What’s the next big idea to come out of the Jewish community? On June 18th members of the tri-state Jewish community will have a chance to pitch their start-up ventures to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs in Crown Heights Young Entrepreneurs second annual “shark-tank” style event.
The event will give the a limited number of participants a chance to sell their venture to potential investors David Schottenstein, Shmuel Gniwisch, Daniel Wolfson and Esriel Rapoport. With the opportunity to raise between $50-250,000 in seed money, the potential to make your vision a reality can come true.
Panel member Yosef R. Levine is an Audit Director at Deloitte where he is leadership team member of the firm’s Audit Innovation technology incubator. He is a Co-Leader of Deloitte’s Israeli Business Service Desk. As a seasoned auditor, he serves emerging growth companies and complex SEC clientele in the retail, service and technology space.
Panel member Ezriel Rapaport is an experienced investor with over 15 years in the business world. Ezriel has helped over a dozen start-ups with not only seed money, but the support and tools they need for success.
Representing a group of investors looking to fund exciting start-ups, Ezriel is especially interested in ventures focusing on product design or ecommerce.
Ezriel is excited to help Crown Heights’s young entrepreneurial community succeed.
“Above all,” he says, “we’re looking to invest in people – be it someone with a track-record for success or a new entrepreneur with the dedication and tenacity to make it happen.”
Panel member David Schottenstein is an entrepreneur from birth, David has always been buying, selling and starting up his own businesses. David founded Astor and Black at 20, and today is the co-founder and Co-CEO of ViewABill.
David says that he’s looking for ingenuity, strong management and above all people with the drive to make their unique ideas happen.
“In my investment, I look for something that really fills a gap in the marketplace,”David says. “I want to find the guy with the idea that people will look and say ‘Why didn’t I think of that?'”
Daniel Wolfson, President of Logoworks.com, a logo design firm, is a member of OldSlip Group, a New York City based growth equity firm focused on investing in and operating privately held companies. While primarily focused on the technology sector, OldSlip continues to be active in consumer goods, subscription services, and ecologically friendly opportunities. Daniel is particularly interested in private business, including old world business that use technology to blaze new paths.
“I’m particularly interested in finding great people and backing their ideas,” Daniel says.
Shmuel Gniwisch was the founder and CEO of Ice.com. After selling Ice.com Shmuel started concentrating on investing in innovative companies. He is particularly interest in businesses that specialize in products or consumer based applications, especially ideas which makes a business or people more efficient.
“When I look at a company,” Shmuel says, “I’m looking for companies with great leadership.”
Pitches will take place in front of a live audience, giving the public a chance to join in and learn as well.
According to Rabbi Yehoshua Werde, Director of CHYE, “We are making this event to generate opportunity in our community by giving participants the funds and guidance needed to succeed, create a forum for the public to hear the wisdom and insight of these investors, and advocate for entrepreneurship as a career path that our community can follow.”
David Schottenstein, one of the four panelists, hopes to give participants the “opportunity to do something” about their ideas.“ The key to success is taking the initiative to get things done,” Schottenstein continues. “That can only be accomplished through persistence, hard work and ingenuity.”
So, are you ready to make your venture the next big thing? Community members with ventures in technology, the web, software, or the retail/wholesale space are encouraged to submit!
Applications will be reviewed by an internal board and must be submitted through CHYE.info before June 9th.
To reserve a seat for the event, logon to CHYE.info today!
Nice to see a full white beard on the panel. I guess one can be chasidish AND wealthy. Great dugma
This is an amazing opportunity for both sides. The organizers could have just gone on their own and not included anyone else in their business strategies nor provided such a forum for a “chance or break” . If you are passionate about your venture and have a great idea that fits in to today’s and tomorrow’s needs – hopefully in the form of a breakthrough, then they can be the experts that can see things that others apparently have not seen – otherwise one would have had financing long ago in a more conventional manner. It doesn’t matter how they… Read more »
This is Amazing!!!
There should be a shidduch tank…
It’s not complaining or critisizing it is an observation.
Sometimes it’s best to get advise from people who learned the hard way. And from rough and tumble experience. And from people who fell and got back up on there own.
No comment is critisizing the indviduals who may be hard working and great pepole and balei chesed etc.
Like shark Tank it would be nice to hear a success story where they helped someone and they accomplish their goal from the first event that they had some type of follow-up story
First off G-D bless Rabbi Werde and C.H.Y.E for making the effort to put on this event. Last year was a great start and I think this year will be 10 X stronger.
Stop complaining about who the investors are, nobody is forcing you to pitch and if you have better ideas for who should be in the investors panel then I am sure Rabbi Werde will be happy to work with you.
To #8 absolutely, C.H.YE events are geared for newbies to speak to successful people.
Is this an opportunity to meet potential investors, or generous rich people, looking help people start a business?
To# 6 #1&4 is not judging just stating a fact
Bs”d
You would rather someone who ‘made it on their own’? Every successful person is self-made, of course with Hashem’s help; No one can can build themselves up without ambition and drive, and of course a lot of hatzlocha. ‘Burning through money’ does not happen, hard work does. Next time maybe you should think before judging generous, successful people who are willing to help other’s get their businesses off the ground.
Much luck to this great idea and all the hopeful entrepreneurs.
Why criticize? This seems to be a really nice thing for yungerleit trying to get a foot up.. If anyone has any other great ideas, let them try and do it, nobody has the monopoly on trying to do good and to help someone else.
Your 100% right
When you grow up with wealth you can burn thru lots of dads money without worrying. So u can try many businesses and maybe one works.
When you make it on your own your rule and have a special brocha. U make it from scratch !
from the person whose name you rhyme with “yalili”
Give it over! You got what it takes!
I would rather see people on the panel who are self made.
While the people on the panel have talent and are sucsecsful, non of them actually made it on there own. By beating the pavement and beating the odds and beating the hardest part of any business which is seed capital and financing for cash flow.
On the real shark tank each panelist went from rags to riches.
Much luck