Founder Institute New York Twenty

Founder Institute New York 20

On October 2nd, five new companies and six founders graduated from Founder Institute New York as the 20th cohort in New York City! We held the event at the wonderful Stand Up NY club on the Upper West Side of Manhattan! The companies in this cohort represented several industries including augmented reality, healthcare, real estate, financial technology, and more.

A noteworthy mention for this cohort is that graduates are 83%, female founders! I want to thank the New York founders of FI NY 20 and I am excited to keep working together and you go forward building your company.

I want to thank the New York Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all the hard work and time put into helping the founders of FI NY 20.

Founder Institute New York 20

MRX World - Restoring ancient monuments to their full magnificence through AR.

Patient Orator - Improving healthcare delivery while eliminating inequities.

Rizep - An AI-powered analyzing platform for residential real estate investors.

SavTax - Taxes automated in a powerful new way.

Tripographers - Access trustworthy travel itineraries and recommendations.

The Inaugural Founder Institute Buffalo Cohort

Founder Institute Buffalo

I am very excited to say that we have graduated the Inaugural Founder Institute Buffalo cohort on July 18th. Nine new companies and founders graduated from Founder Institute Buffalo from our Spring cohort. The companies represented several industries ranging from fashion, to electric vehicles, to daycare and more.

I want to thank the Buffalo Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all the hard work and time put into helping the founders of FI Buffalo 2019. As well as the rest of the amazing local director team; Scott Wayman, Lauren Baynes, & Cody Semrau! I want to also thank the founders of FI Buffalo 2019 and I am very excited to continue supporting them on their journey. 

Founder Institute Buffalo 2019

Bands To Watch - Fan engagement platform for venues and artists.

Eco-Carriage - Providing alternative fueling, sourced from zero-emission energy resources. 

FashInPost - Realtime fashion feedback.

Inacquis - Attract and screen the next generation of talent.

Kubed Root - Indoor co-farming.

Lint - Modern wash and fold.

Reiner United - Unique online storefronts.

SmartPlay Playcare - A new kind of day care solution.

Third Estate Analytics - Driving neighborhood change with data.

Founder Institute New York Nineteen

Founder Institute New York 19

On May 28th, five new companies and seven founders graduated from Founder Institute New York as the 19th cohort. The companies represented several industries including real estate, financial planning, music therapy and more.

I want to thank the New York Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all the hard work and time put into helping the founders of FI NY 19. I want to also thank the New York founders of FI NY 19 and I am excited to continue supporting their journey. 

Founder Institute New York 19

Knowledge to Own - Individually matching home buyers with home buying programs.

MoneyStack - Modern financial planning app for couples.

NestIQa - Helping landlords and tenants through the entire rental process.

Ownum - A unique IOT solution for monitoring consumption of medication containers.

StarTag - Changing people's lives through music.

Founder Institute New York Eighteen

Founder Institute New York 18

On January 8th, eight new companies and 9 founders graduated from Founder Institute New York as the 18th cohort. This was the first Founder Institute New York cohort in partnership with Loyal.vc, which will be investing in each of the graduating companies! The companies represented several industries including biotech, fitness, edtech, erotica, fashion and more.

I want to thank the New York Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all the hard work and time put into helping the founders of FI NY 18. I want to also thank the New York founders of FI NY 18 and I am excited to continue supporting their journey. 

Founder Institute New York 18

Body Elevated - Creating hyper-personalized fitness programs using computer vision.

CapCell Biologics - Enzyme replacement therapy using NASA carbon nanotube capsules.

Gear Cities - Marketplace connecting owners of sports gear with prospective renters.

Go Traceable - Helping brands find the right manufacturers to produce their fashion products.

Lessonbee - School based health and sex education platform and marketplace.

Paid Exposure - Seamlessly connecting social media influencers with businesses.

Sound Sensual- online marketplace allowing anyone to create, share, sell & enjoy erotic audio.

Zydello - Bringing the trunkshow experience online for fashion designers.

Founder Institute New York Seventeen

Founder Institute New York

On August 28th, eleven new companies graduated from Founder Institute New York as the 17th cohort. The Founder Institute New York reviews are in and this was a great cohort to work with. The companies represented several industries including coworking, influencers, cancer, travel, events, fashion, e-sports and more.

As always, I want to thank the New York Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all their work and time put into helping the founders of FI NY 17. I want to also thank the founders of FI NY 17 for being so great throughout the semester. I am excited to drink out of the amazing mugs they kindly gave all the mentors. I am very excited to work with all of the founders as they continue to grow over the next several years. 

Founder Institute New York 17

Artfuse - Putting street performers on the map in real-time.

Brnder - Helping influencers establish and grow their personal brand.

Curbicus - The clean compostable solution to dog waste for urban pet parents.

Fantasy Gods - An interactive daily sports fantasy game.

Kontomo - A digital publishing system enabling anonymous feedback for the performing arts.

LookStyler - A global marketplace for professional stylists.

One Remission - Empowering cancer survivors to stay in remission.

Redefined - Helping users secure income in retirement, not just helping save a nest egg.

The Lighthouse - Connecting young people with a network of young professionals.

Serene Ofiices - Helping mental health professionals grow their private practice.

Viahhey - Making viewing traditional travel content on social media, bookable.

Congratulating Founder Institute New York Sixteen

On May 8th, fourteen new companies graduated from Founder Institute New York as the 16th cohort. The companies represented several industries including telemedicine, augmented reality, fin-tech, blockchain, automated travel, mobile tattoos, real estate and more. 

As always, I want to thank the New York Mentors and the Founder Institute team for all their work and time put into helping the founders of FI NY 16. I want to also thank the founders of FI NY 16 for being so great throughout the semester. The "Unicorn Herder" shirt they created for me is gold. It is included in the many pictures below! I am very excited to work with all of the founders as they continue to grow over the next several years. 

Founder Institute New York 16

Alternative Learning - Alternative employee training for financial institutions. 

Arella - Connecting precisions care experts and patients. 

Augmented Review - Changing how industrial designers review a 3D mobile mockups.

After All - Share memories, stories, and lessons from a life well lived.

Egg Fund - Helping the 1 in 8 Americans with infertility afford their dream to have a family.

Meddy - Cloud-based, patient-owned health records platform. 

Miramom - Connecting working professional parents with flexible jobs. 

ModiPhit - Voice enabled personal training app. 

Spot On - Ride hailing marketplace for pets and the people who love them. 

Tatjack - Mobile marketplace connecting tattoo artists and customers. 

Tenshey - Advancing gender diversity through executive coaching.

Transparentcity - Sharing apartment experiences with the community. 

Urban Trips - Automated generation of customized travel agendas in the worlds best cities. 

WILO - Send and receive video messages with digital cash gifts. 

Welcome The Newest Founder Institute Philadelphia Graduates

On March 1st, Founder Institute Philadelphia graduated seven new companies.

A massive thank you to all the Mentors and the whole Founder Institute Philly team for all their work to help the founders. I want to also thank the founders of Founder Institute Philadelphia for being so dedicated to their company's mission throughout the semester. Best of luck to all of the founders as they continue to build their company to achieve their vision.

Founder Institute Philadelphia

Consolibox - Safe keeping for all of life's important stuff.

Day One Solutions - Improving college student outcomes. 

Deciding Vote - Match with candidates who care about the same things you do.

FundingFuel - Invest in pre-vetted franchises. 

Murality - The world is your gallery.

On Your Slyvs - Wearable designs that inspire and empower. 

SASTE - Technology to support organizations providing mentorship programming for women.

Celebrating Founder Institute New York Fifteen

On November 14th, nine new companies graduated Founder Institute as the 15th New York cohort. The companies represented several industries including space, mobile video, fin-tech, immigration, real estate, sports media, enterprise sales, and digital retail. 

I want to thank the Mentors and the Founder Institute New York team for all their help and time put in to helping the founders of FI NY 15. I want to also thank the founders of FI NY 15 being so great throughout the summer semester. The custom shirts are pretty amazing as well, pictures below! I am very excited to work with all of the companies as they continue to grow and evolve.

Founder Institute New York 15

Diasppo - Helping internationals secure internships and job sponsorships.

Insider Rental - Increasing real estate building transparency. 

Postadium - Enhancing the soccer fan experience.

Process Pure - Opportunity management software for B2B sales. 

Ranked - Rating student culture at every college in the nation.

Rater Bee - Digital ratings for in-store retail associates.

Rose Galactic - Making CubeSat access to low earth orbit as accessible as possible.

String Flix - Effortlessly stringing mobile video clips together across the world.

Transfer Impact - Easily transferring cashless funds, directly to those who are unbanked and in need.

Introducing Founder Institute New York 14

I am excited to introduce you to the 14th cohort of Founder Institute New York. Last Monday six new companies graduated FI NY. Companies from the 14th batch are listed below and span across industries such augmented reality, fashion, internet of things, hardware, SaaS, and real estate.

We are very grateful to the time and energy that is given to the graduating companies by our generous FI NY mentors. Congratulations to the new founders and companies of Founder Institute New York! This is just the start of your entrepreneurial journey and I look forward to working with you all going forward. 

Founder Institute New York 14

Ceeq - Luxury convertible bags to take you from professional to functional. 

Invoira - Automating the supplier payment process. 

Menusnap - Translating restaurant dishes through augmented reality.

MERE - Direct to consumer luxury knitwear brand for socially conscious consumers. 

Perceptive Things - Protecting real estate properties from damaging internal incidents.

Okupied - Helping rental property owners manage their business on the go. 

Announcing Founder Institute New York 13

Founder Institute New York Fall 2016 - credit: Sally Kung

I am excited to announce that Monday of this week, eight new companies have graduated from Founder Institute New York.

Companies from the 13th batch of Founder Institute New York are listed below and span across industries such as fin-tech, diamond trading, fashion, e-sports, artificial intelligence, social, real estate tech, and more. 

As always we are extremely grateful to the time and energy given to the new companies by our generous FI NY mentors. Congratulations to the new founders and companies of Founder Institute New York! This is just the beginning of the journey and I look forward to working with you all going forward.

Founder Institute New York 13

Access Square - Improving investor access to the management of public companies.

BucketCheck - Create and accomplish your bucket list with your friends.

Diamond Hedge - The first price comparison with over $5 Billion dollars of diamonds to choose from.

GameBase - Developing localized mobile e-sports games.

Klothe - Connecting consumers with new and independent fashion brands. 

LocaHolic - Artificial intelligence to make sharing great restaurants easy.

Minque - Connecting curious minds with educated answers.   

ViaHome - Platform connecting investors with sponsors of affordable housing developments. 

Founder Institute New York 13 Photo Credit: Sally Kung

Presenting Founder Institute New York 12

FINY12: Summer 16

Tuesday of this week we had our Graduate Showcase event bringing together the graduating companies of Founder Institute New York 12 (Summer 16), our New York Founder X Alumni, and our monthly Startup Founder 101 Meetup. Here are some of the great photos from our event: 

The Founder Institute New York Summer 2016 cohort came to an end with 14 new companies graduating. The twelfth batch of the Founder Institute New York includes companies from across several industries such as virtual reality, international food, HR-tech, weddings, fashion, social media, and more.

I would like to thank the great mentors here in New York for the incredible lessons, experience, time, and wisdom brought to each semester's graduates. Without any further ado, I give you #FINY12.

Founder Institute New York 12

Bridal Playbook - Tell us your vision, sit back and relax while wedding vendors send you quotes.

Candogram - Job match technology using unique machine learning & big data.  

Factual VR - Capture and reproduce crime scenes using Virtual Reality technology. 

Happo - Simplifying your children's birthday planning.

Home Abroad - Discover Africa through textiles. 

Home Matcher -  Find your dream home before it's for sale.

Moro Labs - Bringing ethnic foods to their global diasporas with Baegopa. 

Nekai Leon - A socially conscious & contemporary fashion brand with a personalized shopping experience.

ONYO - The power of choice is yours, always get the food you want.

Own Your Crisis - SaaS for pre-planning family emergencies

Paxi - Native tongue ride sharing for international visitors. 

SocioSpree - A curated marketplace for successfully crowdfunded products. 

Tagland Toys - Simple, organic, fun plush toys for babies. 

The Weekend SPIN - Automatically capture and share your weekend. 

FINY11 Graduates Founder Institute New York

Founder Institute New York Spring 2016 

Last week the Founder Institute New York graduated the Spring 2016 cohort with 12 promising new companies. The eleventh batch of the Founder Institute in New York includes companies from across several industries such as film, childhood education, real estate, fin-tech, retail, HR-tech, fashion and more. As always, I am very grateful for the incredible lessons, experience, and wisdom brought to each semester's graduates by our great mentors here in New York.

Founder Institute New York 11

Clapper - Streamlining communication and logistics for media productions.

GigSesh - Helping professionals make extra cash by connecting them to advice seekers.

Mindsprinkles - Sprinkling culture into your child’s screentime.

NvestN - Low cost robo-investing platform for the underserved market of investors.

PicketFencer - Find a hometown that fits.

Prix Fixed - Where planning is not the event. 

Real Assembly - The future of real estate crowdfunding.

Skour - Mobile storefront for brick and mortar boutiques.

SquarePeg - Intelligent assessment based job matching for candidates and employers.

TeddyMozart - Let your memories transcend borders and time.

TellyVizion - Where artist's work and shows are compensated directly by the audience.

Ushu - Custom tailored shoes to your unique foot's shape.

Easy Aerial On "All-American Makers" This Wednesday

Last week I featured Easy Aerial as the Startup Of The Week. Today I am super-excited to announce that Easy Aerial will be featured this Wednesday at 8PM EST on Discovery's Science Channel during this weeks episode of "All-American Makers".

Easy Aerial's latest product, Easy Drone XL Pro, was chosen to be featured in the second season and Ivan, founder and CEO of Easy Aerial, claims to have put it through some rough testing on the show! So set your DVR or tune in Wednesday night to join the Founder Institute New York family as we look into the unique design features of Easy Aerial's modular approach while exploring the future of drones as smart and helpful autonomous machines.

Tomorrowland: The Companies Building a Better Future

There is a reason the header image of the Siskar.co website is a futuristic city where anything seems possible. It is Tomorrowland. At the dedication of the first Tomorrowland Walt Disney declared it as: 

"A vista into a world of wondrous ideas, signifying Man's achievements... A step into the future, with predictions of constructed things to come. Tomorrow offers new frontiers in science, adventure and ideals. The Atomic Age, the challenge of Outer Space and the hope for a peaceful, unified world."

— Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

I wasn't alive post World War II when the greatest generation was building and believing in anything they put their minds too. When society as a whole believed in the future and that anything was possible. I would have loved to have experienced that level of optimism in society and technology. This is the future Walt Disney believed in and was inspired by. 

I think we could be returning to that time.  A great example of the potential of this mentality is what Mark Zuckerberg did this week with his pledge to give away 99% of his Facebook shares to charity.  

Even if all of society isn't on fully on board yet, there are some incredible individuals already building great new companies in order to make the future and tomorrow a better place. There is an infinite number of ways and methods to use your life to contribute back to the world. Over the past few years I have been working with some of these companies. I now feel it is time to share them with you. Hopefully, they inspire you to also help with building a better Tomorrow.