Innovate and Create at the Leslie eLab

Aryan Govil graduated from NYU in 2024 with a major in Neuroscience from the College of Arts and Science. While still a student, he used the Leslie eLab to get his company, Synaptrix Labs, off the ground. At Synaptrix Labs Aryan and his team create brain–computer interface technologies to empower individuals with paralysis to live more independently. As a scientist and engineer, Aryan knew his subject well. He had a clear vision for what he wanted to create, the need for a company like Synaptrix Labs, and the impact it could make. However, when it came to running a business, he wasn’t sure where to start.

“How do you raise money from venture capitalists? How do you actually run a business and get customers and patients? What about establishing strategic relationships with hospitals and payers and distributors? I had no idea how to do any of that,” he says. That’s where the Leslie eLab came in. “I started going to every workshop they offered, which would normally be multiple times a week. Then, I applied to be part of the Startup Bootcamp program,” he recalls.

The Leslie eLab’s Startup Bootcamp is a part of the Startup Accelerator Program. Consisting of the Bootcamp, a Startup Sprint, and a Summer Launchpad, this program provides training, mentorship, and funding to NYU student founders like Aryan. “The Leslie eLab helped me become a better founder,” Aryan concludes. “I may have a great idea, but how can I take it to the next step and make it something really worthwhile? The help that they were able to offer was incredible.”

While working at a running store, Anja Westhues noticed a gap between the nutrition runners were looking for and what was available to them. That’s when she, a 2024 NYU graduate with a concentration in food and beverage marketing from NYU Gallatin School of Individualized Study, had the idea for Endure Sport Nutrition, a whole food–based fueling system for athletes. Today, with the help of the Leslie eLab, she’s grown that idea into a successful business. “I worked out of their space a lot,” she says. “It was great to be in an environment where everyone else is also working on a business of some kind.”

Like Aryan, Anja participated in both the Leslie eLab’s Startup Bootcamp and Startup Sprint. During the Sprint, she conducted more than 200 interviews with athletes around the nation. These customer interviews gave her insight into what athletes felt was missing in the world of endurance nutrition. She then created a product to fill that void.

“At a school as big as NYU, having that smaller, closer community through the Leslie eLab is really important,” Anja says. “The coaches are really great. They gave me the space and feedback I needed to make sure my product was something that stood out on the market. They ensured it was really rooted in a true need rather than just my observations.”

Karina Ghete is a junior studying psychology at the College of Arts and Science. She’s also the founder of the nonprofit organization MoneyWorks Club. Karina’s goal with the nonprofit is to “equip students with vital financial literacy skills and smooth the transition to personal financial stability through education, mentorship, and strategic planning.” She signed up for her first coaching session at the Leslie eLab during her sophomore year and was hooked.

“The coaching sessions provided by Leslie eLab have been invaluable,” Karina explains. “They helped me refine MoneyWorks by guiding me through creating a solid business model, defining a specific target audience, and understanding how to develop a compelling value proposition for my nonprofit. Their insights pushed me to think differently and approach my service from new perspectives. It has been incredibly eye-opening.”

In addition to working with coaches, Karina has attended events and workshops at the Leslie eLab. She also added two new members to her team through the lab’s “team hunt” resource. These events allow NYU students, staff, faculty, and researchers to learn about each other’s start-ups and join together as teams. Finally, Karina says she hopes to take part in the Startup Accelerator Program moving forward.

“The Leslie eLab has not only helped with my business strategy, but it’s also provided me motivation for my academic and personal goals,” she says. “Starting a business isn’t always easy—I’m learning as I go—but it’s a challenge I’m willing to take on.”