEP) by startAD, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub anchored in NYUAD, fosters entrepreneurial thinking and innovation across the NYUAD community by offering transformative learning experiences, mentorship, and exposure. Over 5 editions, the program has grown 90 NYUAD student-led startups, with close to 500 NYUAD community members benefiting from its workshops, bootcamps and incubator program.
The NYUAD Entrepreneurship Incubator Program (NYUADEIP), with support from Google.org, is designed for NYUAD students who are using AI to tackle social challenges. Running from January to April 2027, the program guides a selected cohort of AI-enabled startups from prototype toward launch. Participants learn customer discovery, prototyping with AI, go-to-market strategy and investor pitching, with coaching from experienced founders, investors and industry leaders.
The program culminates in a public Pitch Day, where teams present their ventures to a jury of investors and industry experts and compete for prizes of up to AED 15,000.
Who It’s For
The Incubator is a standalone program with its own application and selection. Places are limited.
Early-stage, technology-based ventures
Readiness to validate beyond ideation
Commitment to attend the full program
A prototype or MVP (prioritized)
Teams of at least two members (individuals are also considered; teams are prioritized)
At least one NYUAD student as a core team member
Ventures using AI to address a real social, environmental or economic challenge
Took part in NYUADEP Fall AY26-27? You’ve explored, validated and built.
The Incubator is your next step to take that concept further. Fall participation is not required to apply.
What You’ll Gain
- Personalized coaching on your business model, pricing and financials from people who have built and backed startups
- Hands-on workshops built around real founder use cases
- A working AI prototype, tested with real users
- An investor-ready pitch deck, reviewed and checked by investors
- Fireside chats with founders and industry leaders, and connections that last beyond the program
- Practice and pitch in front of investors and the wider NYUAD community
- A chance to win prizes of up to AED 15,000 at Pitch Day
- Recognition through LinkedIn-verified certificates
How the Program Works
01 | Problem & Customer
Bootcamp weekend
Test your social problem with the people it affects, and shape a business model around what they actually need.
02 | Prototype
Self-paced
Use AI tools to build a working prototype and put it in front of real users, at your own pace.
03 | Market & Money
Workshops & one-to-one coaching
Work out how you’ll reach customers, what to charge and what your numbers need to look like.
04 | Pitch
Pitch workshops + Pitch Day
Sharpen your story with investor feedback, then pitch for prizes of up to AED 15,000.
Throughout the semester | Fireside Chats
Hear directly from founders and industry leaders about what it takes to build and grow a startup,
and make connections that last beyond the program.
Sessions run Tue, Jan 26 to Thu, Apr 22, 2027, and are planned around your academic calendar
with a mix of in-person, online and self-paced learning.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
Spring 2026 Cohort
Meet last year’s founders.
The Spring 2026 cohort brought together 11 student startups from NYU Abu Dhabi, working across 7+ sectors including MedTech, EdTech, FinTech, Cybersecurity, Agentic AI, Productivity Tools, and Construction Tech. Founders came from disciplines spanning Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Interactive Media, and Business, representing some of the most innovative ideas coming out of NYUAD.
11
startups
40
founders and team members
20+
nationalities
First Prize
AED 10,000
Agility Innovation Award
Twynable
Twynable is an AI-powered digital twin platform for facility management.They unify BIM models, sensor data, and operational records into a single spatial building model: adding a layer of intelligence that transforms fragmented data into proactive, actionable insights.
Second Prize
AED 7,500
Colleged
Colleged is a global P2P marketplace connecting high school students with verified mentors at top universities, democratizing elite college admissions guidance at 1/10th the cost of traditional agencies.
Audience Choice Prize
AED 2,500
Lemma Education
Lemma Education is an AI-powered voice-interactive math learning platform that helps make student thinking visible. Students solve problems on a digital canvas while explaining their reasoning out loud and receive feedback as they work through each step.
Speakers: Abhyudaya Goyal and Fatima Alyafei
Food and refreshments will be provided
Food and refreshments will be provided
Latest News & Events
The second-prize winning project Colleged is a marketplace connecting high school students with university students who offer admissions counselling and tutoring at affordable rates
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- May 21, 2025
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- November 1, 2024
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