CRITERIA & FAQ: FOR FOUNDERS APPLYING
The Lab recruits women-led, B2B, early to growth-stage startups where access to senior-level executives at leading retailers & brands could have a meaningful impact on the company's growth prospects. Each year’s retail & brand partners ultimately select the cohort. Companies selected for the Lab must participate during key program dates.
Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
3D
AR/VR
Artificial Intelligence
Blockchain
Business Intelligence
Circular Economy
Consumer Insights
CRM
Customer Experience
Data/Analytics
Delivery
Design Innovation
Digital Innovation
Digital Collectibles
Digital Display
Digital Product Passport
Discovery
Fit-Tech
Forecasting/Predictions
Fulfillment
Gaming
Immersive Experiences
In-Store Experience
Inventory Management
IoT/Connected Product
Livestream Shopping
Logistics
Loyalty
Machine Learning
Manufacturing Solutions
Marketing
Mass Customization
Merchandising
Mobile Interaction
Omni-channel
Payment Solutions
Personalization
Point of Sale
Production
Return Solutions
RFID
Robotics
Security
SKU Intelligence
Smart Fabrics
Social Commerce
Supply Chain
Sustainability
Traceability
UGC
Virtual Fashion
Virtual Reality
Visual Commerce
Visual Recognition
Visual Search
Wearable Technology
Web3
FAQ
What is the NY Fashion Tech Lab?
The NY Fashion Tech Lab is a 501(c)(3) non-profit program founded by Springboard Enterprises. The Lab runs one program a year, during which the Lab connects a selected cohort of women-led, retail tech-focused, technology companies with leading retailers and brands, fostering iteration, validation, and acceleration of technologies to advance the industry.
These connections are made through a competitive process where the retailers, brands, and program partners review submissions, and select six to ten women-led companies to join the program. The Lab does not invest or take equity.
What are the key dates for the program?
Please see Key Dates HERE
What are the basic requirements to apply?
Company must be women-led, meaning there must be a female founder or co-founder OR woman on the management team with significant equity stake. She will serve as the lead representative for the company and will be the participant and the point of contact for the program. Please have this company representative complete the application.
The Lab is open to any innovation at the intersection of fashion, retail, and technology. Our fashion and retail partners want to see companies pioneering technology solutions from the list above.
Companies must (at a minimum) have a robust, functional beta and possess a solid founding team with one technical member.
What stage of companies does the Lab focus on?
The NYFTLab focuses on early to growth-stage B2B companies with at least a beta technology/product, especially those which will benefit from the senior access and relationships at the Lab's participating retail institutions.
We are also interested in growth-stage companies that have a product being deployed outside fashion retail that are interested in entering the fashion retail vertical.
Is there a fee for applying or joining the program?
There is a $100 non-refundable application fee to apply. This ensures the quality of review by our team and senior decision-making executives of our Lab Partners.
For those companies accepted into the program, there is a $2,500 participation fee.
We do not currently live in the United States. Can we still apply?
International companies may apply, as you do not have to be based in New York to participate and many of our alumni are from outside the US. The majority of the meetings/sessions can be attended virtually. However, participants will need to be available in New York for key program dates, these dates will be shared with you in advance. Finally, you must be able to obtain visas on your own if/when needed. The NYFTLab will not sponsor visas.
We have applied to the NY Fashion Tech Lab before. Can we apply again?
Yes, previous applicants are welcome to apply again. The application includes a question about any progress made since your last submission, so please be sure to address that.
Each year, we partner with different retailers and work with different representatives from our various partners. In addition, the needs of our partners continually evolve, so we encourage you to apply again.
If our company is chosen for the NYFTLab, how long do we have to stay in New York City?
Participants will need to be available for key program sessions, the dates of these sessions will be shared with you in advance.
Our company has received funding already. Can we still apply to the NYFTLab?
Yes, you can apply to the program if you have received funding. Most applicants have received funding. Please be sure to include details regarding past rounds of financing on your application.
What if our company has concerns for competitive reasons about one or several of the participating fashion retailers reviewing our application?
Please note this concern in the "additional information" section at the end of the application along with the name of the company/fund(s) with which there is a potential conflict. That company/fund(s) will not have access to your application during the initial review process. However, they will have access to the elevator pitch and basic corporate info (i.e. company name, address, contact, etc).
What happens if we turn our application in late?
We cannot accept late applications under any circumstances.
Member(s) of senior management work for one of the participating organizations (Partnership Fund for NYC, Springboard Enterprises, a retail or fashion partner, venture capital portfolio company, etc.), can we still apply to the NYFTLab?
Yes, but you must disclose your affiliation on your application form.
What is the NYFTLab's policy regarding privacy and conflicts?
Please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Alumni Testimonials
Curated for You
“The New York Fashion Tech Lab served as a powerful platform for exposure, connecting us with large retailers that perfectly matched our ideal customer persona and introducing us to key fashion media outlets. What truly sets them apart is their genuine commitment to founder success – their authenticity and deep care for their entrepreneurs made the entire experience both productive and inspiring. “
Katy Aucoin, CEO, Curated for You
2024 Lab Company
Raspberry AI
“The NYFTLab immediately partnered us with 4 incredible brands/retailers, which would have taken us months to sell into. Every week we presented to an enterprise brand or had a conversation with a mentor who had been in the industry for 10-20 years. The deep network and level of exposure throughout, culminating with the big Demo Day, was incredible and I would recommend NYFTLab without hesitation to any founder.”
Cheryl Liu, CEO, Raspberry AI
2024 Lab Company
Flock AI
“The NYFTLab provided the perfect blend of tech insight and fashion industry know-how. The collaborative environment and access to industry leaders helped Flock refine its product and strategy. The relationships we built and the knowledge we gained continue to support our growth.”
Manvitha Mallela, CEO, Flock AI
2024 Lab Company
Yofi
“The NYFTLab is hands down the best program out there. Not only is it beneficial from a client pipeline building, but you get one on one time with c-level executives and more. This program is once in a lifetime!”
Alex Shamir, Co-Founder & COO, Yofi
2024 Lab Company
Sociate AI
"The NYFTLab program acclerated Sociate business development by approximately 12 months in 12 short weeks- opening doors we could only dream of. The efficient structure of the program, the way it raises your profile, combined with the most outstanding expert network has been transformative."
Yasmin Topia, CEO, Sociate AI
2023 Lab Company
Nectar AI
“The New York Fashion Tech Lab was a super valuable resource to connect with the retailers & brands at an earlier stage which is immensely helpful in supercharging an AI startup like ours. I was also able to connect with other amazing women founders!”
Misbah Uraizee, CEO, Nectar AI
2024 Lab Company
Hue
"The New York Fashion Tech Lab was such a helpful program for us! It was amazing to connect with global brands, retailers and advisors that we wouldn't have met without NYFTLab…
Highly recommend!"
Sylvan Guo, Co-Founder & COO, Hue
2023 Lab Company
PSYKHE AI
"The New York Fashion Tech Lab was a pivotal experience which augmented our commerciality and boosted our go-to-market experience ten-fold!"
Anabel Maldonado, CEO & Founder, PSYKHE
2023 Lab Company
Sparkbox
"As a European business expanding to America for the first time, NYFTLab was the perfect way for us to meet new customers, a local expert network, and supportive peers. The program was incredibly organised with events that thoughtfully considered how to truly drive value for both startups and NYFTLab's retail partners."
Lindsay Fisher, Co-founder, Sparkbox
2023 Lab Company
TYB
"The New York Fashion Tech Lab provided a wonderful experience to meet senior leaders across the industry that are ready and willing to help."
Breana Teubner, COO, TYB
2023 Lab Company
VLGE
“The tempo in the NYFTLab is strong and there is no time to waste! It was the perfect timing for VLGE (FKA Digital Village) to participate. It was an amazing experience.”
Evelyn Mora, Founder, VLGE
2022 Lab Company
DRESSX
“We can’t thank the NYFTLab enough for the program, it was so helpful and well organized. We were excited to participate and the program definitely exceeded our initial expectations.”
Daria Shapovalova, Co-Foudner, DRESSX
2022 Lab Company
Squadded
“NYFTLab provided us the opportunity to develop our business in the US and to meet some of the leading retailers. This contributes to the market validation we always seek as a start-up and is a real step in our journey.”
Elysa Kahn, Co-Founder, Squadded
2022 Lab Company
Window
“It was an opportunity to learn everything we needed to know about personalization technology, sustainability, customer strategy, and more from the best in the industry. I’m grateful to have been in the excellent company of like-minded founders and brilliant companies.”
Oladoyin Oladapo, Founder, Window
2022 Lab Company
Reflekt me
“The lab is transformative. Not only are you inspired on a daily basis by the intelligence and grit within your cohort, but you are in constant contact with some of the smartest people in retail and technology.”
Tope Mitchell, CEO, Reflekt Me
2021 Lab Company
Save Your Wardrobe
“The NY Fashion Tech Lab was an incredible experience where we not only got the chance to meet and learn from other inspiring female founders, but also with a network of women entrepreneurs with a wealth of knowledge and expertise.”
Hasna Kourda, CEO, Save Your Wardrobe
2021 Lab Company
Obsess
“NYFTLab was immensely valuable. We met our first customer through the Lab partner brands and also met investors for our first round through the lab’s network. We felt so fortunate to have gotten accepted into the class and to have had the opportunity to go through the program.”
Neha Singh, Co-Founder, Obsess
2017 Lab Company
StyleSage
“NYFTLab and its retail partners embraced StyleSage and our grand vision to empower creativity with data when we were only 7 months old. This was the Launchpad that jump-started everything for us. Today, our clients include some of the biggest names in the world, collectively representing -$30BN of the market. “
Jade Huang, Co-Founder, StyleSage
2014 Lab Company
Trendalytics
“When we started with the NYFTLab in mid 2014 we had one customer on board. Just a year later we had over 25. A lot of them are some of the biggest names in the industry, Fortune 500 retailers. One of our top customers was one of the NYFTLab partners. I never would have pitched them.”
Karen Moon, Co-Founder, Trendalytics
2014 Lab Company