New York Global Entrepreneurs Program

The New York Global Entrepreneurs Program (NYGEP) aims to attract and retain highly trained international entrepreneurs within New York State. The mission of the program is to incentivize international entrepreneurs to launch innovative startups in New York, rather than taking their skills and knowledge elsewhere due to limitations on visa availability. NYGEP will offer new opportunities for international entrepreneurs in New York, boost the innovation economy, create jobs, and bolster the status of New York’s research universities.

NYGEP provides grants to selected universities, and/or affiliated not-for-profits, (the “grantees”) to support the establishment or, if applicable, expansion of Global Entrepreneurs in Residence (“GEIR”) Programs.

NYGEP provides grants to selected universities, and/or affiliated not-for-profits, (the “grantees”) to support the establishment or, if applicable, expansion of Global Entrepreneurs in Residence (“GEIR”) Programs. These programs will provide valuable, relevant part-time work opportunities as well as guidance, mentorship, and other support services, such as access to operating space, to international entrepreneurs who have committed to launching new business ventures within New York State (the “founders”).

In order to participate in NYGEP, the grantees, as H-1B visa cap-exempt employers, are expected to file an H-1B visa petition for each participating founder in their respective program. As sponsored employees, the founders will work for the grantees to share their expertise with students and venture communities as defined and determined by the grantee. [...]

Founders supported by the NYGEP program are also expected to maintain their business operations in New York for no fewer than three years following completion of the program.

The maximum grant amount to any single entity is **$1,500,000**. The grant term is **four years**. [...] Applicants are expected to provide at least a **25% cash match** to the grant, with higher cash matches receiving additional consideration.

Each successful grant recipient is required to provide financial and progress reports to ESD at minimum once per quarter.

All applications should be completed and submitted through the online application portal, **Submittable**. The application can be accessed at the following link, https://esd-nystar.submittable.com/submit/. Applications must be submitted no later than **2:00 PM ET on Thursday, November 19, 2026**.

Applications to NYGEP will be reviewed and scored by ESD. The maximum number of points any Application may receive is 100.

| Criteria | Points |
| --- | --- |
| Experience/Capacity | 30 |
| Budget | 20 |
| Leveraging Additional Resources & Ecosystem Engagement | 20 |
| Planning | 15 |
| Entrepreneur Identification, outreach, and selection processes | 15 |

The selected Respondent will be required to provide the following insurance (at a minimum and to the extent applicable):

• Commercial General Liability of **$1 million** per occurrence and **$2 million** in the aggregate;
• Professional Liability **$1 million**;
• Commercial Automobile insurance with a limit of not less than **$1 million** if using a vehicle in business.

Not-for-profit applicants must include in their application a partnership agreement (see *Exhibit A*) with an H-1B cap-exempt public or private institution of higher education.