Yale Innovators Prize
The Yale Innovators Prize is a $25,000 cash prize awarded to the for-profit or non-profit venture/project that has the potential to produce the most creative or impactful solution to real-world problems that doesn’t qualify for any other Startup Yale prize.
The Yale Innovators Prize is intended to catalyze a venture/project that otherwise would not qualify for funding within the Startup Yale prizes.
This prize is intended to:
- Stimulate applications of entrepreneurship and innovation at Yale University
- Generate ideas that are scalable, achievable, quantifiable, and financeable
- Educate entrepreneurs about the process of converting an idea into a successful startup
Judging Criteria
- Opportunity: The problem the venture/organization/idea seeks to address is clearly defined, and there is evidence that a significant target population considers it important.
- Innovation: The idea is truly innovative. It presents a new model, product, or service that fills a unique gap and/or applies an existing model to a new context.
- Team: The team possesses the knowledge, skills, passion, energy, and ability to execute effectively.
- Sustainability & Catalytic Potential: The prize will be meaningful in driving the team/project forward in ways that may not have been possible otherwise, either quickly or at all.
- Viability: The team has developed a clear solution to the problem, has a realistic path for getting the solution to the end user, and can continue to deliver the solution in a way that is financially and operationally sustainable.
- Impact: The innovation demonstrates significant social or financial impact
Important Dates
January 27, 2026: Startup Yale Application Fest
February 2, 2026: Startup Yale application opens
February 12, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST: Startup Yale application deadline
March 6, 2026: Finalist announced.
April 10, 2026: Finalists participate in a live pitch event as part of Startup Yale.
Contact
Abigail Winslow
Director of Operations and Technology, Tsai CITY
Meet with Abby
Past Winners
2025: EnglishSeeKho
2024: Numanac (Dan Kelly, ARC ’25, Daniel Lee, James Fitzgerald, and Reem Kseibati) leverages AI-enabled Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to simplify farm knowledge management/decision-making, enhance operational efficiency, and empower farmers to derive actionable insights from data.
2023: Catala (James Licato YC ’25, Jaehong Kim, Bob Migliorini), a catalyst-based technology venture working to destroy contaminants in wastewater
2022: Frailty Myths, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultancy
