Events

Ready to elevate your venture? With over $200k in prizes each year, this is your chance. Get started early; mentorship applications begin on November 1st, 2023. Main prize applications open on February 1st, 2024. Positivity, growth, and opportunity await. Let's dream big together!

Tsai CITY Startup Yale Orientation

In this event at the beautiful Pearl Alley Waterfront Bar, our 2023 Summer Fellows, their mentors, and other special guests will meet and mingle to gain valuable insights and advice for the projects and ventures they’re working on. The objectives for this session are:

Join us at Pier 17, Pearl Alley in New York City!

Networking@NYC with Yalies: Come Meet the Tsai CITY Summer Fellows

3:00-5:00 pm: Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Health or Education (

6:00-8:00 pm: New Haven Civic Innovation Prize

9:00-11:00 am:  Miller Prize & Sustainable Venture Prize

11:30 am - 1:30 pm: Rita Wilson Prize in Support of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health Technology

 (this will be held at the Yale School of Management in Zhang Auditorium)

2:30-4:30 pm: Yale Innovators Prize & Manolo Sanchez Prize

Come watch the 2023 Startup Yale pitches in person at Tsai CITY! The teams selected to pitch at Startup Yale are some of the most developed ventures and innovative projects in Yale’s Innovation Ecosystem. See what others are working on, connect with other Yale innovators, and vote for the best pitch for each of the Startup Yale prizes. Every prize will be awarded a $2,000 audience choice winner!

Stop by for food, drink, and fun at each Startup Yale pitch. We can’t wait to see you there! Please check the 

 website for detailed information and an overview of all prizes.

2023 Startup Yale

, taking place in-person at Tsai CITY on Thursday, March 30 and Friday, March 31. At this orientation, you will learn about the application process and all the different prizes! The Startup Yale team will be available to answer all your questions related to the application or the event itself. Come prepared with questions and big ideas! Refreshments will be provided.

Startup Yale Orientation

Join us to watch pitches from universities and colleges all around the state of Connecticut! 

You'll have the opportunity to see more than 10 student teams pitch for 5 minutes each. Teams will come from Fairfield University, Quinnipiac University, Southern Connecticut State University, Trinity College, University of Connecticut, University of New Haven, and Yale University.

See teams pitch, enjoy appetizers and drinks, and meet others in the Connecticut entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Connecticut Pitchoff

, for startups run by Yale students. The pitches will be from 

 in front of the Student Funding Coordinators.  Each team will have 5 minutes to pitch, and the two winners will receive $500. In addition to funding, the two winners will represent Tsai CITY and Yale at the CT Pitchoff on November 9th. 

If you would like to participate, please fill out this

 by October 12th. We will select 10 teams to participate and will let you know by the 14th if you have been selected.

Note: you have already received a Student Exploration Fund or Milestone Fund, this prize will be in addition to that funding.

For any questions or concerns, please contact us at 

Fall Pitch Competition

, Evangelist at Techstars, will be leading a workshop on how to build a network in the world of startups. Come ready to talk about networking, startups, and Techstars!

Previously, John was the VP of Network at Techstars and has been a key leader within Techstars. If you are interested in every participating in Techstars, this event should be quite helpful.

How to Build a Startup Network - John Hill from Techstars

April Koh, CEO and Co-founder of Spring Health will talk with Kyle Jensen, Associate Dean & Shanna and Eric Bass ’05 Director of Entrepreneurial Programs at Yale SOM, about her career as an entrepreneur, including embarking on that pathway while a Yale College student.

April Koh is the CEO and Co-founder of Spring Health, a comprehensive mental health benefit for employers. Spring Health is currently valued at more than $2B, and April was recently recognized by Forbes as the youngest woman to run a unicorn company. She has received honors from the American Psychiatric Association and has been featured in Crain's, Wall Street Journal, and National Quality Forum. She was named Forbes 30 Under 30 2018, a Goldman Sachs 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs in 2019, World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, and is a Yale Entrepreneurial Institute fellow.

Kyle Jensen is an entrepreneur, developer, and scientist. Before joining Yale SOM, he co-founded Agrivida, a venture-backed biotechnology company; PriorSmart, a patent analytics provider (acquired by RPX); and Pit Rho, maker of machine learning software for professional motorsports teams (acquired by GM). Kyle also worked previously at the non-profit PIPRA, helping universities in developing economies establish technology licensing offices and helping scientists commercialize their research. In addition to teaching, Kyle works with many Yale start-ups outside the classroom. His research interests include entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and innovation.

Light refreshments will be available at 9:30 am and the one-hour talk will begin promptly at 10:00 am.

Tsai CITY Talk with April Koh ‘16, Co-founder and CEO, Spring Health

Come watch the 2022 Startup Yale pitches in-person at Tsai CITY. The teams that are selected to pitch at Startup Yale are some of the most developed ventures and innovative projects in Yale’s Innovation Ecosystem. See what others at Yale are working on, connect with other Yale innovators, and vote for the best pitch for each of the Startup Yale prizes. Every prize will have a $500 audience choice winner.

For detailed information on Startup Yale, please go to 

Food & drink and fun giveaways will be provided at each watch party during Startup Yale. The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time. This is a mask optional event. For those who are uncomfortable and/or unvaccinated, please continue mask wearing. For more information on Yale’s mask guidance, 

5:30 pm-7:30 pm: New Haven Civic Innovation Prize

The New Haven Civic Innovation Prize awards up to $10,000 to the best student- or community-led venture or project focused on benefiting the City of New Haven. Join us for the New Haven Civic Innovation Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

9:00 am-11:00 am: Rita Wilson Prize Fund in Support of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Rita Wilson Prize Fund in Support of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a $10,000 cash prize awarded by InnovateHealth Yale to the best student-led venture focused on creating a technological solution to address a health disparity in the United States. Join us for the Rita Wilson Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

1:00 pm-3:00 pm: Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Public Health or Education

The Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Health or Education is a $25,000 cash prize awarded to the best student-led venture focused on social innovation in health or education for underserved communities in the United States or low-resource countries. Yale students Join us for the Thorne Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

The Miller Prize awards a $25,000 cash prize to a student-led venture working on innovative tech or tech-enabled solutions that has a definable go-to-market strategy. In addition to the potential prize money, the competition provides opportunities for mentorship, feedback, and networking. Join us for the Miller Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

9:00 am-11:00 am: Sustainable Venture Prize

The Sustainable Venture Prize, managed by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment, awards $25,000 to a promising student business venture that advances environmental sustainability. Join us for the Sustainable Venture Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

The Manolo Sanchez Prize awards $25,000 to a for-profit or non-profit student-led startup with the potential to help improve the financial health of the financially underserved. Join us for the Manolo Sanchez Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

The Yale Innovators Prize is a $15,000 cash prize awarded to the for-profit or non-profit startup that has the potential to produce the greatest impact (financially, socially, or otherwise). The Yale Innovators’ Prize is open to any project, campaign, solution, venture, or non-profit led by a current Yale student(s). Join us for the Yale Innovators Prize Watch Party (*The in-person watch parties are only open to the Yale community at this time).

Startup Yale 2022 Watch Parties

Share your brilliant idea with the world—whether you need team members, feedback, or you just want to practice presenting and test out a nascent idea risk-free. All ideas are welcome and wanted, regardless of how fleshed out, feasible, or funky they are. Test the concept for your someday TED talk, share your secret theory, pitch your unfundable-but-the-world-needs-it business ideas, found a support group, bare your soul—get creative.

This pitch slam is a safe (virtual) space to nourish new ideas. In-the-moment epiphanies are highly encouraged. But make it quick: the three-minute time limit will be strictly enforced!

Want to pitch? Sign up to pitch your idea here: 

Students from all backgrounds and disciplines are welcome!

Pitch Slam

If you're looking to meet other innovators, founders, or creators at Yale, you've come to the right place.

Innovator Team Meetups are for you to bounce ideas off others, find potential co-founders, or just be inspired by what others are creating at Yale. 

Whatever stage your innovation is in, you'll have a place to chat at Innovator Teams Meetups. 

Due to Yale's COVID-19 restrictions, Innovator Team Meetups are only available to those allowed on Yale's campus.

Matt Gira

Events