NCUSC 2026 | NYC Innovation Summit & Cross-Border Startup Competition

The 3rd NCUSC brings founders, investors, and industry experts together at NYU's Vanderbilt Hall for a full day of keynotes, panels, live startup pitches, an awards ceremony, and a closing dinner. AGENDA 11:30 - 13:00 Doors open, check-in and open networking 13:00 - 13:40 Welcome remarks from the organizers, the school, and guests 13:40 - 14:30 Panel discussion 14:30 - 17:30 Startup pitches, coffee break and networking 17:30 - 18:00 Judges' remarks and awards ceremony 18:00 - 20:30 Closed-door dinner WHAT TO EXPECT Watch the finalist teams pitch live to a panel of investors and industry judges. Meet VCs, angel investors, founders, and senior operators across tech, finance, consumer, healthcare, and ESG. Networking runs all day, from check-in through the closing dinner. TICKETS Early Bird $39 (through October 5) / Regular $59 LAST YEAR At the 2nd edition on November 22, 2025, 60+ submissions were narrowed to 18 semifinalists and 8 finalist teams, who pitched to the judging panel and an audience of 400+. The event drew coverage from 600+ US and Chinese media outlets, including SMG News (Shanghai Media Group), AP News, NBC News, and CBS News. The 40+ judges and guests included Seamon Chan (Founding Partner, Palm Drive Capital) and Michael Zhao (Co-founder, QBayBoston). VENUE Vanderbilt Hall, NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012 Startup applications, judge and investor invitations, and volunteer recruitment are open. Contact: [email protected]