Apex

Veterans Future Lab is an incubator dedicated to ventures led by veterans and military spouses. Its 9-month, no-cost Apex program provides mentorship, support, and resources needed to start and grow high-impact companies

Eligibility

Pre-seed companies with at least 1 veteran/military spouse founder

Program Length

9 months: September 2025 - June 2026; Applications due July 20, 2025

Deadline

July 20, 2025

What Sets Us Apart

Save Your Equity

Our program is equity free and no cost. Save your equity for future investors and employees.

Open Door to NYU’s Resources

We make every effort to connect our companies to New York University’s formidable resources — from its globally recognized faculty to its student talent, data sets, and more — however they would best support a startup’s growth.

Exclusive Desk Space

Up to two founders in each venture receive free space for the duration of the 9-month program.

Credit-Based Internship Program

NYU consistently attracts high-caliber students, and we bring them in as interns to select companies for academic credit-based internships.

Program Benefits

Prototyping Resources
Apex ventures have access to prototyping expertise and, supported by student interns, the 10,000 square-foot MakerSpace at NYU Tandon's Brooklyn campus.
A Real Community
Unlike coworking spaces of non-curated companies and individuals, the Veterans Future Lab offers a community of veterans and military spouses who are invested in each others' success.
Up to $200,000 in In-Kind Benefits
Startups in our programs receive perks like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform credits, pro bono legal hours with Goodwin, and more.
Access to NYU Faculty Expertise & Student Talent
If you’re looking to work with some of the world’s brightest minds, we can help. VFL connects founders with NYU Tandon faculty and for-credit internship opportunities with NYU Tandon undergraduate students.
Access to START-UP NY
Companies enrolled in Apex can apply for this New York State incentive, which grants tax-free status to startups participating in our program.
Dedicated Attention
Because Apex accepts a limited number of companies per cohort, you'll receive focused attention from our team.

FAQs

What do you look for in companies admitted to Apex?

We accept companies across a wide range of industries. We look for strong product-market fit, a demonstrated commitment to the venture, and the expertise of the founding team as related to the mission. We make sure our team and resources can be of use to the company.

If I was accepted into the Veterans Entrepreneurship Training (VET) program, am I automatically accepted into Apex?

Several VET graduates have joined the Apex incubator program, and we strongly encourage this. However, acceptance into one of our past or upcoming VET programs does not guarantee admittance to the Apex incubator program.

What NYU resources do you offer?

The value of NYU’s resources are largely dependent on each company. We connect founders to NYU faculty and staff. The NYU Future Labs also run a for-credit internship program, where companies have the opportunity to recruit NYU Tandon undergraduate students to work on specific projects in return for academic credit. Through the VFL, 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 Apex benefits?

Apex 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 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 from the VFL. What’s the status of my application?

Upon submitting your application, you should receive a confirmation email. If you have not received this confirmation, please email us (vfl@nyu.edu).

Is Apex virtual or in-person?

Apex is primarily in-person and offers founders use of our Downtown Brooklyn offices. Some programming is provided virtually.

What does ‘no cost’ mean?

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