Norway's top leader under 35, three years running. Now he runs NYC's official AI accelerator, backing the next 165 startups.
About
Javad Mushtaq is Managing Director, NYC and Head of the NYC AI Nexus at C10 Labs, the MIT-born applied AI venture fund and studio selected by the New York City Economic Development Corporation to run the city's flagship AI accelerator initiative. Under the program, C10 Labs will help launch and scale AI startups in healthcare, climate tech, and robotics, part of a citywide effort to support up to 165 startups and 96 industry pilots through 2029. Before New York, Mushtaq built a career in Norway as a social entrepreneur and impact investor: he founded MAK, a nonprofit advancing diversity in innovation and leadership, co-founded MinMentor to reduce school dropout rates, and launched JM Ventures, Norway's first diversity-focused impact investment firm. A World Economic Forum contributor, he was named one of Norway's top leadership talents under 35 for three consecutive years.
2026 Sessions
This YearThe People's Mandate: Governing and Building AI from Queens to Cairo
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Reimagining NYC & Urban Innovation
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