How successful exits help fuel the startup ecosystem
From her lived experience, Gloria Folaron identified a significant gap in support for neurodivergent individuals in the workplace, particularly in project management. She co-founded Leantime, where she is developing accessible work management solutions that promote motivation, connection, and engagement for all employees. We sat down with her to discuss open-source models, navigating the grant system, and more.
2025 will be a pivotal year for startups and tax policy, and one instrumental program that has been crucial to the success of the company I co-founded, Event Vesta Inc, is at risk of sunsetting.
Data is a fundamental resource that powers all AI systems. There are different types of data that are utilized for different functions in AI development, and varying sources of that data.
Based in Superior, Colo., hobbyDB is an online collectibles database that aims to catalogue every collectible in existence. Founder and CEO, Christian Braun, spoke to us about the origins behind the company, how platforms like hobbyDB have responded to market facilitator laws, and the barriers imposed by the U.S. immigration system to the entry of new entrepreneurs.
SparkFun, headquartered in Niwot, Colo., designs and manufactures electronic development tools used to build new technological innovations and enable research. We sat down with Nathan Seidle, CEO and Co-Founder, to learn why he launched the company, the challenges for a small business of navigating the U.S. intellectual property landscape, and how startups looking to support educational communities can face significant structural barriers.
Authentise is a software company headquartered in Philadelphia, Penn. that is working to enable 3D printing systems to operate more efficiently by using artificial intelligence and other digital tools. We sat down with Andre Wegner, CEO and Founder, to learn about what led him to start the company, the barriers the U.S. immigration system creates to hiring the talent he needs, and how policymakers can look to additive manufacturing to fill gaps in existing supply chains.
Event Vesta is an event discovery and promotion platform founded in Omaha, Neb. working to improve the connectivity between event organizers and attendees. Andrew Prystai, CEO and co-founder, shared with us the origins of the platform, his experience as a tech entrepreneur in the Midwest, and the ways in which existing tech policy frameworks have enabled their team to build a successful platform.
TopProp is a daily fantasy sports platform designed to enable users to import existing fantasy football teams and calculate the odds of winning their matchups with friends. We spoke with Michael Zavagno and Griffin Kurzius, Co-Founders of TopProp, about what led them to build the platform and the challenges startups face when navigating different regulatory structures based on location.
Storj is an encrypted, decentralized cloud storage provider that utilizes its own digital token to facilitate transactions. We spoke with Ben Golub, the CEO of Storj, about how their platform functions, the current uncertainty around cryptocurrency and digital asset regulation, and the importance of considering startups’ perspective in policy making.
Tomodachi is a social learning platform that enables students to create unique content and present work to audiences beyond the classroom. Started by a wife and husband duo, Na Xue and Ken Lo, with the mission of creating meaningful educational connections and providing a global, inclusive learning environment. We had the chance to speak with Na Xue—a former educator and co-founder of Tomodachi—about the origins of the company, regulatory challenges in EdTech, and the challenges women founders can face when building their startups.
Melon is a Chicago-based company working to build and implement e-commerce solutions for an array of businesses that are increasingly relying on digital consumers, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ryan Nicholson—Founder and CTO—told us why he founded Melon, the ongoing impact he’s seeing of COVID-19 on the businesses they work with, and how startups are looking for certainty across an array of policy topics.
WithClutch is a software company working to provide access to easily refinance car loans through credit unions. Based in San Francisco, Calif., Nicholas Hinrichsen—Co-Founder and CEO—told us how he founded WithClutch, the challenges he’s faced while navigating the immigration system as an entrepreneur, and how his company has benefitted from the innovative environment provided by a regulatory sandbox in Arizona.
Based in New York City, N.Y., Fund Black Founders is a crowdfunding platform dedicated to narrowing the racial capital access gap by connecting Black founders with the financial and community resources they need. Founder & CEO, Renee King is focused on building an organization that can provide a necessary “Family & Friends” funding round for founders who would otherwise lack access to such capital. We spoke with Ms. King about what led her to build Fund Black Founders, the importance of access to early stage funding for Black founders, and how government agencies can make existing resources more accessible to emerging entrepreneurs.
TeacherCoach is an education technology company that is dedicated to providing accessible personal and professional development tools to educators and parents in school districts across the U.S. Based in Mount Laurel, N.J., Jared Scherz—Founder and CEO—told us about what led him to found TeacherCoach, the challenges he’s faced in building a social enterprise startup, and how he’s navigating the complexities of content moderation given their platform’s unique audience.
Based in Newark, N.J., MoCaFi is a fintech company that provides a platform and tools designed to make financial services more accessible for all communities. MoCaFi—and its Founder & CEO, Wole Coaxum—are particularly focused on developing tools and technology that can help close the racial wealth gap that persists within the U.S. We spoke with Mr. Coaxum about what led him to MoCaFi, the importance of access to modern banking tools, and how public-private partnerships can help reach underresourced communities.
Rubitection is making skin health evaluation better, easier, and more reliable to prevent chronic conditions and improve quality of life through innovative, inclusive technology. We recently spoke to Rubitection’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Sanna Gaspard, about the importance of diversity in medtech, the need for more innovation in and investment for technology to support an aging population, and what the government can do to advance these goals.
E14 Fund is a venture capital firm working with MIT’s Media Lab to help deep tech startups with an MIT connection launch and scale their business—and donating a portion of its profits back into MIT. We spoke with E14’s co-founder and managing partner, Calvin Chin, to learn more about MIT’s startup community, trends in advanced manufacturing, and how the government might do a better job working with young companies.
Avocademy is a Miami-based education and mentoring program that prepares students to start a career in user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design. We spoke with founder, Maca Baigorria, to learn more about the organization’s work, the importance of workforce diversity, and what role accessibility plays in designing technology.
Hacking the Workforce is a mentoring and support organization dedicated to helping Black, LGBTQ+ individuals develop successful careers in the field of cybersecurity. We spoke with Safi Mojidi—Founder of Hacking the Workforce—to learn about his work, the importance of diversity to cybersecurity, and how policymakers can develop better technology policy through partnership with diverse practitioners and academia in the cyber industry.
Rishi Ranjan is a co-founder and the CEO of GridRaster, a startup providing the underlying infrastructure needed to support immersive augmented, virtual, and mixed-reality experiences on mobile devices and in the enterprise market. We spoke with Rishi to learn about his path to launching this cloud-based XR platform, his experience navigating the patent and immigration systems, and his goals for GridRaster going forward.
Sam Caucci is the founder and CEO of 1Huddle, a Newark-based software company creating mobile games for workforce development, corporate employee training, and upskilling. We sat down with him to discuss how he developed his business, the challenges of navigating complex privacy frameworks, and the need to rethink how technology will impact the future of work.
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.
