The University of Cambridge's innovation arm has chosen West Harlem for its first landing hub outside the United Kingdom. Cambridge Enterprise's New York Leap, a temporary base for companies that grew out of Cambridge research, has been running since October 1 inside Innovation Triangle West Harlem, the cluster of labs and startup space around Manhattanville and Amsterdam Avenue.

The hub runs through April 30, 2027, a six-month stay, in collaboration with the Janus Property Company, the developer behind the Factory District buildings in the neighborhood.

What a Leap is

Cambridge Enterprise launched its Leaps program in London in May 2026. Each Leap is a short-term soft landing for companies already working with Cambridge Enterprise: a desk, introductions and help getting oriented in a new market. New York is the first one abroad.

Cambridge is clear that the New York Leap is not an accelerator and has no set curriculum. Companies pay nothing to use it, there is no financial arrangement between Cambridge Enterprise and its New York partners, and participants cover their own travel and lodging. Up to six people from each company can use the workspace, and companies at any stage could apply. Applications were open from July 1 to August 2, 2026, and companies heard back the week of August 31.

What the companies get in Harlem

According to Cambridge Enterprise, companies in the New York Leap get:

  • Workspace in the Janus and Innovation Triangle buildings, including Harlem Biospace and Communitas.
  • Introductions to shared research facilities nearby, among them Harlem Biospace, the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Gotham Foundry and the West Harlem Green Tech Lab, plus guidance on short-term wet lab access.
  • A place at Innovation Triangle events and talks, introductions to investors and partners, and light help finding short-term housing.

The partners Cambridge names for the hub include Columbia Engineering, Columbia Business School, the New York Structural Biology Center, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub and the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, all within a few minutes' walk or a short ride of 125th Street.

A biotech neighborhood taking shape

The Innovation Triangle has been building for several years. Harlem Biospace at Mink, a biotech incubator backed by $9 million in state funding through Empire State Development, sits at 1361 Amsterdam Avenue. Columbia's Manhattanville campus, the City College campus and the CUNY research center on St. Nicholas Terrace are all nearby. Bringing a university-backed program from Cambridge, England, into that mix gives Cambridge-born companies a foothold in New York's research and investment world.

Where it is

The Innovation Triangle runs along the blocks around Amsterdam Avenue and West 125th to 133rd Streets. The 1 train stops at 125th Street on Broadway, and the A, B, C and D stop at 125th Street on St. Nicholas Avenue. The M60 and Bx15 run along 125th Street.

Cambridge Enterprise posts details on the program and future application windows on its Leaps pages.

Sources