Endless Frontier Labs graduates 74 startups

NYU Stern said this week that its Endless Frontier Labs program graduated 74 startups from its 2025-2026 cohort, giving a fresh snapshot of where university-linked early-stage backing is flowing in science and technology. The announcement, published May 12, said the companies came through four tracks: digital tech, deep tech, life sciences and digital health. NYU Stern said the group was recognized at Frontiers 2026, the program’s annual capstone event, held May 7 in New York. ### Why is this more than a routine accelerator graduation? Endless Frontier Labs said the current class matters partly because of scale. NYU Stern said the program has operated for eight years and that 243 graduates have raised $3.20 billion, while 186 graduates have reached a combined value of $9.14 billion. The school also said the accelerator takes no equity and charges no fees, a structure it presents as founder-friendly. (stern.nyu.edu) The program itself is a nine-month accelerator focused on “massively-scalable” science and deep-technology startups, according to NYU Stern’s program page. That page says founders work with business mentors, investors and scientific experts, including people tied to NYU’s Courant Institute, Langone and Tandon. ### Which companies got the clearest financial endorsement? (stern.nyu.edu) NYU Stern said three graduates received backing from the Elizabeth Elting Venture Fund: Exodys Energy in deep tech, AOA Dx in life sciences and Swing Therapeutics in digital health. The school said the fund support came from Elizabeth Elting, an NYU Stern alumna, with support from Stan Moss, another Stern alumnus and executive board member. (stern.nyu.edu) The three companies point to very different commercial targets. NYU Stern said Exodys Energy is building a modular nuclear fuel recycling facility, AOA Dx is working on early ovarian cancer detection and Swing Therapeutics offers an FDA-cleared digital therapy for chronic pain. Those are the most specific company-level details NYU Stern disclosed in its graduation announcement. (stern.nyu.edu) ### Where does the Elting fund fit inside Stern’s startup system? Elizabeth Elting’s relationship with the school predates this year’s awards. NYU Stern said in a 2019 announcement that Elting made a $5 million gift to the school and that part of that commitment would provide seed capital to 20 women-led businesses through the Elizabeth Elting Venture Fund. The school said at the time that the fund would work in conjunction with Endless Frontier Labs. (stern.nyu.edu) That longer timeline helps explain why this year’s backing is notable. The May 2026 announcement describes the fund as backing “women-centric ventures,” linking the current awards to the original purpose NYU Stern laid out when it announced Elting’s gift. ### What does this say about health-tech and diagnostics startups in the cohort? (stern.nyu.edu) AOA Dx and Swing Therapeutics are the clearest health-related examples named in the announcement. NYU Stern said AOA Dx is focused on early ovarian cancer detection, placing it in the diagnostics category, while Swing Therapeutics is developing software-based treatment for chronic pain and is already described by the school as FDA-cleared. (stern.nyu.edu) The broader cohort also included life sciences and digital health as two of its four formal tracks. NYU Stern did not publish a full breakdown by sector in the material reviewed here, but the named winners show the program continuing to channel attention toward clinical tools, diagnostic workflows and software-led care models alongside hard-tech projects such as nuclear fuel recycling. That framing is an inference from the sectors and company descriptions NYU Stern provided. (stern.nyu.edu) ### What happens next for the graduating companies? Frontiers 2026 was the public milestone for this cohort, but the next steps are company-specific. NYU Stern said the accelerator is built around measurable milestones, investor access and continued business support rather than an equity stake. For the three funded startups, the immediate next marker is the backing already disclosed by the Elizabeth Elting Venture Fund; for the broader 74-company class, the next public updates are likely to come from fundraising, clinical, product or commercial milestones announced by the startups themselves. (stern.nyu.edu)