NEA Launches New Installment of Design Mentorship Program "In the Studio"

CHEVY CHASE, Md., April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), a leading global venture capital firm, today announced the kickoff of a second installment of its design mentorship program, In the Studio. Building on NEA's successful 2013 program, In the Studio will be an intensive, two-week program for up to six design teams, developed and produced in collaboration with New York City-based product studio All Tomorrows, led by Albert Lee, and with Liz Danzico, founding chairperson of the Interaction Design program at New York City's School of Visual Arts. Applications are now being accepted for the program, which will take place June 2^nd through 17^th, 2014.

Led by NEA Partner Dayna Grayson, the program evolved in response to a growing community of entrepreneurially minded designers, particularly in the New York City tech ecosystem. With design increasingly central in building successful consumer and enterprise applications, the program recruits talented designers with entrepreneurial or startup aspirations and provides mentorship, resources and opportunities to collaborate.

"Design is front and center in today's mobile-first, multi-device environment," said Grayson. "Just as a wave of highly successful entrepreneurs emerged from the ranks of product engineers building software applications in the last decade, we think designers will play an integral role in founding the next generation of great companies. Our goal for In the Studio is to help jumpstart that journey for a small group of talented designers as they take ownership of an idea, devise a solution, and explore the world of startups and entrepreneurship."

Each team of two designers will be paired with a mentor who has had successful entrepreneurial and/or product design experience. The session's theme, "Unlocking Human Potential," will focus teams on creating products that can improve the efficiency, productivity or results of anything from a small business to a child first learning to code. The theme, developed by All Tomorrows, is meant to be expansive in order to suit designers interested in both enterprise and consumer technologies.

"We increasingly see emotional needs and behaviors triggering the adoption of new technology," notes Lee. "There exists an imperative to create and design products that are built with that lived experience in mind."

Interested designers must apply as a team of two, and will be selected based on their design expertise, which may be gained through design training or equivalent experience, and their penchant for entrepreneurship. Applicants do need not have formulated product concepts or business plans to apply. The two-week program will culminate in each team's design of a prototype and a proposal for how the solution will inspire, improve upon, or solve a critical consumer or enterprise problem.

Ideally, the teams will not only come up with an inspiring proposal, but will spark collaborative relationships with one another that lead to entrepreneurial ventures or infuse new talent into the New York startup community.

Click here for additional information and to apply.

About NEA
NEA is a leading venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With more than $13 billion in committed capital, the firm invests in information technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. NEA's long track record of successful investing includes more than 175 portfolio company IPOs and more than 300 acquisitions. For additional information, visit www.nea.com.

About All Tomorrows
All Tomorrows is a design and technology product studio, based in New York, dedicated to creating products that unlock human potential. We are currently creating products in the spaces of personal development, mindfulness, and behavior change, utilizing a human-centered product development process. To learn more, please go to: www.alltomorrows.com.

SOURCE New Enterprise Associates, Inc.