On a hot Wednesday evening in the beginning of the fall, a select group of over 150 frum VC’s, founders, angel investors, and business gurus gathered in the trendy W Loft facing the Manhattan skyline to hear five local tech startups make their pitches.
Titled, “Demo Day,” the event was hosted by Crown Ventures Accelerator, the first-ever business accelerator for frum tech startups in the US. Five startups, selected out 85 applicants (more than double the number that applied to the inaugural class), were chosen to be part of the accelerator’s second-ever cohort.
After going through an intensive twelve-week program learning about the best practices for building successful startups, which includes working with mentors, testing product-market-fit, and fundraising, the founders in the accelerator have the opportunity to pitch their concepts on Demo Day before a room full of potential investors and members of the frum business community.
This Demo Day was the second in the accelerator’s history (the first was held this past January) and it was an inspiring celebration of the frum community’s bubbling startup community.
The evening began with opening remarks from Rabbi Yehoshua Werde and a series of presentations delivered by each of the startup founders. Speaking before a diverse audience of investors and local business leaders, each presenter pitched their startup, from concept ideation, made a case for why their startup adds value to the market, shared how much revenue their company has made or how much capital it has raised so far, and stated the dollar amount they are seeking to raise. After each presentation, the floor was opened for questions so potential investors could learn more about these startups.
The founders and startups who presented were as follows: Moshe Hecht, founder of Hatch, the first-ever Giving Intelligence Platform, powered by AI. It serves as a portal for Fundraisers, Marketers, and Volunteers, streamlining and maximizing their impact. It provides a new home for a new world of giving! Hatch.ai
Yedid and Tova Herskovitz, co-founders of Rapidream, is a design-to-code tool designed for serious software development. Designers can utilize our Figma plugin to upload any design, and Rapidream generates multi-device responsive code. Developers can then customize it rapidly using our powerful cloud-based editor. Rapidream.com
Ari Caroline and Shlomo Klapper, co-founders of Weave. Weave is developing a generative AI platform that will revolutionize collaboration within the life science industry. We recently hosted a kickoff event last Wednesday.https://www.weave.bio
David Pruwer and Gilad Meir, co-founders of Ritual, At Ritual, we aim to transform and democratize relationship support for millions of couples worldwide. Relationship health is currently the most severely constrained area of mental healthcare, and it’s only worsening.. With clinically effective results delivered in just a month, our platform is the most innovative and effective way to improve relationship health in the digitally native era. heyritual.com
Yael Katz, Ph.D., founder of Simbryo, a pioneering laboratory test in the IVF (in vitro fertilization) space. It combines advances in organoid technology with AI and predictive analytics to answer the crucial question, “Will it work?” Simbryo personalizes the process for each individual, helping physicians achieve success in fewer trials.
After the presentations, the founders took the floor to mingle with business leaders, potential investors, and others in attendance over a lavish sushi buffet complete with wine and beer for the rest of the evening.
Founder and the evening’s first presenter, Moshe Hecht, was an attendee at the previous Demo Day before being selected for Crown Ventures’ second cohort. “Crown Ventures, under the helm of Yehoshua Werde and Ephraim Yarmak, was an incredible three months of education, collaboration, and community!” he said. “HATCH is undoubtedly better positioned and prepared for continued growth because of our participation.”
Attendees were also impressed by the impact Crown Ventures is making in the community and many of the startup founders in attendance said they would likely apply to accelerator either now or in the future.
“I’ve benefited greatly from the networking and support of Rabbi Werde’s various activities and events in the past and I will likely be applying to get into the next cohort,” said Moshe Heller, founder of ANYWAYPAY.
Mendel Lipszyc, co-founder of Tribe Credit said: “There’s some incredible companies here tonight and it’s always inspiring to see entrepreneurship flourishing in our community. There’s also a lot of talent and VCs here so it’s great to be able to connect with many different people of different backgrounds and with different skill sets. People in this community are very active in helping one another out. I love being here just to show support for the startups and for my good friend, Ephraim Yarmak. Depending on what happens with my startup, I’d love to be part of a future Crown Ventures cohort.”
Levi Sudak, founder of Pave Mobility said, “I came here to support Rabbi Werde because he’s been an incredible support to my business and to my business journey. I’m thankful to be part of the startup ecosystem and it’s been a great night seeing what startups are growing in our community.”
Crown Ventures is a leading startup accelerator dedicated to empowering Orthodox founders. With a focus on providing comprehensive resources, funding, and access to a network of investors, Crown Ventures Accelerator aims to propel promising startups to success. Led by Ephraim Yarmak and founded by Rabbi Yehoshua Werde, Crown Ventures is committed to nurturing innovation, fostering diversity, and making a positive impact on the startup ecosystem.
Are you an established tech startup who thinks you have what it takes to get to the next level?
To find out more about Crown Ventures email [email protected]
