This initiative positions New York City as a major entry point in the U.S. for international AI growth companies
new york, December 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Lightspeed and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced that applications are now being accepted. AI Launch Pad program; It will help 10 international growth-stage AI companies enter and scale the New York City market. The program is accepting applications through January 9, 2026, and focuses on companies with $5 million or more in annual revenue or venture-backed startups with $5 million or more in funding that plan to enter the U.S. market within the next 24 months.
The program, fully funded by NYCEDC, addresses barriers that international growth companies face when expanding to the United States, including lack of founder support systems, unfamiliarity with the U.S. regulatory environment, visa complexity, and lack of customer and talent referrals. Participation is open to all eligible international companies, not just Lightspeed portfolio companies.
“At Lightspeed, we have spent years partnering with founders to help them break into the U.S. market. This partnership with NYCEDC allows us to extend that knowledge and support to a broader community of companies ready to make a name for themselves in the U.S.,” said Ping Rojindakul, partner at Lightspeed.
New York as a strategic entry point
The program leverages New York City's growth in AI talent and investment, positioning the city as an ideal gateway for international expansion. New York City's AI ecosystem is booming, leading the nation in tech jobs with more than 12,000 jobs as of March 2025, more than 6,000 ahead of San Francisco. Specifically, AI-related roles include: 38% This means that of all IT jobs in the city, approximately one in three new tech jobs will require AI skills.
The rapidly increasing demand for human resources is attracting large amounts of capital investment. In the first quarter of 2025, New York recorded 441 transactions, closing the gap to San Francisco's 658. Investment is particularly active in the AI, fintech, and healthtech sectors, demonstrating New York City's increasing attractiveness to both startups and investors.
This momentum, along with New York City's core strengths, positions it as an ideal starting point for international AI companies entering the U.S. market. With a gross urban product of $2 trillion and the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies in the United States, this city has ready access to a deep pool of business customers and skilled professionals.
“As New York City continues to solidify its position as a global hub for applied AI, attracting and supporting top growth-stage companies from around the world is essential to scaling up in the five boroughs,” said Andrew Kimball, president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). “Lightspeed and Supermomos, established leaders in their respective fields, will play a key role in helping NYCEDC eliminate barriers and accelerate the entry of international AI companies into New York City's thriving technology ecosystem.”
Lightspeed's role as a global talent scout and advisor
Lightspeed will work closely with Supermomos, the program management company selected by NYCEDC, to serve as the primary talent scout and source high-potential AI companies from across Israel, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe. Lightspeed's involvement extends beyond specifics to practical guidance, helping selected companies establish local partnerships, address compliance requirements, and access the company's network of business customers and technical talent across the New York market. Success stories from Lightspeed's portfolio, including Innovacer (healthtech), PocketFM (audio entertainment), Pixxel (satellite imagery), Marqo (vector search), and Sarvam (AI), prove that this approach can help international companies gain a strong foothold in the US market.
About Lightspeed Venture Partners
Lightspeed is a global, multi-stage venture capital firm with over $40 billion in assets under management. Since its founding in 2000, Lightspeed has been an original investor and early supporter of some of the world's most innovative companies, including Abridge, Anthropic, Anduril, Castellion, Databricks, Glean, Mistral, Navan, Neko Health, Netskope, Thinking Machines, Reflection AI, Rubrik, Snap, Skild AI, Vinted, Wiz, and more. Learn more about our company, our team, and why we're bullish on AI's potential to change the world. lsvp.com.
About the New York City Economic Development Corporation
The New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization working to create a vibrant, inclusive and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach through four key strategies. Reinforcing confidence that New York City is a great place to do business. Grow innovative sectors with a focus on equities. Building neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play. Providing sustainable infrastructure for the future economy of communities and cities. If you would like to learn more about our activities, please visit: facebook, ×, linkedinand Instagram.
About Super Momos
Supermomos is the world's first verified IRL professional community and New York City's premier platform connecting over 30,000 professionals in the technology, business, and financial sectors, including over 3,000 startup founders. They are dedicated to bringing people together in real life to foster meaningful connections and knowledge exchange, while promoting the participation of underrepresented and underrepresented groups. They also participate in major industry events such as the Super AI ML Summit and the Women's Leadership Summit at the New York Stock Exchange.
Source Lightspeed Venture Partners
