Runway Startup Postdoc Program

Cornell Tech and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute administer the Runway Startup Postdoc Program as a postdoctoral startup incubator for recent PhDs who want to turn digital technology research into a company. The source describes a 12-24 month program with academic and business mentorship and a first-year package valued at USD 175,000, including salary, research budget, housing allowance, space, and related support; it also states a second-year package value but the catalog stores only the directly stated first-year cap as awardMax. Applicants are individuals: top PhDs who graduated within the last five years, and sometimes PhD candidates near completion, with interest in applying digital technologies. The program is not a normal company grant, but it directly funds a founder route that is intended to create a startup in New York City. Applications use the Cornell University SurveyMonkey Apply portal. The source says the Runway application window opens October 15 and closes February 1st, but it does not state the year for the next cycle, so this page keeps the deadline field empty and treats the program as scheduled between dated windows. Candidates with a potential match may interview with program directors, faculty, and current Startup Postdocs and present a startup pitch. The official page does not publish scoring weights, a full rubric, citizenship rules, or a fixed next-cycle year.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.